I thought I knew the history of the American space program. But I was shocked to learn that NASA had a program for women astronauts long before the first women actually made it into space.  In honor of those women whose performance was equal to (in some cases better than!) their male counterparts, but because of contemporary social norms and prejudices did not participate in the glory that became “The Right Stuff”, I encourage everyone to read this article.

“They were all extraordinary women and outstanding pilots and great candidates for what was proposed,” said Donald Kilgore, a doctor who evaluated both male and female space flight candidates at the Lovelace Clinic, a mid-century center of aeromedical research. “They came out better than the men in many categories.”

…

Women are lighter than men, requiring less fuel to transport them into space. They’re also less prone to heart attacks, and Lovelace considered them better-suited for the claustrophobic isolation of space.

Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: NASA’s Lost Female Astronauts: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/mercury-13/ (via Neatorama)