Have you ever heard of the "Mercury 13" women? Did you know that
nearly twenty years before the first women were let into NASA's
astronaut program, there were others who tried?
What are the requirements for being shot into space, piloting a hunk of
metal while carrying the hopes and fears of your nation? Mastery of
flying, as well as courage, intelligence, resistance to stress, and
fitness--any checklist would certainly include these. But when America
created NASA in 1958, there was an unspoken rule in place: astronauts
must be male, and they must be white.
Here is the tale of thirteen women who proved not only that they were as
tough as any man but also that they were brave enough to challenge the
government. Their passage to space was blocked by prejudice, jealousy,
and a note scrawled by one of the most powerful men in Washington. But
in the end, their inspiring example empowered young women to take their
rightful place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space capsules.
Almost Astronauts is the story of thirteen true pioneers of the space
age.