What a view! ibid.
You’re the representative of humanity at the point in history. ibid.
This is really a rugged planet. ibid.
I felt very welcome there. ibid.
Man must explore. ibid.
We felt an unseen love; we were not alone. ibid.
In the early 1960s the world watched as the Mercury 7, America’s first astronauts, led the United States into space. What the world didn’t know was that 13 American women had also qualified to become astronauts but none of them ever got a chance to fly in space. They had the right stuff but the wrong sex. In Search of History s3e20: The Mercury 13: Secret Astronauts, History 1998
‘The picture of a shuttle coming apart will live with me for ever.’ Days that Shaped America: Challenger Disaster, History 2018
‘A hyper media event because of the school-teacher.’ ibid.
‘It’s very loud. The ground begins to shake.’ ibid.
‘The loss of seven astronauts and a national tragedy.’ ibid.
In 1985, Concord, MH high school teacher Christa McAuliffe is chosen to be American’s first private citizen to fly into space. In the months leading up to the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the mother of two rehearses lesson plans that will be broadcast live from the spacecraft. She is 37 years old. Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes, captions, National Geographic 2018
‘Space flight today really seems safe.’ ibid. McAuliffe television interview
Between January 22 and January 27 1986 the launch is delayed due to mechanical problems, weather, and delays from another shuttle mission. ibid. caption
‘The temperature here at the Kennedy Space Centre dropped down into the twenties.’ ibid. news commentary
America’s top astronaut – sterile. Doppleganger aka Journey to the Far Side of the Sun 1969 starring Roy Thinnes & Ian Hendry & Lynn Loring & Patrick Wymark & George Sewell & Loni von Friedl & Herbert Lom & Ed Bishop & Norma Ronald & Franco de Rosa et al, director Robert Parrish, her to him
It was a ‘good old boy’ network. Mercury 13, woman, 2018
1957 The Space Race Begins: ‘Everybody was into this space business.’ ibid. woman pilot
1958: The US begins a manned spaceflight program: ‘One of these seven young men will be the first American into space. These are the astronauts.’ ibid. news
They were just all exactly the same. ibid. woman astronaut, re male astronauts
February 1960: The ‘Woman in Space’ study begins recruiting test subjects. ibid. caption
We had an enema every morning. There were some really oddball things like that. ibid. woman pilot
They [NASA] did not want this program. ibid.
July 1962: The Mercury 13 take their case to Congress. ibid.
Complete and pass NASA astronaut training … It’s my dream to go to NASA, Ricky ... They’re probably going, Holy Fuck! Where did this guy come from? Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park USA I: Orlando 1, Netflix 2017, Bubs reads the boys’ task
Armstrong was an American hero albeit a reluctant one. The Armstrong Tapes, dude, National Geographic 2019
He had to do things he had not anticipated. ibid. dude #2
He was hounded so many times. ibid. dude #3
For years Armstrong has shunned the media and the limelight. ibid. dude #4
I wanted to find a combination where I can do engineering and flying both. ibid. Armstrong
Dozens of mysterious UFO sightings have been reported by astronauts, many captured on live video feeds that were mysteriously interrupted. UFOs: The Lost Evidence s1e3: Pilots & Astronauts, Travel 2017
Lisa Nowak: Her fixations morphed into a terrifying obsession after an affair with a fellow astronaut crashed and burned … The attempted kidnapping of her side piece’s new love. True Crime Recaps: NASA Astronaut Love Affair Turns to Insane Kidnapping Plot! Youtube 18.29, 2022
She became the first ever astronaut to be charged with a felony. ibid.