They had the right stuff. They defied the prejudices of the time. And
they blazed a trail for generations of women to follow.
What does it take to be an astronaut? Excellence at flying, courage,
intelligence, resistance to stress, top physical shape -- any checklist
would include these. But when America created NASA in 1958, there was
another unspoken rule: you had to be a man. Here is the tale of thirteen
women who proved that they were not only as tough as the toughest man
but also brave enough to challenge the government. They were blocked by
prejudice, jealousy, and the scrawled note of one of the most powerful
men in Washington. But even though the Mercury 13 women did not make it
into space, they did not lose, for their example empowered young women
to take their place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space
capsules. Almost Astronauts is the story of thirteen true pioneers of
the space age. Back matter includes an author's note, an appendix,
further reading, a bibliography, sources, source notes, and an index.