A little over a half century ago, America began space exploration. In 1968, man orbited the moon for the very first time. In 1969, we landed a man on the moon and returned him to Earth. However, during this time, our astronauts were only white men. Women were not astronauts and were not allowed to go into space. Nevertheless, they still played roles in space exploration, although these roles were “supporting” ones. They were computerisess, secretaries, and wives. It took over two decades and the women’s movement to send women directly into space and several generations for the first women pilot astronaut. The history of women in the space program begins with a Russian satellite, Sputnik. The Soviet Union was more for advanced with their space exploration,
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was trying to catch up to them.
Women were considered for inclusion in the astronaut program for different reasons. As stated in the documentary, putting anything into space requires fuel. Anywhere you can cut weight is helpful, and women tend to weigh less than men and use less oxygen. From weight savings, it made a lot of sense. Additional fuel is needed to achieve lift which means more fuel would be required to send men into space since they weigh more. Women were a “logical choice” when it came to rocket science. Before they could decide whether a man or woman could be sent into space, however, they first had to decide who exactly would make a qualified candidate.
To determine who was qualified and eligible to be an astronaut, NASA had to determine who was fit for this position. The man who devised NASA’s test to select America’s first astronauts was Randy Lovelace. He started off by testing jet pilots from both the Air Force and the Navy. Lovelace began
was trying to catch up to them.
Women were considered for inclusion in the astronaut program for different reasons. As stated in the documentary, putting anything into space requires fuel. Anywhere you can cut weight is helpful, and women tend to weigh less than men and use less oxygen. From weight savings, it made a lot of sense. Additional fuel is needed to achieve lift which means more fuel would be required to send men into space since they weigh more. Women were a “logical choice” when it came to rocket science. Before they could decide whether a man or woman could be sent into space, however, they first had to decide who exactly would make a qualified candidate.
To determine who was qualified and eligible to be an astronaut, NASA had to determine who was fit for this position. The man who devised NASA’s test to select America’s first astronauts was Randy Lovelace. He started off by testing jet pilots from both the Air Force and the Navy. Lovelace began