To Fly Among the Stars: The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts (Scholastic Focus): The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts

About this book

A searing look at the birth of America's space program, and the men and women aviators who set its course.

In the 1960s, locked in a heated race to launch the first human into space, the United States selected seven superstar test pilots and former military air fighters to NASA's astronaut class — the Mercury 7. The men endured grueling training and constant media attention for the honor of becoming America's first space heroes. But a group of 13 women — accomplished air racers, test pilots, and flight instructors — were enduring those same astronaut tests in secret, hoping to defy social norms and earn a spot among the stars. With thrilling stories of aviation feats, frustrating tales of the fight against sexism, and historical photos, To Fly Among the Stars recounts an incredible era of US innovation, and the audacious hope of the women who took their fight for space flight all the way to Washington, DC.

Reviews

* "Individually moving, the collective accounts of the Mercury 13 women offer an eye-opening view of pervasive gender prejudice and its costs. [T]his riveting chronicle of the early years of manned space flight also presents captivating stories of women left behind." --Booklist, starred review

"A sharp, revealing look at deeply entrenched institutional sexism." --Kirkus

"The highly detailed research, from the descriptions of an early airplane flight to the feeling of simulated weightlessness during astronaut training, forms a powerful collection of knowledge about the space program and the first astronauts. . . . A quality work." -- School Libary Journal