School Library Journal - Gr 8 Up-Male and female aviators of the 20th century were setting records and banking flight hours, but career opportunities were often reserved for white men. Illustrated with period photos, this riveting chronicle of the early years of manned space flight also presents captivating stories of women left behind. Individually moving, the collective accounts of the Mercury 13 women offer an eye-opening view of pervasive gender prejudice and its costs.
The chapters on the Mercury 7 portray the astronauts more realistically than most books for young people.
Siegel’s well-researched book presents a great deal of relevant information in an organized and very readable fashion, telling two parallel stories. Russia’s Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, and the first American woman didn’t follow until 1983. These women, called the Mercury 13, were never seriously considered by NASA because of their sex. NASA’s original astronauts were known as the Mercury 7. When a brigadier general and the doctor who designed many of the grueling physical tests for potential astronauts started an independent research program to measure how women would handle those same challenges, they found many pilots willing to volunteer. Accelerated Reader Information:īooklist - *Starred Review* While tracing the history of NASA’s space program from the first seven astronauts through the end of their Mercury missions in 1963, this engaging work introduces another group of exceptional American pilots-all women-who wanted to become astronauts as well. National Aeronautics and Space Administration - HistoryĪstronauts - Training of - United StatesĪ look at the birth of America's space program, and the men and women aviators who set its course. Physical Description: 340 p., ill., 22 cm To fly among the stars : the hidden story of the fight for women astronauts
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