None of the Mercury 13 ever reached space, despite Cobb's testimony in 1962 before a Congressional panel. In 1978, six women were chosen as astronaut candidates by NASA: Rhea Seddon, Kathryn Sullivan, Judith Resnik, Sally Ride, Anna Fisher, and Shannon Lucid. Much of the clippings, photographs, and correspondence were originally housed in binders. Air Force, She wrote: Yes, I wish I were on the moon with my fellow pilots, exploring another celestial body. In February 1960, Jerrie Cobb began astronaut tests. She flew Lend Lease military aircraft around the world and then, in 1959 as a test pilot for Rockwell International, set the Absolute Altitude record of 37,010 feet in its Aero Commander business aircraft. COBB, GERALDYN M. (1931-2019). In Dr. Gibbs's words and our own, we pay homage to Dr. Jerrie Louise Cobb Scott for the gifts that she gave us individually and collectively and for cultivating and nurturing the African American Read-In, one of the longest running promotional literacy programs in 47 states and spanning four continents, with over 200,000 participants annually. Cobb died in Florida at age 88 on 18 March following a brief illness. In 1961, NASA Administrator James Webb appointed Cobb as a consultant to NASA's space program, but this role did not include space flight. Cobb and the rest of the group found themselves in the limelight again when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. Cobb was the first test subject recruited in 1960 by Dr. William Randolph "Randy" Lovelace II and Brig. It just didnt work out then, and I just hope and pray it will now, she added. They found a freedom in flying; a way they could have total control.". Jerrie Cobb dies at 88; denied a trip to space, she was first female Jerrie Cobb was an exceptional human being. At NASA, some men agreed. [2], In 1999, the National Organization for Women conducted an unsuccessful campaign to send Cobb to space to investigate the effects of aging, as John Glenn had been. Jerrie Cobb was the first female to volunteer for the program. [11] Medical testing [ edit] He is also the U.N. World Space Week Coordinator for Antarctica. or into the pressure suit at the last minute that you could not adequately test." The freedom was just marvelous. - Jerrie Cobb, reflecting on a flight with her father in 1943. Lovelace and Flickinger wanted to implement a similar testing program in the U.S., but NASA was already committed to using male military test pilots for astronaut testing. [14] Only a few months later, the Soviet Union would send the first woman into space,[4] Valentina Tereshkova. Lovelace invited Cobb to his facility in 1960 to attempt the same physical and psychological testing that male astronaut candidates were taking, and when she passed with flying colors, the massive wave of publicity that followed brought more women into the program. She was a bush pilot in missionary endeavors in the Amazon for the next forty years and established the Jerrie Cobb Foundation, Inc. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1981 for her work with the native people of the Amazon and was later the recipient of the Amelia Earhart Award and Medal. She was also part of the "Mercury 13", a group of women who underwent some of the same physiological screening tests as the original Mercury Seven astronauts as part of a private, non-NASA program. Following her deep disappointment that there would be no further testing or entry into the U.S. space program for her, Cobb became a missionary pilot, merging her love of flight with her desire to serve others. Although she never flew in space, Cobb, along with twenty-four other women, underwent physical tests similar to those taken by the Mercury astronauts with the belief that she might become an astronaut trainee. Cobb maintained that the geriatric space study should also include an older woman. This test simulated bringing a spinning spacecraft under control and was one of many that the women of the Mercury 13 went through in order to qualify for space flight. Jerrie Cobb, a member of the Mercury 13, is seen testing in 1960 in NASA's Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility. Pilot And Mercury 13 Spaceflight Pioneer Jerrie Cobb Has Died - Forbes The fact that women are not in this field is a fact of our social order., Jerrie Cobb, who passed the same tests and had twice as many flight hours as Glenn, disproved his argument. Because NASA required astronauts have experience specifically in military jet aircraft, and the US military did not allow female jet pilots, it was de facto impossible for them to become astronauts. In her autobiography, Cobb described how she danced on the wings of her plane in the Amazon moonlight, when learning via radio on 20 July, 1969, that Apollo 11s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had landed on the moon. Jerrie Cobb, who began flying when she was so small she had to sit on pillows to see . Jerrie Cobb, Sign Up for Our Flight Plans Newsletter Subscribe, The Museum of Flight, 9404 E. Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA 98108-4097. Kat. On March 19, 1964, Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock and The Spirit of Columbus, her 1953 Cessna 180 single-engine monoplane, took off from Columbus, Ohio. Meet the Rogue Women Astronauts of the 1960s Who Never Flew Cobb used her softball earnings to buy a plane. Jerrie Cobb was the first female to volunteer for the program. [3], As a child growing up in Oklahoma, Cobb took to aviation at an early age, with her pilot father's encouragement. Since all military test pilots were men at the time, this effectively excluded women. She was 88. The collection is arranged in three series: Accession numbers: 2013-M126; 2013-M151 The papers of Jerrie Cobb were given to the Schlesinger Library by Jerrie Cobb in 2013. America's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died. Altogether, 13 women passed the arduous physical testing and became known as the Mercury 13. Cobb and other surviving members of the Mercury 13 attended the 1995 shuttle launch of Eileen Collins, NASA's first female space pilot and later its first female space commander. 2016 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Created with SpaceCraft, (corner of NW 13th Street & Shartel Avenue). In 1978, the first year NASA admitted women into its program, Sally Ride broke that barrier. Dr. Lt. Col. William Randolph Lovelace II in a 1943 photo. Why did it take us so long? In total, 68 percent of the "lady astronauts" passed, where only 56 percent of the male trainees passed. Born on March 5, 1931, in Norman, Oklahoma, Cobb was the daughter of Lt. Col. William H. Cobb and Helena Butler Stone Cobb.From birth, Cobb was on the move as is the case for many children of military families. In 1960, Jerrie Cobb was rapidly becoming a celebrity. [6][8], To save the money to buy a surplus World War II Fairchild PT-23 to allow her to be self-employed, Cobb played women's softball on a semiprofessional team, the Oklahoma City Queens. Series is arranged chronologically.Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online. "You learn so much that when you put together the show, youre very specific about what each character brings to the table," Sardelli says. #BecauseOfHerStory pic.twitter.com/AeDKfqMzAn. NASA's Early Stand on Women Astronauts: "No Present Plans to Include Cobb, a pioneering female pilot, was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of women who were able to . Instead of making her an astronaut, NASA tapped her as a consultant to talk up the space program. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. MC 974, folder #. According to Ruth Lummis of the Jerrie Cobb Foundation who helped coordinate the donation of Cobb's papers to the Schlesinger Library, the binders were compiled by friends and volunteers over the years and their dates and contents overlap. Cobb died in Florida at age 88 on March 18 following a brief illness. Save up to $15 with TurboTax coupon May 2023, Epic Bundle - 3x Expert Stock Recommendations, 15% Off DIY Online Tax Filing Services | H&R Block Coupon Code, 10% TopResume Discount Code for expert resume-writing services, Groupon Promo Code - 30% Off Activities, Dining, More. Jerrie Cobb, Rhea Hurrle, and Wally Funk went to Oklahoma City for an isolation tank test. ThoughtCo. In 1948, Cobb attended Oklahoma College for Women for one year. The formerSoviet Union ended up putting the first woman into space in 1963: Valentina Tereshkova. Then came the male astronauts (including John Glenn, who had . Also included are snapshots from her trips to the Amazon, including with tribal peoples and views from the airplane; other travel to foreign locales; with Jack Ford; as well as a few family photographs, including images of Cobb as a young child. 1960, Life magazine published an article titled, A Lady Proves That Shes Fit for Space Flight..