Jerrie Cobb: Passed the Test With Flying Colors, But Not Permitted to Fly

Jerrie Cobb, who had been flying planes since she was a teenager, began making a name for herself in 1957 with record-breaking flights that attracted the attention of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Urged by NASA to take the rigorous physical and psychological tests given to select the astronauts for the Mercury program, she did.  She passed with flying colors, earning “exceptional” ratings in all of them.

NASA, it appeared, had found its first female astronaut.

But then NASA told Jerrie that it had decided that the cost of redesigning equipment for female astronauts was too prohibitive, and instead of being an astronaut, she’d be a “consultant” instead.

Jerrie observed, “Millions for chimps, but not one cent for women.”  Twelve other women took the astronaut tests at the same time as Jerrie, though none with her success.  Later, the requirements for being an astronaut were made much less stringent.

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