The women who passed every test to reach the stars, but were grounded by gender
While the Mercury 7 became legends of the Space Race, a group of elite female pilots underwent the exact same rigorous medical screening. They proved they possessed the 'right stuff,' yet they were never permitted to fly. Discover the forgotten story of the Mercury 13.
In the late 1950s, the United States was gripped by the technological demands of Project Mercury. Established in December 1958, following the launch of Sputnik 1, the program's primary objectives were to place a human in orbit, assess their ability to work in space, and ensure a safe return to Earth. Because the physiological effects of microgravity were unknown—with doctors fearing issues ranging from eyeball deformation to the inability to swallow—NASA sought candidates who could endure extreme conditions.
The selection committee eventually settled on military test pilots as the ideal candidates. The criteria were strict: applicants needed to be under 40 years old, no taller than 5 feet 11 inches, married, and possess a bachelor’s degree in engineering along with at least 1,500 hours of flying time. While the Mercury 7 famously met these standards, a parallel group known as the Mercury 13 underwent the same battery of medical tests to determine if women were equally suited for spaceflight.
Some researchers even suggested women might have advantages, such as superior multitasking abilities, lower caloric requirements, and lighter physical frames. Among these women was Geraldyn 'Jerrie' Cobb, a 30-year-old pilot who arrived at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 14, 1960. Despite her immense credentials—including three world records for speed, distance, and altitude in light aircraft—the group was ultimately excluded from the astronaut corps, leaving their potential spaceflight legacy unfulfilled.
Source: The Race to Space and the Incredible, Forgotten "Mercury 13"
