The Unofficial Astronaut Testing Program
In the early 1960s, as NASA was selecting astronauts for Project Mercury, a group of 13 American women underwent the same rigorous physical tests as their male counterparts. This group later became known as the Mercury 13.
Dr. Lovelace’s Initiative
Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II, a physician who helped develop NASA’s astronaut tests, believed women might be suitable for space travel due to their lower body weight and oxygen consumption. He privately funded a program to test female pilots.
The Tests and the Candidates
From 1960 to 1961, 13 women pilots, including Jerrie Cobb and Wally Funk, passed the same Phase I astronaut physical examinations as the male astronauts. Some even surpassed the men in certain tests.
NASA’s Decision
Despite their qualifications, the program was discontinued, and the women were not allowed to continue to official astronaut training. In 1962, a congressional hearing was held, but NASA maintained that astronaut candidates must be military test pilots, a role not available to women at the time.
Mercury 13: The Female Pilots NASA Ignored 🚀
The Unofficial Astronaut Testing Program
In the early 1960s, as NASA was selecting astronauts for Project Mercury, a group of 13 American women underwent the same rigorous physical tests as their male counterparts. This group later… pic.twitter.com/J39WkHPXVs— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TBBOB2) September 13, 2024