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In 1959, NASA only recruited male astronauts, but some experts believed women would be better suited. The “Women in Space Program” was created to secretly test 13 women, including Jerrie Cobb, who outperformed male astronauts. The initiative was canceled when it was discovered that it was not sponsored by NASA.
When NASA recruited the first American astronauts in 1959, it was strictly “men only.” Women weren’t specifically banned, but all Mercury Sevens were required to have experience as military test pilots, and those jobs were only open to men. But some aerospace medicine experts believed women would be better suited as astronauts. On average, women are lighter, shorter and consume less food and oxygen. Without official NASA approval, the “Women in Space Program” was secretly created to see if women had the right stuff. By the early 1960s, 13 women had successfully completed the same grueling physical tests as NASA’s male applicants, in hopes of becoming the country’s first female astronauts.
The Moon was promised to them:
Experienced female pilot Jerrie Cobb was the first of the so-called “Mercury 13” to be tested. Cobb passed all three phases of the screening program and outperformed male astronauts in some tests.
To see if Cobb’s results could be replicated, Dr. William “Randy” Lovelace recruited 12 more female pilots. Among the nominees were 21-year-old flight instructor Wally Funk and 39-year-old Janey Hart, mother of eight and wife of US Senator Philip Hart.
The initiative was canceled when the US Navy learned that the Lovelace test program was not actually sponsored by NASA. Cobb and Hart lobbied Vice President Lyndon Johnson to reconsider, but to no avail.
