MAKERS: Women In Space: Documentary Analysis

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The documentary, MAKERS: Women in Space, discusses and addresses the journey and struggles of female astronauts, before being allowed to go into space by NASA. The documentary discusses the history of the U.S. space program and specifically focuses on women in space. Women’s involvement in getting to space started with the Lovelace: Women in Space
Program, which explored the idea of women going to space that tested their physical and medical fitness, however this program was shut down in 1962. In 1968, the first man landed in the moon, but no women were a part of this mission. In 1978, 6 women were admitted to be a part of the astronaut core, which included Sally Ride, the first woman in space in 1983. While women were not in space, they worked for NASA as computers, who figured
…show more content…
There have been attempts at women being involved in the space program since the early
1960s, but due to discrimination based on sex, women were not able to join the space program until the late 1960s due to the Women’s Liberation Movement and pressure from the government. Masanga 2
Attempts at women being involved in the space program have started in the 1960s, with the Lovelace: Women in Space Program, which was a privately-funded project that tested women’s eligibility for astronaut fitness. They were tested on from head to toe and placed in sensory deprivation tanks in order to try and mimic what will happen in space, however, they had no idea what to expect about space. According to the test results, women tested better than men and complained less. Some women quit their jobs and moved to Pensacola where further tests were being planned, but the Navy denied them access to the base and prevented them from using it, therefore successfully cancelling the tests. The program quietly died in 1962, with only
Lyndon Johnson’s note saying to stop the program. Women were also prevented from

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