| Biography & Autobiography |
| Women |
| Aeronautics, Astronautics & Space Science |
| Technology |
| Juvenile Nonfiction |
| Science & Technology |
Summary
Summary
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.
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
(Middle School, High School) In the early 1960s, William Randolph Lovelace II, the NASA doctor who administered the rigorous physical and psychological tests to the men who would become the first U.S. astronauts, wondered if it might be feasible for women to become astronauts as well. The story of the ultimately unsuccessful effort to get women into NASA's Mercury astronaut training program is meticulously researched and thrillingly told by Stone using first- and second-hand sources, including interviews with many of the women who participated in Lovelace's tests, and a set of outstanding historical photographs. Nineteen women with extensive flight experience and a desire to be a part of one of the most exciting periods in American history eagerly signed up to go through the testing; thirteen, including the exceptionally qualified Jerrie Cobb, passed. Despite very public efforts by the group to get NASA to accept women, they were rejected (and, in fact, NASA didn't accept women or people of color until 1978). There is no sugarcoating here -- Stone presents the full story of early-sixties public discourse about women's capabilities and clearly shows the personal, political, and physical risks taken by the women in pursuit of their dream. The details will likely be a revelation for the intended middle- and high-school audience, who may be surprised to find the world of their grandmothers' childhoods a far cry from their own. Extensive bibliographies and endnotes are appended. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The fascinating, dramatic story of the "Mercury 13," a group of women aviators who proved to be as courageous, intelligent and fit as any man, but who were nonetheless barred from NASA's astronaut program because of their gender. At the center of the story is Jerrie Cobb, a veteran pilot who successfully completed every test given to male astronauts. Her performance, and that of the others, proved women had the "right stuff," but these findings were not enough to overcome the prevailing prejudices of the time. It took 20 years before NASA admitted women into the astronaut program. Stone poignantly chronicles how the efforts of Cobb and her colleagues were ridiculed and thwarted by everyone from Vice President Lyndon Johnson to Mercury astronauts Scott Carpenter and John Glenn andin a bitter ironyJackie Cochran, a highly respected, trailblazing female pilot who appeared to be motivated by jealousy and spite. The author offers great insight into how deeply ingrained sexism was in American society and its institutions. Handsomely illustrated with photographs, this empowering, impassioned story will leave readers inspired. (foreword, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
