Chapter One A New World on Its Way
Page 1: “You are watching the beginning of a new era”: Rhea Seddon, Hoot Gibson, “An Astronaut Couple On Spaceflight, Marriage, and Family,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, posted to YouTube on November 17, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riem9621FmU.
2. Her teacher had let them out: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
2. the journey of Alan Shepard: “Alan Shepard: Ambassador of Exploration,” NASA, posted to YouTube on May 4, 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APwntCQ8Iiw
2. “As he launched and I listened to him”: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
4. her parents gave her and her sister a small telescope: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap.1; O’Shaughnessy,
Sally Ride, chap. 2.
4-5. her favorite constellation: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
Chapter Two Shannon: Fascinated by Flight
Page 6. born in Shanghai, China: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020; Shannon Lucid, “Biographical Data,” University of Houston-Clear Lake archives, November 1993.
6. her family was captured by the Japanese army: Ibid; “Three Astronaut Facts about Dr. Shannon Lucid,” Space Center Houston blog, June 15, 2018,
https://spacecenter.org/three-astronaut-facts-about-dr-shannon-lucid/.
6. The Wells family sailed around the globe twice: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
7. where Shannon received her first pair of shoes: “Three Astronaut Facts about Dr. Shannon Lucid.”
7. her family briefly moved to the mountainous village of Kuling: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
7. “I saw this figure, this person standing down there with a red scarf”: Ibid.
7. Shannon figured that this life in constant motion: Ibid.
9. she saw seven men grace the cover of Life: Ibid. Shannon remembers them on the cover of
Time magazine, but the Mercury Seven don’t appear on the cover together. It’s possible she’s referring to the
cover of Life magazine.
9. She felt totally excluded: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
10. she was close to graduating from the University of Oklahoma: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020; Shannon Lucid, “Biographical Data,” University of Houston-Clear Lake archives, November 1993.
10. “You just had to take up the crumbs that were left”: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
11. a very important vehicle she owned: a Piper Clipper airplane: “Out of This World,” Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation blog post,
https://omrf.org/findings/out-of-this-world/.
11. She sent out resume after resume: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020;
12. “People weren’t hiring women back in those days”: Ibid.
13. Mike had originally thought the company was wrong to hire Shannon: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021.
14. “I couldn’t put off the test”: Mary Lu Abbott, “Space Women: Men Astronauts Take Backseat in NASA’s Newest Crew Lineup,”
Houston Chronicle, February 1, 1978. In her quote, Shannon said Shandara was born on a Thursday night, but her birthday was on a Tuesday.
15. when she spotted a short article toward the back: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021.
Chapter Three Rhea: Going Her Own Way
Page 16. “People always followed in their parents’ footsteps”: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
17. the launch of Sputnik that ultimately led Rhea down a different path: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021; Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 20, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-20-10.htm.
17. felt like the school existed on another planet: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
17. Rhea struggled with her grades: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 12; Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
18. “Came close to the time of the wedding”: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
18. she was one of just six women in a class of more than one hundred: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 13.
18. she wasn’t permitted to enter the doctors’ lounge: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
19. One morning, hours before the sun came up: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 5–6.
19. she wondered if this was the life she really wanted: Ibid; Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 15.
20. “What would you do if you weren’t doing this?”: Ibid.
20. Secretly, she wondered if it might lead to a future in space: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
20. “Hey, some friends of mine say”: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021; Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 20, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-20-10.htm.
Chapter Four Anna: Sharing a Dream
Page 22. As a shy little girl who enjoyed doing her math homework: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
23. “I’d really like to be an astronaut someday,” Anna admitted: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
24. Anna’s teachers didn’t exactly encourage women: Interview with Augusta Gonzalez, 2021.
24. She was the first in her family to go to college: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
24. that UCLA gave her a scholarship: Interview with Augusta Gonzalez, 2021.
24. Anna first chose math: “NASA Astronaut, Dr. Anna Fisher | Public Lecture,” University of Waikato, posted to YouTube on November 4, 2019,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0PG47LvUiw.
24-25. who turned out not to be the right partner for her: Interview with Sarah Favazza, 2021.
25. Anna decided to apply to UCLA’s medical school: “NASA Astronaut, Dr. Anna Fisher | Public Lecture,” University of Waikato, posted to YouTube on November 4, 2019,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0PG47LvUiw.
25. But UCLA reviewed Anna’s application: “Astronaut Anna Fisher Explains Why Getting Rejected from Medical School Paid Off – My Path,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, posted to YouTube on March 26, 2018,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Gnq8mEY2U.
26. She was in the midst of another twelve-hour day: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
26. She heard a familiar voice over the hospital’s PA system: Ibid.
26. Anna wrenched herself from her chair: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
Chapter Five Sally: Picking a Path
Page 27. On a burnt-orange clay tennis court in Spain: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap.1.
27. Sally threw herself into tennis: Ibid; Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
27. she revered the Los Angeles Dodgers above all else: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 1; Tam O’Shaughnessy,
Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America’s Pioneering Woman in Space (New York: Roaring Book Press, 2015), chap. 1, Kindle.
28. During one tournament she played: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
28. Then, if they listened to records later: O’Shaughnessy,
Sally Ride, chap. 2; Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 1.
28. She’d often blow off her commitments: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
28-29. but Sally wouldn’t budge: NBC Nightly News segment, June 13, 1983.
29. won her a place on the team at the ritzy Westlake School for Girls: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
29. “We slept out on the lawn one night”: Ibid.
30. All these experiences led Sally to choose physics: Interviews with Tam O’Shaughnessy, Susan Okie, 2021.
30. a full tennis scholarship: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 1.
30. But she grew homesick for California: Interviews with Susan Okie, Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
31. joined the university’s tennis team: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 1.
31. She couldn’t fully commit to the packed days: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
32. “This is really difficult,” she finally said: Interview with Bill Colson, 2021.
32. After they’d met as kids: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
33. Bill had never suspected anything: Interview with Bill Colson, 2021.
33. Molly and Sally were nearing the end of their relationship: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 2.
33. Molly also wanted to be more open: Ibid; Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
34. “NASA to recruit women”: Will Nixon, “NASA to recruit women,”
The Stanford Daily, January 12, 1977.
Chapter Six Judy: Excellent at Everything
Page 35. Judy learned to read and solve math problems: Katherine Foran, “Specialist aimed high all her life,”
The Kansas City Times, February 7, 1986.
35. stated taking piano lessons: Barbara Galloway, “‘I just want to be an astronaut…’”
The Akron Beacon Journal, January 29, 1986.
35. Sarah tried to give Judy a sense of order and discipline: Interview with Barbara Cheek, 2021; Scott Spencer, Chris Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik,”
Esquire, December 1, 1986.
36. Judy’s life after school: Interview with Barbara Cheek, 2021.
36. and Marvin would sing: Galloway, “A Private Astronaut.”
36. Judy’s “bad boy” high school boyfriend: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021; Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
37. “When Judy was fourteen, all her friends were ice skating”: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021; Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
37. She was the only girl in her school’s math club: Barbara Galloway, “A Private Astronaut: There is one thing that Akron’s Judith Resnik does not talk about: herself,”
The Akron Beacon Journal, June 17, 1984.
37. a perfect score on the math portion of her SATs: Galloway, “‘I just want to be an astronaut.”
37. Marvin and Sarah divorced: The staff of
The Washington Post,
Challengers: The Inspiring Life Stories of the Seven Brave Astronauts of Shuttle Mission 51-L (New York: Pocket Books, 1986), pg. 86.
37-38. asking to have custody switched from her mother to her father: State of Ohio Summit County, “Sarah P. Resnik, plaintiff, vs. Marvin Resnik, defendant: case no. 250416,” June 29, 1966.
38. writing letters to him in Hebrew: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021.
38. Judy’s dad remarried: Galloway, “A Private Astronaut.”
38.the grandfather who had been a rabbi: Galloway, “A Private Astronaut.”
49. she accompanied him to a few of his classes: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021.
38. through her sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi: “Famous Phis,” Alpha Epsilon Phi,
https://www.aephi.org/famous-phis.
38. While Michael would stay up all night studying: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021.
38. “She was just absolutely brilliant and extremely talented”: Ibid.
39. she and Michael were married: Newspaper staff, “Honeymoon in Jamaica,”
The Akron Beacon Journal, June 16, 1970.
39. she’d been confirmed during high school: Elizabeth Kolbert, “Judith Resnik’s Journey: Unhampered by Fear in Quest for Purposeful Work,”
The New York Times, February 9, 1986.
40. let her pursue her PhD in electrical engineering: Foran, “Specialist aimed high.”
40. Frustrated, she asked a coworker: Washington Post staff,
Challengers, pg. 91.
40. Eventually, Michael finished law school: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021.
41. During her downtime: Interview with Fani Brown Brandenburg, 2021.
41. she even sent a postcard: Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
41. She turned on the radio and heard an announcement: “NASA Picks Two Southland Women: Physician and Engineer Among the Six Pioneers,”
Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1978.
41. an advertisement for it on a bulletin board at work: Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
41. Or maybe she heard about the selection from Len: Ibid.
41. “Applying to be an astronaut”: Washington Post staff,
Challengers, pg. 92.
Chapter Seven Kathy: From Sea to Space
Page 42. Kathy wanted to explore the unknown: Ibid; Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
43. took a job as an aerospace engineer: Ibid.
44. she set a concrete goal for herself: Ibid.
44. such as oceanography: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 2.
45. geologists had begun to accept ideas: “Open Dialogue Live: From Space to the Ocean Deep | Dalhousie University,” Dalhousie University, posted to YouTube on October 8, 2020,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ_wbdjPZ20.
46. Kathy stood on the deck: Andy Sherin, “From the seamounts to earth orbit and back,” The Newsletter of the BIO-Oceans Association, May 2016.
46. Kathy and her expedition team were headed to the Grand Banks: “Dalhousie Originals – Kathryn (Kathy) Sullivan,” Dalhousie Earth Sciences Blog, April 17, 2018
https://blogs.dal.ca/earthsciences/2018/04/17/dalhousie-originals-kathryn-kathy-sullivan/.
46. The goal was to gently scrape the tops of these mountains: Jessica Garcia, “Nevada Medal recipient: Science matters in daily life,”
Nevada Appeal, March 25, 2021,
https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2021/mar/25/nevada-medal-recipient-science-matters-daily-life/.
46. nothing could compare to being out at sea like this: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 2.
47. what she really wanted was to dive below: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 2.
47. she’d been on a vessel that had held the Alvin submersible: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
47. she brought tales of her expeditions home: Ibid; Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 2.
47. “How many twenty-six-year-old female PhDs”: Ibid.
49. only military-trained test pilots: Joseph D. Atkinson, Jay M. Shafritz,
The Real Stuff: A History of NASA’s Astronaut Recruitment Program (New York: Praeger, 1985), pg. 36–37.
49. NASA was a civilian agency: “National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958,” Public Law #85-568, 72 Stat., 426. Signed by the President on July 29, 1958, Record Group 255, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
49. The pilots were usually healthy and fit: Burrows,
This New Ocean (New York: Random House, 1998), chap. 8.
49. A select group had even flown in the US during World War II: Dorothy Cochrane, “Flying on the Homefront: Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP),” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum feature, May 20, 2020,
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/flying-homefront-women-airforce-service-pilots-wasp.
49. would come home to find their piloting jobs taken by women: Weitekamp,
Right Stuff, Wrong Sex, p
49. having them take jobs outside of housework: Interview with Margaret Weitekamp, 2021; Elaine Tyler May,
Homeward Bound:
American Families in the Cold War Era (New York: Basic Books, 1988), chap. 3, Kindle.
50. women mde up only about 1 percent of all people employed as engineers: Martha Sloan, “Women engineers in the United States,”
Educational Horizons Vol. 53, No. 3, Realizing Human Potential: Alternatives for Women (spring 1975), pg. 102–105.
50. between 9 and 11 percent of employed scientists: Alice S. Rossi, “Women in Science: Why So Few?,”
Science, New Series, Vol. 148 No. 3674, May 28, 1965, pg. 1196–1202.
50. After a chance meeting in 1959: Jerrie Cobb, Jane Rieker,
Woman Into Space: The Jerrie Cobb Story (Barakaldo Books, 2020), chap. 19, Kindle.
50-51. thousands of hours of experience: Cobb, Rieker,
Woman Into Space, chap. 19.
51. Research had started to suggest that women might be the ideal candidates: Weitekamp,
Right Stuff, Wrong Sex, pg. 64–65.
51. “We are already in a position to say”: Associated Press, “Feminie Astronaut Pass Test,”
The Austin American-Statesman, August 19, 1960.
51. “Space Gal”: “No. 1 Space Gal Seems a Little Astronaughty,”
New York Daily News, August 24, 1960.
51. another eighteen women pilots: Ryan et al., “A forgotten moment in physiology.”
51. swallowing a three-foot rubber hose: Nelson, “Right Stuff, Wrong Sex.”
52. it was believed that people in the tank would start hallucinating: Ryan et al., “A forgotten moment in physiology.”
52. just as the women were about to experience: Nelson, “Right Stuff, Wrong Sex.”
53. “Now we who aspire to be women astronauts”: “Qualifications For Astronauts” hearings.
53. the Mercury astronauts had been required to have one thousand five hundred hours of flight time: “Qualifications For Astronauts” hearings. The rest of the hearings are taken from this document.
Chapter Eight NASA Boldly Goes
Page 56. “Hi, I’m Nichelle Nichols”: “Space Shuttle Astronaut Recruitment Film with Nichelle Nichols,” NASA Video, filmed 1977,
https://archive.org/details/2018-00917_Nichelle_Nichols_1977_Recruitment-Film_884550.mxf.
56. spring of 1977: Information provided by archive producer Stephen Slater to author, 2021.
57. “And this would require”: “Space Shuttle Astronaut Recruitment Film with Nichelle Nichols.”
57. But this time around: NASA JSC, “NASA To Recruit Space Shuttle Astronauts,” July 8, 1976.
57. NASA wanted Nichelle Nichols to encourage women and people of color to apply: Ibid.
58. a new wave of feminism: Constance Grady, “The waves of feminism, and why people keep fighting over them, explained,”
Vox, March 20, 2018,
https://www.vox.com/2018/3/20/16955588/feminism-waves-explained-first-second-third-fourth.
59. The agency dodged question after question: Joseph D. Atkinson, Jay M. Shafritz,
The Real Stuff: A History of NASA’s Astronaut Recruitment Program (New York: Praeger, 1985), pg. 134.
59. James Fletcher finally began to hint: Al Marsh, “Job Bias Under Fire at NASA,”
Florida Today, March 3, 1972.
59. she was demoted to a lesser role: “NASA’s Equal Opportunity Program
,” Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Constitutional Rights, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives
, 93rd Congress, second session, March 13 and 14, 1974, pg. 80.
59. Ruth repeatedly pressured NASA: Kim McQuaid, “‘Racism, Sexism, and Space Ventures’: Civil Rights at NASA in the Nixon Era and Beyond,”
Societal Impact of Spaceflight, ed. Steven J. Dick and Roger D. Launius (Washington, D.C.: NASA Historical Relations Division, 2007), chap. 22, pg. 430.
59-60. Ruth and two coworkers wrote a report: “Space Missions, Payloads, and Traffic for the Shuttle Era,” Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, U.S. Senate, 93rd Congress, first session, October 30, 1973, pg. 200.
60. little more than 5 percent: Ibid, pg. 200.
60. “There have been three females sent into space”: Ibid, pg. 207.
60. “An entire generation of people”: Ibid, pg. 207.
60. calling her a “disruptive force”: NASA Office of the Administrator,
Memorandum to All NASA Employees, November 2, 1973.
60. once the media found out: Associated Press, “Critic of Space Agency Hiring Policies Fired,”
Los Angeles Times, October 29, 1973; Carl T. Rowan, “NASA fired black woman for trying to do her job,” Field Enterprises, Inc.,
The Minneapolis Star, December 28, 1973.
61. NASA rehired Ruth in a different role: NASA, “Mrs. Harris Assumes New Post at NASA,” news release, August 16, 1974.
61. a wider variety of people: Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
61. Agency officials realized: NASA JSC, “More than 8,000 applicants vie for 30-40 astronaut slots,”
Roundup newsletter, July 22, 1977; Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
61. Candidates did not have to be pilots: NASA JSC, “NASA Issues Recruiting Call for Shuttle Pilots, Mission Specialists,”
Roundup newsletter, July 16, 1976.
62. astronaut selection board sat down: Atkinson and Shafritz,
The Real Stuff, pg. 145.
62. ready for his crews to look more like America: Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
62. the first Black person to serve: Atkinson and Shafritz,
The Real Stuff, pg. 147.
62. Chris Kraft had asked her if she wanted to apply: Carolyn Huntoon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, June 5, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/HuntoonCL/HuntoonCL_6-5-02.htm.
62. the first woman on an astronaut selection board: Duane Ross, Teresa Gomez, “Astronauts and the People who Selected Them: A Compendium,”
Encyclopedia of Space Science and Technology, April 2003.
62-63. the board weighed the merits of advertising: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 3; Atkinson and Shafritz,
The Real Stuff, pg. 153–154.
63. the changes were all too much: Atkinson and Shafritz,
The Real Stuff, pg. 155–156.
63. “I want no part of this”: Cassutt,
The Astronaut Maker, chap. 29.
63. “There was definitely a feeling”: Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
63. “On July 8, 1976”: NASA JSC, “NASA To Recruit Space Shuttle Astronauts,” news release, July 8, 1976.
63. “I am going to bring you so many qualified”: Kelly Knox, “Star Trek Week: How Nichelle Nichols Changed the Face of NASA,” September 26, 2012,
https://www.wired.com/2012/09/nichelle-nichols/.
64. “The shuttle will be taking scientists and engineers”: “Space Shuttle Astronaut Recruitment Film with Nichelle Nichols,” NASA Video, filmed 1977,
https://archive.org/details/2018-00917_Nichelle_Nichols_1977_Recruitment-Film_884550.mxf.
64. Carolyn Huntoon and many of the others: Atkinson and Shafritz,
The Real Stuff, pg. 154; Interview with Carolyn Huntoon, 2020.
64. “I can’t imagine any woman”: Interview with Carolyn Huntoon, 2020.
64. the application to become an astronaut: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
65. About the only thing she did know: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021; Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 18.
65. a spark lit inside her: Ron Laytner, Donald Mclachlan, “Ride, Sally Ride: Her place is space,”
Chicago Tribune, April 24, 1983; Susan Okie, “NASA Appeal Gave A Physicist Wings,”
The Washington Post, May 9, 1983.
65. “I am a Ph.D. candidate”: Scan of letter provided by Tam O’Shaughnessy, written in 1977.
66. A form arrived roughly a week later: Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
66. Shannon didn’t even need to ask: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
66. Anna’s might have been one of the last: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
66. She and Len Nahmi set out: Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
66. She cut her hair: Washington Post staff,
Challengers, pg. 92.
67. began visiting the National Air and Space Museum: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021; Mark Jones, “NASA Picks Two Southland Women: Physician and Engineer Among the Six Pioneers,”
Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1978;
People staff, “NASA Picks Six Women Astronauts with The Message: You’re Going a Long Way, Baby,”
People, February 6, 1978.
67. “Hi, Mike, how are you?”: Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
Chapter Nine Who Will Make It?
Page 68. including 1,544 women: UPI, “NASA Breaks Two Barriers,”
Philadelphia Daily News, January 16, 1978; Interview with Duane Ross, 2021.
68. Cutting everyone who didn’t meet the published requirements: David Shayler and Colin Burgess,
NASA’s First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection: Redefining the Right Stuff (Switzerland: Springer, 2020), chap. 1, Kindle.
68. reviewers settled on 208 candidates, including 21 women: NASA JSC, “Tenth Group of Astronaut Applicants Report to JSC November 14,” news release, November 11, 1977.
68. until she received a phone call: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
69. what would happen during the week: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 22.
69. “Will there be any other women?”: Ibid.
85. going over wedding plans: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
69. “It’s NASA”: Ibid.
69. “I’m going to Houston for an interview”: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
70. She had taken a job at the Xerox Corporation: NASA Biographical Data, Judith A. Resnik, University of Houston-Clear Lake archives, September 1984.
70. jogged along the beach across the highway: Spencer, Spolar, “The Epic Flight of Judith Resnik.”
70. “Good, Judy. So you’ll become an astronaut”: Katherine Foran, “Specialist aimed high all her life,”
The Kansas City Times, February 7, 1986.
70. It was a professor at Columbia University: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 2.
70. “Oh, yes. Well, probably”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
71. Each interview week began: Multiple interviews with members of selection board and TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
71. “I felt very much out of place”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
72. He wanted each of them to write an essay: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
72. “I’ve been fascinated with space”: scan of essay provided by Tam O’Shaughnessy, written in 1977.
72. “I also think it is time that women be allowed”: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 27.
72. “I realize that there will be certain significant sacrifices”: Scan of essay provided by Anna Fisher during virtual presentation, written in 1977.
72. They ran on treadmills: NASA JSC, “Physicians explains scope of astronaut applicant physicals,”
Roundup newsletter, December 9, 1977.
73. Each candidate had twenty-four: NASA JSC, “JSC’s medical team practices astronaut applicant screening,”
Roundup newsletter, April 15, 1977.
73. Everything felt like a test: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020-2021.
73. Sally discovered the racquetball court in the gym: Shayler and Burgess,
NASA’s First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection, chap. 1.
73. “She proceeded to destroy both of us”: Ibid.
73. she started to get a feeling that this place: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
74. “Start in high school”: Interview with Duane Ross, 2021.
74. As the candidates spoke: Multiple interviews with members of selection board and TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
75. “What if, on the plane going back to Memphis”: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 31.
75. Anna also tried to be as honest as possible: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
75. “I want to have children”: Ibid.
75. She waited for someone to ask her: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
76. “Absolutely not. I travel now”: Ibid.
76. “Have you ever had amnesia?”: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
76. “I don’t know. I can’t remember”: Jerry Adler, Pamela Abramson, “Sally Ride: Ready for Liftoff,”
Newsweek, June 13, 1983.
76. The selection board wanted team players: Interview with Carolyn Huntoon, 2020; Interview with Jay Honeycutt, 2021.
76. The panel also wanted people who could be flexible: Interview with George Abbey,
2021.
77. “We wanted to make sure that they understood”: Ibid.
77. The shuttle’s first flight was scheduled for 1979: Richard S. Lewis,
The Voyages of Columbia: The First True Spaceship (New York: Columbia University Press, 1984), pg. 83.
Chapter Ten “This Is Your Friendly Local Astronaut”
Page 78. questioned the need for so many pilots: Cassutt,
The Astronaut Maker, chap. 29; Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
79. Sally had visited Edwards Air Force Base: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 3.
79. NASA was conducting landing tests: NASA JSC, “Fifth Shuttle Orbiter Free Flight Set for October 26,” press release, October 19, 1977.
79. its massive tires bounced: George Alexander, “Space Shuttle’s Test Flight Program Ends With a Bump,”
Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1977.
79. “Up until this morning”: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 3.
79. When Rhea’s phone finally rang: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
80. “Would you believe you’ve been picked”: “New Astronauts,” interview by Jules Bergman for ABC News, January 16, 1978.
80. Rhea thought it was a joke: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 38.
80. She’d look ridiculous: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
80. Judy called Anna the same day as Rhea’s interview: Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022.
80. Anna was getting the same weird requests: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
80. “We kind of had an idea”: Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022.
81. George Abbey picked up his office phone: Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, “Legacy of the 35 New Guys,”
Houston History Magazine, fall 2008.
81. The ringing telephone jolted Kathy: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
81. “Are you still interested in coming to work for NASA?”: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts on how George offered them the position, 2020–2021.
81-82. Rhea was on her way to work: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021; Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 40.
82. “Your mommy might be like Mr. Spock in Star Trek”
: James Hoffman and Mathew Tekulsky, “Adventurers in Space: Six extraordinary women look to the stars and see their futures,”
Family Weekly, March 19, 1978.
82. Sally’s phone rang at around five or six a.m.: Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview with Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
82. Thinking this might all be a dream, she replied “Yes, sir!”: Ibid; Susan Okie, “NASA Appeal Gave A Physicist Wings,”
The Washington Post, May 9, 1983.
82. “Hello, this is your friendly local astronaut”: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
82-83. Judy had just walked out the door: Mark Jones, “NASA Picks Two Southland Women: Physician and Engineer Among the Six Pioneers,”
Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1978.
83. An NBC camera crew had asked to film the couple: NBC Nightly News segment, January 16, 1978.
83. who then became the only candidate to get a rejection: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
83. hugged Anna when he hung up: NBC Nightly News segment, January 16, 1978.
83. They had felt that: Ibid; Sara Terry, “New astronaut set for move: Both Fishers welcome her selection by NASA,”
The Christian Science Monitor, April 17, 1978.
84. “I think that in the last few years”: CBS Evening News segment, January 16, 1978.
84. NASA employees and members of the media: NASA JSC, “Press Conference: Dr. Kraft introduces new astronauts to JSC personnel,” video provided to author via FOIA, recorded January 31, 1978.
85. “ten interesting people and twenty-five standard white guys”: Kathy Sullivan, “STS Panel,” Spacefest in Tucson, Arizona, July 16, 2021.
86. gathered them in a hallway for a pep talk: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
86. “We all look at ourselves as just one of the guys”: Abbott, “Space women.”
87. “I just want to be a person going into space”: Associated Press, “Astronauts’ orientation begins,”
The Shreveport Times, February 1, 1978.
87. One of the Six saw an opportunity: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm; Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
88. he viewed the women and the other civilians: Mike Mullane,
Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut (New York: Scribner, 2006), chap. 5; Interview with Mike Mullane, 2020.
88. The group was told to report for duty first thing July 10: Photographed telegram of Sally Ride’s invitation provided to author by Tam O’Shaughnessy, dated January 16, 1978.
89. a mob of journalists: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 27; NBC Nightly News segment, August 29, 1977.
89. her bosses had to hold a press conference: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 41; CBS Evening News segment, January 16, 1978; Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
90. “I think that when there are as many women astronauts as men”: Mark Jones, “NASA Picks Two Southland Women: Physician and Engineer Among the Six Pioneers,”
Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1978.
90. “It’s fantastic that Anna was chosen”: Hoffman and Tekulsky, “Adventurers in Space.”
90. “One day I was a doctor working in medical training”: Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022.
91. filmed her at home: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
91. “I mean, this was my job”: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
91. “Glamornauts”: Barry Hart, “The Glamornauts: America’s eye- popping space gals are really flying high,”
The Midnight Globe, March 18, 1980.
91. “
girls” and “ladies in space”: Janis Williams, “Make Way for the Ladies in Space,”
The Saturday Evening Post, September 1982
.
92. age, height, and weight: Sharon Herbaugh, Associated Press, “Pioneers in space: 6 women in training for work aboard the trail blazing space shuttle,”
The Austin American-Statesman, April 3, 1980; Barbara Strauch, “Women astronauts ready for space travel: the eight newcomers are a remarkable, intelligent bunch, hardly likely to scare easily,”
The Houston Chronicle, May 8, 1983.
Chapter Eleven An Astronaut’s Job
Page 93. Judy was the first to get a taste: ABC Nightly News segments, July 10, 1978.
93. with her physicist boyfriend, Bill: Interview with Bill Colson, 2021.
93. Bill Fisher also signed up for graduate courses : Klemesrud, “Made for The Heavens”; Jane Ulrich, “1 giant step… for womankind,”
Austin American-Statesman, August 27, 1978.
94. Every Monday morning there was an the all-astronauts meeting: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
94. also held twenty-seven astronauts: NASA JSC, “1978: New 35 astronaut candidates join Shuttle era,”
Roundup newsletter, January 20, 1978.
94. each group felt intimidated by the other: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 8.
95. technically called ASCANs: Atkinson and Sahfritz,
The Real Stuff, pg. 158.
95. Two long years of training: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
96. “We didn’t want to become ‘the girl astronauts’”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
96. The biggest change made before the Six had arrived: Interview with Carolyn Huntoon, 2020; Sanborn, “Sally Ride, Astronaut: The World Is Watching.”
96. Anna and Sally sneaked off: “Space Center Houston Thought Leader Series,” recorded interview of Shannon Lucid, Anna Fisher, and Rhea Seddon by John Charles, June 28, 2018,
https://spacecenter.org/video-thought-leader-series-pioneers-of-space-exploration/.
97. NASA flew them to Homestead Air Force Base: NASA JSC, “Astro tyros survive water,”
Roundup newsletter, August 4, 1978.
97. strode through one-hundred-degree heat: Earl Lane, “The New Astronauts,”
Newsday, October 10, 1978.
97. give him a “happy look”: “People,”
Time, August 14, 1978.
98. they were dragged by ropes: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020; Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021; Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 47.
98. The Six also had to swim beneath floating parachutes: Peter Gwynne, “Sextet for Space,”
Newsweek, August 14, 1978; Interviews with Rhea Seddon, Shannon Lucid, Steve Hawley, 2020–2021.
98. The barges filled with gawking reporters: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021; Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
98. “We’re under enough stress”: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
98. What am I doing here?**:
Gwynne, “Sextet.”
99. Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma:
NASA JSC “Astro Candidates Train in Oklahoma,” Roundup newsletter, September 1, 1978.
99. the wind whipped her into the air:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
99. could fly faster than the speed of sound:
NASA, “T-38s Soar as Spaceflight Trainers,” press release, April 20, 2011, https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/t38flyout.html.
100. at least fifteen hours each month:
Interview with Rick Hauck, 2021.
100. forbidden from taking off and landing the jets:
Ibid.
100. Later they got their hands on the controls:
Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
100. challenged the Six to become ace jet pilots:
Interviews with Hoot Gibson, Rhea Seddon, John Fabian, Rick Hauck, Dan Brandenstein, John Creighton, 2020–2021.
101. “You realized that there was this added burden”:
Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
101. “But Shannon, he flew in Vietnam and got shot at”:
Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
102. at the mercy of the pilots’ schedule:
Ibid.
102. Some hogged the controls and didn’t speak:
Ibid.
102. earned praise as “50 percenters”:
Ibid.
102. Rhea gravitated to Hoot Gibson:
Interview with Rhea Seddon, Hoot Gibson, 2021.
102. Judy, Sally, and Anna often found themselves:
Interviews with Rick Hauck, John Fabian, Dan Brandenstein, Jon McBride, 2021.
102. Shannon often flew with John Creighton:
Interview with John Creighton, 2021.
102. weren’t allowed to fly below five thousand feet:
Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
103. began taking private lessons on the side:
“Intimate Portrait: Sally Ride,” Lifetime Tonight.
103. completed her first solo cross-country flight in a Cessna 150:
Ball, “Bound For Space.”
103. “The truth is that most of the skills”:
Interview with Steve Hawley, 20201.
103. Most of the TFNGs’ time, though, was spent in the classroom:
“An Interview with Sally Ride,” PBS Nova, filmed in 1984, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb6vw9AmiLs; Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
103. They took classes on every part of the space shuttle:
Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
104. would involve studying the Earth from space:
Interview with Rick Hauck, 2021.
104. the TFNGs spent the rest of their time traveling throughout the United States:
Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
104-105. “I’ll just never forget the director”:
Hoot Gibson, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, November 1, 2013, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/GibsonRL/GibsonRL_11-1-13.htm.
105. a massive one that could give its passengers:
NASA, “‘As the Stomach Turns’ on the KC-135,” press release, October 16, 2003, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/kc135.html.
106.** “Hey! We’ve got a fire in the cockpit”: “Apollo 1 Audio Recording,” NASA, recorded on January 27, 1967,
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Apollo_One_Recording.ogg.
Chapter Twelve Meet the Space Shuttle
Page 107. The space shuttle was going to change everything: Robert C. Cowen, “NASA calls space shuttle ‘door to future,’”
Christian Science Monitor, January 7, 1972.
107. routine trips to and from low Earth orbit: Howard Benedict, “Space Shuttle To Fly By 1980: The Next Giant Step Into Space,” Associated Press
, Austin American-Statesman, April 14, 1974.
107. all sorts of payloads: John Noble Wilford, “Another Small Step For Man: Shuttling Into Space Shuttle,”
The New York Times, August 7, 1977.
109. the largest solid rockets ever flown: Guinness World Records, “Largest solid rocket booster,” September 10, 2009,
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-solid-rocket-booster.
109. Thiokol couldn’t ship the rockets in one piece to the launch site in Florida: Interview with Wayne Hale, 2021.
110. key to opening spaceflight up to the masses: Ronald Kotulak, “Shuttle opens new space era,”
Chicago Tribune, October 31, 1978; Congressional Quarterly, “Shuttle Expected To Pioneer Low-Budget Space Travel,”
The Hartford Courant, July 13, 1979.
111. by the end of the following year: NASA JSC, “First Shuttle orbital flight paced by main engine testing,”
Roundup newsletter, August 4, 1978.
111. George Abbey had already chosen two astronauts: NASA JSC, “NASA Names Astronaut Crews For Early Shuttle Flights,” press release, March 16, 1978.
111. kept blowing up during testing: Richard S. Lewis,
The Voyages of Columbia: The First True Spaceship (New York: Columbia University Press, 1984), pg. 66–69; Associated Press, “Engine Explosion May Delay Launch Of Space Shuttle,”
The Washington Post, January 4, 1979.
111. thirty thousand insulating tiles: Lewis,
The Voyages of Columbia, pg. 69.
111. heated to nearly three thousand degrees Fahrenheit: NASA, “Orbiter Thermal Protection System,” NASA Facts,
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/167473main_TPS-08.pdf.
111. up to forty hours for each tile: Lewis,
The Voyages of Columbia, pg. 88.
112. A 747 carried Columbia: Associated Press, “Space Shuttle Arrives To Launch New Era,”
The Atlanta Constitution, March 25, 1979.
112. missing about seventy-eight hundred of its tiles: Lewis,
The Voyages of Columbia, pg. 84.
112. the spacecraft was committed to launching until the rockets burned out: Interview with Wayne Hale, 2021.
113. NASA created two types of simulators: Interview with Frank Hughes, 2021.
113.The TFNGs watched: NASA JSC, “Schooling of Astronauts, 35 New Candidates Is Varied, Exciting,” press release, April 8, 1979.
113. Notorious NASA trainers known as Simulation Supervisors: Wayne Hale, “Nexus of Evil,” Wayne Hale’s Blog, NASA, February 16, 2010,
https://blogs.nasa.gov/waynehalesblog/2010/02/16/post_1266353065166/.
113. began to wonder what these assignments meant: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2022.
114. work with the space shuttle’s fancy new Remote Manipulator System: Shayler and Burgess,
NASA’s First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection, chap. 7; Interviews with John Fabian, Tam O’Shaughnessy, Steve Hawley, Bill Colson, 2021.
114. This snakelike mechanical device: Brandi Dean, “Space Shuttle Canadarm Robotic Arm Marks 25 Years in Space,” NASA press release, November 9, 2006,
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/rms_anniversary.html.
114. it couldn’t carry its own weight on Earth: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
114. required impressive hand-eye coordination: Ibid.
114. tell Bill that she thought she was pretty good: Interview with Bill Colson, 2021.
114. Judy began by studying all sorts of software: Shayler and Burgess,
NASA’s First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection, chap. 7.
114. she found herself assigned to the robotic arm: Interview with John Fabian, 2021; Tony Locy, “CMU Grad Hopes To Be Spacewoman,”
Pittsburgh Press, January 3, 1982.
115. Anna’s first assignment was also a big one: testing out space suits: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
115. develop extra-small suits: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
115. Anna had to wear an old Apollo suit: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
115. “For the smaller women if you can get a good suit fit”: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
116. She’d spy people taking her picture and waving at her: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
116. “We’re not discriminating”: Kathleen Hughes, “NASA’s Wardrobe for Spacewalks Isn’t Suitable to These Astronauts,”
The Wall Street Journal, September 26, 1984.
116. Shannon’s assignment took her to SAIL: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020; Shayler and Burgess,
NASA’s First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection, chap. 7.
116. but others feared assignments that took them away: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
116-117. Kathy feared this when she was assigned: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3; Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
117. Rhea wasn’t thrilled with her assignment: Rhea Seddon, virtual book signing, November 4, 2020.
117. “I ended up with the cooks”: Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 20, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-20-10.htm.
117. telling herself that she’d been picked because of her background in nutrition: Ibid.
117. these tests happened while astronauts were being tested: Ibid.
118. “We put scientists”: Cassutt,
The Astronaut Maker, chap. 31.
118. one day in August 1979: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2022; NASA JSC, “35 Astronaut Candidates Complete Training and Evaluation Period,” press release, August 31, 1979.
118. awarded a small silver pin: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
118. the completed space shuttle Columbia: John Uri, “40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Columbia Rolls Out to Launch Pad 39A,” NASA feature, December 15, 2020,
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-space-shuttle-columbia-rolls-out-to-launch-pad-39a.
119. George had made sure that most of the astronauts: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts 2020–2021.
119. Rhea and Anna were assigned: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm; Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 108.
119. She chose Cape Canaveral: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 109.
119. Anna would be at NASA’s landing strip in the bleached landscape of White Sands: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
119. Also stationed out in White Sands would be Shannon: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
120. Kathy had been assigned to ABC: Kathy Sullivan, “Respectfully Correcting a Moonwalker On National TV,”
Kathy Sullivan Explores, podcast audio, February 3, 2022,
https://www.kathysullivanexplores.com/podcast/spose-she-dies.
120. Kathy overheard Gene say something wrong: Ibid.
120. “Next thing I knew, I was up on the TV set”: Ibid.
120. Judy had answered NBC anchor Tom Brokaw’s questions: “Astronaut Judy Resnik interview 9th April 1981,” posted to YouTube on July 25, 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaafRyuwA8w.
121. first launch attempt on April 10: Lewis,
The Voyages of Columbia, pg. 127–128.
122. she’d been assigned to follow the launch in the air: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 4; Shayler and Burgess,
NASA’s First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection, chap. 7.
Chapter Thirteen Working with Men
Page 123. the two TFNGs got married: Interview with Rhea Seddon, Hoot Gibson, 2021; Seddon
, Go For Orbit, pg. 127.
124. 17 percent of NASA’s workforce: US Government Accountability Office, “National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program Could Be Improved,” April 16, 1975,
https://www.gao.gov/products/fpcd-75-107.
124. “I know I felt that”: Lawrence Wright, “Space Cadet,”
Texas Monthly, July 1981,
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/space-cadet/.
124. They spotted Chuck Yeager: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 4.
125. They blamed their wives: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
125. “I think it’s great we’re having women astronauts”: Interview with Carolyn Huntoon, 2021.
125. “It’s not like we were taking a vote”: Interview with Carolyn Huntoon, 2021.
126. huge amount of attention the Six were receiving: Ibid.
126. “By complaining about it all the time”: Ibid.
126. Kathy had been assigned to work at Cape Canaveral: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
127. “I think how we handle it”: Ibid.
127. “When I wasn’t working, I was home”: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
127. they didn’t see a lot of each other: Susan Witty, “Our First Women In Space,”
GEO magazine, September 1982; Interview with Bonnie Dunbar, 2022.
127. a stronger bond than with the other four: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
127. Sally and Judy: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
127. the Six spent more time with their male colleagues: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021.
128. had to go over the thousands of switches: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
129. Hoot watched in amusement: Interview with Hoot Gibson, 2021.
129. “The job of astronaut”: Wright, “Space Cadet.”
130. “Judy was my best friend in the Astronaut Office”: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
130. Steve Hawley had been interested in Sally: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
130. “I wasn’t particularly fitting in”: Interview with Bill Colson, 2021.
Chapter Fourteen Becoming “The One”
Page 132. “One of our standard adages in the office”: Kathy Sullivan, “STS Panel,” Spacefest in Tucson, Arizona, July 16, 2021.
133. to favor those who fit a more traditional, feminine image: Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, “You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: The First Six Women Astronauts and the Media,”
Spacefarers: Images of Astronauts and Cosmonauts in the Heroic Era of Spaceflight (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2013), chap. 8, Kindle.
134. “I just felt like, if there’s anything I can do to get good publicity”: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
134. The New York Times declared: Klemesrud, “Made for the Heavens.”
134. Pictures of her in the Gulf of Mexico: Gwynne, “Sextet”; Witty, “Our First Women In Space.”
134. floating weightless in the Vomit Comet: Hart, “The Glamornauts.”
134. the press was delighted: Kent Demaret, “Hoot Gibson And Rhea Seddon Have The Right Stuff To Be The First Married Couple In Space,”
People, September 7, 1981, pg. 41.
134. “If you were going to line the six of us up”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
134. Kathy’s larger size: People staff, “NASA Picks Six Women Astronauts.”
135. quickly cast by the media as the mother figure of the bunch: Tom Belden, “Women, black find ‘impossible dream’ as astronauts.”
The Dallas Morning News, February 5, 1978.
135. Sally tried to keep the media at a distance: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021; Interview with Lynn Sherr, 2021.
135. she preferred talking to Lynn Sherr: Interview with Lynn Sherr, 2021.
135. Judy felt that her life was none of the press’s business: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021;
People staff, “NASA Picks Six Women Astronauts”; Lynn Sherr, “Remembering Judy,”
Ms., June 1986, pg. 57.
135. especially her divorce: Bob Downing, “Akron’s Judith Resnik scheduled for Jun 4 space shuttle flight,”
The Akron Beacon Journal, November 23, 1983; Rosemary Whitman Lamb, “The right stuff for a maiden flight,”
The Age, August 31, 1984; Carrie Dolan, “Success Stories: How Four Women Are Prospering In Jobs Usually Held By Men,”
The Wall Street Journal, June 29, 1983.
135. she rarely gave interviews: Interviews with Michael Oldak, Fani Brown Brandenburg, 2021.
135. her answers were short: Luther Young, “Judy Resnik: Astronaut is eager for orbit but not the sex-role analysis,”
The Baltimore Sun, September 26, 1983.
135-136. “I’ve got to bet there’s some big factor”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral\_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD\_5-10-07.htm
136. the politics at play underlying the decision: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021.
136. “Being first was one thing”: Ibid.
136. placing imaginary bets: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2022.
136. Everyone kept a watchful eye on the assignments: Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022.
136. Anna had also started work on the robotic arm: Memo from Henry E. Clements to Chris Kraft and Clifford Charlesworth, “The attached is a matrix of Mission Specialists being considered for the STS-7 and STS-8 flights,” dated April 14, 1982, provided to author by Michael Cassutt.
136. just as good at controlling it: Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
136. She was named as a Capsule Communicator: Julie Gray, “MBA Briefs,”
Working Woman, October 1982, pg. 42.
136-137. A CAPCOM relayed important communication: Sanborn, “Sally Ride, Astronaut: The World Is Watching.”
137. Rhea had become pregnant: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 131.
137. “I had to decide: Do I want to have a baby now”: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
137. “I think later on in life”: Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 21, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-21-10.htm.
137. the seventh flight, STS-7, was going to make history: NASA JSC, “STS-7 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report,” July 1983.
138. For commander of that mission: Interview with George Abbey, 2021.
138. George had to sell Chris Kraft: Cassutt,
The Astronaut Maker, chap. 36.
138. “We all knew that whoever was going to be the first”: Interview with Bob Crippen, 2021.
139. “We thought that maybe you enjoyed”: Okie, “Cool Hand Sally.”
140. “There was no doubt in my mind”: “Intimate Portrait: Sally Ride,” Lifetime Tonight.
140. “We’ve made some crew assignments”: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 16.
140. The mood instantly changed: Ibid; Interview with Hoot Gibson, 2021.
141. “I would have loved to have gone first”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
141. “Of course, every one of us wanted to be first”: Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022.
141. Wearing a purple blouse: CBS Evening News segment, April 29, 1982; NBC Nightly News segment, April 29, 1982.
142. “How does it feel to realize”: “STS-7 Crew Introduction,” NASA audio, recorded April 29, 1982.
142. “Well, of course I was very honored”: “STS-7 Crew Introduction,” NASA audio.
143. Sally would also be the mission’s flight engineer: Interview with Bob Crippen, 2021.
143-144. She and Steve traveled to Kansas to Steve’s parents’ house: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
144. “It didn’t seem like I was a real priority”: Ibid.
144. “I knew back then, and it became even clearer later”: Ibid.
144. T-shirts and white jeans: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 5.
145. Rhea and Hoot eventually presented: UPI, “‘Experience’ Gives Son Of Astronauts A Boost,”
The Memphis-Press Scimitar, August 6, 1982.
145. ready to have a child: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
145-146. they agreed not to tell NASA right away: Interview with Rhea Seddon, 2021.
148. “Anna, if you do that, I’m going to shoot you”: Aimee Lee Ball, “When Mom Is An Astronaut,”
The Boston Globe, October 28, 1984.
148. George had assigned another TFNG: NASA JSC, “Fifth Crewmember named for STS-7 and STS-8,” press release, December 16, 1982.
148. More than half the people NASA sent into space: Davis JR, Vanderploeg JM, Santy PA, Jennings RT, Stewart DF, “Space motion sickness during 24 flights of the Space Shuttle,”
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 1988, pg. 1185–1189.
149. Norm would develop experiments: Interviews with Rick Hauck, John Fabian, 2021.
149. spent a lot of time in the shutter simulators: Susan Okie, “Simulated Flights Prepare Crew for the Real Thing,”
The Washington Post, May 11, 1983.
149. Sally had to do bench checks: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
149. One was a personal hygiene kit: Kathy Sullivan, “The Lady Astronaut’s Toiletry Kit,”
Kathy Sullivan Explores, podcast audio, August 19, 2021,
https://www.kathysullivanexplores.com/podcast/the-lady-astronauts-toiletries-kit.
149. It was a makeup kit: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 28, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/
150. “A makeup kit brought to you by NASA engineers”: Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
150. “If there would be pictures taken of me from space”: Rhea Seddon, “Diapers, Underwear, and Makeup,” blog post,
https://astronautrheaseddon.com/diapers-underwear-makeup/
150. Sally noticed a weird band of pink plastic: Sullivan, “The Lady Astronaut’s Toiletry Kit.”
150. “No. That would not be the right number”: Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
151. When Sally did speak to reporters: Interview with Bob Crippen, 2021.
151. she agreed to talk to a reporter from the Washington Post: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
151. Sue had heard from a sports reporter: Ibid.
151. “Molly wanted that, but I didn’t”: Ibid.
151-152. Sally had been shocked and worried: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
208. within twenty-four hours the tennis star: Rachel Shuster, “Billie Jean King: Tennis star least of her important roles,”
USA Today Sports, May 22, 2013,
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/05/22/billie-jean-king-icons-innovators-world-team-tennis-womens-rights/2159071/.
152. She trusted Sue: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
152. “I have lost my dominant trait”: Okie, “Simulated Flights.”
153. the Space Shuttle still “crashed”: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
153. That moment shocked Sue: Interview with Susan Okie, 2021.
153. “They can always give you enough failures”: Ibid.
153. “It seems my life isn’t my own anymore”: Laytner, Mclachlan, “Ride, Sally Ride.”
153. “She doesn’t offer information”: Adler, Abramson, “Sally Ride: Ready for Liftoff.”
153. Sally set the tone from the start: NASA, “STS-7 Pre-Launch Press Conference,” video provided to author via FOIA, recorded May 24, 1983.
154. “We’ve interviewed lots of Texans this week”: Thomas O’Toole, “Sally Ride Soars At Her First News Session,”
The Washington Post, May 25, 1983.
155. The STS-7 crew entered quarantine: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
155. three days before her scheduled liftoff: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
156. On August 19, 1982: Shayler and Moule,
Women in Space, pg. 204.
156. When the Soviet Union had learned: Ibid, pg. 201.
157. When Svetlana arrived: Ibid, pg. 206.
157. “There is a kitchen and that will be where you work”: Seth Mydans, “Female Soviet Astronaut Says That Women Have a Place in Space,”
The New York Times, August 11, 1984.
Chapter Fifteen Sally’s Ride
Page 158. So did plenty of Sally’s old tennis buddies: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
158. Bill Colson, who’d been with Sally: Interview with Bill Colson, 2021.
158. Molly Tyson: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
158. knew only as Sally’s former roommate: Frederic Golden, Sam Allis, Jerry Hannifin, “Sally’s Joy Ride into the Sky,”
Time, June 13, 1983, pg. 58; Michael Ryan, “A Ride In Space: As she prepares to break the sex barrier, America’s first woman in orbit is steady, professional—and annoyed by the attention,”
People, June 20, 1983.
158. He had Molly undergo a physical: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 5.
159. “I’m aware that this is not without risks”: Ibid.
159. with a wake-up call at 3:13 a.m.: UPI, “Sally Ride Jet-Hops With Mission Chief,”
Los Angeles Times, June 16, 1983.
159. “I was struggling very hard”: “Intimate Portrait: Sally Ride,” Lifetime Tonight.
160. “That’s the last one of those”: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
160. half a million people: NASA, “Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1983,” October 1, 1984,
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19850009618/downloads/19850009618.pdf.
160. stared ahead at the control panel and screens: Sally Ride comments on STS-7, personal audio recordings provided to author by Tam O’Shaughnessy, recorded 1983.
160. Sally could feel the slightest bump in her heart rate: Ibid.
161. “We have ignition!”: Ibid.
161. “All of a sudden, I felt totally helpless”: “Intimate Portrait: Sally Ride,” Lifetime Tonight.
161. squeaked out “LV, LH”: Sally Ride comments on STS-7, audio recording. As Lynn Sherr noted in her book, Sally in subsequent interviews has said she said “roll program,” but her responsibility was to say “LV, LH.”
161. “I’ll guarantee that those were the hardest words”: Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
162. “We have MECO”: STS-7 air-to-ground audio, Internet Archive,
https://archive.org/details/STS-7.
162. Sally took the checklist: Sally Ride comments on STS-7, audio recording.
162. Sally stayed strapped to her seat: Ibid.
162. the crew watched as Africa passed below: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
162. “Ever been to Disneyland?”: NASA, “STS-7 Air Ground Transcript,” University of Houston-Clear Lake archives.
163. her biggest worry was that she would somehow mess up: ABC Nightly News segment, May 6, 1983.
163. it took some time, though: Sally Ride comments on STS-7, audio recording.
164. John took the first shift: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
164. a dark, moody photograph: NASA photograph, “Inflight – STS-7,” June 27, 1983,
https://images.nasa.gov/details-S83-35799.
164. After lunch it was Sally’s turn: “Space Shuttle Flight 7 (STS-7) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society, posted to YouTube on May 12, 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN94P9xJKOA.
165. “Those pictures are a very important part of my memory”: Ibid.
165. This is real metal that will hit real metal**:
Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
165. Rick noticed a small crack:
Interview with Rick Hauck, 2021.
165. not tell Mission Control:
Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
166. the astronauts took turns:
Sally Ride comments on STS-7, audio recording.
166. One moment coral reefs peeked out at her:
“Sally Ride Recalls ‘Spectacular View’ of Earth From Orbit,” NASA Video.
166. “It looked as if someone had taken a royal blue crayon”:
Ibid.
167. Although one reporter lamented:
Mary Cleave, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, March 5, 2002, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/CleaveML/CleaveML_3-5-02.htm.
167. scheduled to make the first shuttle landing in Florida:
Rockwell International, “STS-7 Press Information,” press kit, June 1983.
167. a thick fog bank rolled over:
Carlos Byars, “Space Shuttle lands in Calif.,” Houston Chronicle, June 24, 1983.
167-168. only a small crowd:
ABC Nightly News segment, June 24, 1983.
168. “The thing that I’ll remember most”:
Ibid.
168. Someone at the airport handed Sally a giant bouquet of white roses:
NASA, “STS-7 Crew Homecoming Activities at JSC,” video provided to author via FOIA, recorded June 24, 1983.
168. a crowd had gathered:
Barbara Strauch, “Ride gets the attention at astronaut welcoming,” Houston Chronicle, June 25, 1983.
168. so that her hands would be free:
Sally Ride essay excerpt, Hoversten, “Sally Ride, 1951-2012.”
168. A newspaper writer interpreted:
Associated Press, “No White Rose For a Crew Lady,” The Washington Post, June 26, 1983; Strauch, “Ride gets the attention.”
168. “That one little action”:
Sally Ride essay excerpt, Hoversten, “Sally Ride, 1951-2012.”
169. even more exposed to the public:
Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
169. news crews gathered outside her and Steve’s home:
CBS Evening News segment, June 25, 1983.
169. The couple managed to escape:
Sherr, Sally Ride, chap. 6.
169. sped through appearances in eight states:
Kathy Holub, “Now she shuttles between speeches,” Knight-Ridder News Service, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 22, 1983.
169. These included a five-hundred-guest reception:
Barbara Gamarekian, “500 at NASA Museum Honor the Challenger Crew,” The New York Times, July 20, 1983.
169. a military ball:
Holub, “Now she shuttles.”
169. a White house meal:
Elisabeth Bumiller, “Sally Ride and the Bahrain Shuttle,” The Washington Post, July 20, 1983.
169. the agency had more than a thousand:
Judith Gaines, “In This Corner; Sally Ride’s Next Orbit,” The Boston Globe, June 30, 1983.
169. for a portrait created out of jellybeans:
Gaines, “In This Corner.”
169. Norm Thagard was an actual physical buffer:
Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
170. Sally started to feel more and more:
Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
170. she just vanished:
Ibid; Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
170. He didn’t think it was particularly responsible:
Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
170. She had taken refuge with Molly:
Sherr, Sally Ride, chap. 6.
170. It was dawning on Sally:
Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
170. seeking therapy:
Ibid; Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
171. She loved meeting with the science-curious children:
Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
171. including feminist Betty Friedan:
Sherr, Sally Ride, chap. 6.
171. But perhaps the most interesting encounter:
Sally Ride recollections on travel to Budapest, personal audio recordings provided to author by Tam O’Shaughnessy, recorded 1983.
171. “Sally,” Svetlana acknowledged:
Ibid. The remainder of the interaction with Svetlana is taken from Sally’s audio recording.
173. Sally sat down with feminist writer Gloria Steinem:
“Gloria Steinem in conversation with Sally Ride,” A Moment in Time: Conversations with Legendary Women, DVD video, 2006.
173. “That’s probably what our flight”:** Ibid.
174. they were strapped to their seats for hours: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
174. So NASA engineers created: “Disposable Absorption Containment Trunk (DACT), Shuttle, Ride,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum blog,
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/dact-disposable-absorption-containment-trunk-shuttle-s-ride/nasm_A20000679000.
Chapter Sixteen Judy’s Job
Page 176. “Would you have liked to have been”: NBC Nightly News segment, June 25, 1983.
176. “I’m not here to get my name in the books”: Carl Glassman,
Dangerous Lives (New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1979), pg. 108.
176. “somewhat disappointed”: Dina DeFabo, “Family Pride A- OK As Daughter Nears Space Flight,”
Pittsburgh Press, July 24, 1983.
177. Judy knew the attention must’ve been hard for Sally: Howard Benedict, “2nd woman in space to have easier Ride,”
The Atlanta Constitution, June 20, 1984.
177. “I think Sally did an outstanding job”: Benedict, “2nd woman in space.”
177. All that mattered: NASA JSC, “STS-11 and STS-12 Crews Named,” press release, February 4, 1983.
177. NASA thought the public would have trouble: Interview with Hoot Gibson, 2021.
177. the agency came up with a wacky numbering scheme: Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.,
Before Lift-off: The Making Of A Space Shuttle Crew (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987), pg. 23.
1
78. The number four: NASA JSC, “Shuttle Crews Selected,” press release, September 21, 1983.
178. the reason for the change was actually superstition: Interview with Wayne Hale, 2021.
178. She’d worked with the three TFNGs: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
178-179. They earned the nickname Zoo Crew: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2021.
179. whose picture she pinned to the walls of her workplace: Sherr, “Remembering Judy,” pg. 57;
Washington Post staff,
Challengers, pg. 93.
179. not making a big deal of her gender: NBC Nightly News segment, July 10, 1978; Young, “Judy Resnik: Astronaut is eager for orbit but not the sex-role analysis.”
179. “I think I’m where I am because I just happened to make the right decisions”: Galloway, “A Private Astronaut.”
179. Judy said she didn’t credit anyone: Washington Post staff,
Challengers, pg. 94.
179. “Dad, I don’t want to be a Jewish astronaut”: Galloway, “A Private Astronaut.”
179. “Don’t fall in love with your payload”: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
180. Judy’s flight was originally going to launch: NASA JSC, “STS-11 and STS-12 Crews Named,” press release, February 4, 1983.
180. given two smaller satellites: NASA JSC, “STS Flight Assignments,” November 17, 1983.
180. unfurling a long rectangular solar panel: NASA, “Space Shuttle Mission STS-41D Press Kit,” August 1984; Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
180. a fifth member was assigned to the crew: NASA JSC, “Payload Specialist Named,” June 29, 1983.
181. Judy and Mike Mullane had flipped a coin: NASA, “STS-41D Prelaunch Press Conference,” video provided to author via FOIA.
181. “Well, gang, we’re going to go now unless something really bad happens”: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
181. Judy turned to Charlie lying next to her: Interview with Charlie Walker, 2021.
182. “We have a go for main engine start”: “STS-41D pad abort (6-26-84),” 3210andLiftoff.
182. A deafening blast sounded: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021; Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 19.
182. the movement suddenly ceased: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021; Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 19.
182. “We have a cutoff, and we have an abort”: “STS-41D pad abort (6-26-84),” 3210andLiftoff.
182. save for the seagulls screaming: Coats, “A Balky Hydrogen Valve Halts Discovery Liftoff.”
183. They later learned that a blocked valve: NASA, “STS 41-D National Space Transportation Systems Program Mission Report,” September 1984; Coats, “A Balky Hydrogen Valve Halts Discovery Liftoff.”
183. the tension in the cabin grew thick: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
184. Then came the word no one wanted to hear: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
184. Hank told everyone to unstrap and get ready to move: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 19.
184. She made her way over to the hatch: Interview with Charlie Walker, 2021.
184. “Do you want me to open the hatch?”: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 19; Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
184. About forty minutes after the abort: ABC Nightly News segment, June 26, 1984.
185. an inch of water on the elevator floor: Interview with Charlie Walker, 2021.
185. The six drenched crew members shivered: Interviews with Steve Hawley, Charlie Walker 2021; Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 19.
185. “This is not how I thought spaceflight would be”: Coats, “A Balky Hydrogen Valve Halts Discovery Liftoff.”
185. wasn’t your average fire: Natalie Angie, Jerry Hannifin, David S. Jackson, “The Big Engine That Couldn’t: With four seconds left, a bad valve scrubs a shuttle debut,”
Time, July 9, 1984; Interview with Steve Hawley 2021.
186. “I was disappointed”: Damond Benningield, “Crew Trains for ‘Armageddon:’ Astronauts Learn To Balance Risk With Chances For Gains,”
Fort Worth-Star Telegram, January 29, 1986.
186. the Zoo Crew feared the absolute worst: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 20.
186. a couple of weeks later: NASA JSC, “NASA Announces Updated Flight Crew Assignments,” press release, August 3, 1984.
186. They waited one more month while Discovery got a new engine: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
186. the entire crew groaned: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 20.
187. to check on Charlie: Interview with Charlie Walker, 2021.
187. Mike Mullane came down: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 21.
187. launching the first satellite: ABC Nightly News segment, August 30, 1984.
187. It happened as the crew tried to film: Interviews with Steve Hawley, Mike Mullane, 2021.
188. With Judy’s red-hot gaze burrowing into him: Interviews with Steve Hawley, Mike Mullane, 2021.
188. the camera “jammed”: STS-41-D air-to-ground audio, Internet Archive,
https://archive.org/details/STS-41D.
189. Judy scribbled: CBS Evening News segment, August 31, 1984.
189. They were mostly focused on Judy’s: Ibid; Associated Press, “Space gives Judy Resnik that far-out Brillo look,”
The Indianapolis Star, September 2, 1984; UPI, “Resnik’s Hair Spaces Out,”
Philadelphia Daily News, September 4, 1984.
189. when Mission Control woke the crew: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
189. Once the third satellite: NBC Nightly News segment, September 1, 1984.
189-190. Steve noticed a weird reading on one of the computers: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
190. estimated it could weigh twenty-five to thirty pounds: John Noble Wilford, “Ice Poses Puzzle, Big Shuttle Trip Is Held a Success: NASA Ponders Plans to Ease Free-Up Fearing Harm to Tiles on Re-entry,”
The New York Times, September 4, 1984.
190. Hank used the robotic arm: Ibid; Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 21.
190. which thrilled Mullane: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
190. the crew received an unwelcome command: Carlos Byars, “Only toilet defect mars shuttle flight,”
Houston Chronicle, September 3, 1984.
190-191. “And without saying it”: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
191. “Well, if you guys aren’t going to use it, I’m not going to use it”: Ibid.
191. The result was, of course, a mess: Ibid; Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 21.
191. Judy’s decision not to use the toilet: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
192. “And one more quick question”: “STS-41D Postflight Press Conference,” NASA transcript, September 12, 1984.
192. They found a tiny bit of soot: NASA, “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986), Volume 2: Appendix H.
##
Chapter Seventeen Kathy Walks Into the Void
Page 194. between 31,000 feet: Matthew Johnson, “How High Do Commercial Planes Fly?”,
https://calaero.edu/aeronautics/aircraft-performance/how-high-do-commercial-planes-fly/
194. Kathy and a pilot flew: Associated Press, “Space record is set,”
The Odessa American, July 4, 1979.
194. their target height: 63,300 feet: AP, “Space record is set.”
194. could have made their blood start to boil: William Tarver, Keith Volner, Jeffrey S. Cooper, “Aerospace Pressure Effects,” October 24, 2022,
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29262037/.
195. Kathy took images with an infrared camera: AP, “Space record is set.”
195. “That was very fun, other than this little bit of vague concern”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
195. good preparation for wearing a space suit: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
196. a different kind of dive: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
196. Kathy was glad that Sally had landed in California: Ibid; Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
196. “I was just instantly really happy for her”: Ibid.
196. If this is what you get for going first**:
Ibid.
197. NASA’s medics:
Kathy Sullivan, “S’pose She Dies?” Kathy Sullivan Explores, podcast audio, February 3, 2022, https://www.kathysullivanexplores.com/podcast/spose-she-dies.
198. “I managed to keep my cool”:
Ibid.
198. would be commanded by Bob Crippen:
NASA JSC, “STS Flight Assignments,” press release, November 17, 1983.
198. He would be juggling
two missions:
Cooper, Jr., Before Lift-off, pg. 22.
199. Kathy and Dave had been working on an experiment:
Sullivan, Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3; Interview with Dave Leestma, 2021.
199. most satellites run on a nasty type of fuel called hydrazine:
Ibid.
199. they’d connect tanks:
NASA, “Space Shuttle Mission STS-41G Press Kit,” October 1984.
199-200. Kathy thought it was “bad optics”:
Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 10, 2007, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_5-10-07.htm.
200. Kathy and Dave were going to be spending a lot of time together:
Interview with Dave Leestma, 2021.
200. “I look across at Kathy and she looks across and sees me”:
Ibid.
201. “Dave, let me tell you how I feel about modesty at a moment like this”:
Amy E. Foster, Integrating Women Into the Astronaut Corps: Politics and Logistics at NASA, 1972-2004 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011), chap. 6, Kindle.
201. As they began to slip off their clothing:
Interview with Dave Leestma, 2021.
201-202. Svetlana Savitskaya launched into space for the second time:
Associated Press, “Soviet woman walks, works in space,” The Boston Globe, July 27, 1984.
202. Kathy took it in stride:
Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 12, 2008, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_3-12-08.htm.
202. “It didn’t strike me as a really big thing”:
Ibid.
2038. relieved that no glitches:
“Former NASA Astronaut, Kathy Sullivan | Full Address and Q\&A | Oxford Union,” OxfordUnion, posted to YouTube on May 21, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWwK4i7K17s.
203. The problems began with the Earth-observing satellite:
UPI, “Challenger Blasts Off; Sally Ride Solves Satellite Launch Snag,” The Hartford Courant, October 6, 1984; Interview with Dave Leestma, 2021; Sullivan, Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
203. used the robotic arm to snatch it out of the payload bay:
“Space Shuttle Flight 13 (STS-41G) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society, posted to YouTube on May 21, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHlgEY8fXpI.
203. its solar panels didn’t unfurl:
Interview with Dave Leestma, 2021.
203. “Okay, but don’t break anything”:
Ibid.
204. Kathy pressed the necessary buttons:
Sullivan, Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
205. Kathy silently worried:
Sullivan, Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3; Interview with Dave Leestma, 2021.
205. did the standard pre-breathing:
Sullivan, “S’pose She Dies?”
205. “Although you’ve choreographed all of this”:
Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 12, 2008, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_3-12-08.htm.
206. “That is really great”:
STS-41-G air-to-ground audio, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/STS-41G.
206. Kathy gazed out at the magnificent, glowing Earth:
Sullivan, Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
206. Kathy had to deal with the faulty radar antenna:
Sullivan, Handprints on Hubble, chap. 3.
207. She remained still, looking “down”:** Ibid.
207. “As soon as I move my eyes off my hands”: Kathy Sullivan, “Vivid Memories of Viewing Earth,”
Kathy Sullivan Explores, podcast audio, June 10, 2021,
https://www.kathysullivanexplores.com/podcast/vivid-memories-of-viewing-earth.
207. Their recorded time outside: John Uri, “35 Years Ago: STS-41G – A Flight of Many Firsts,” NASA press release, October 3, 2019,
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/35-years-ago-sts-41g-a-flight-of-many-firsts.
207. she didn’t care about records: NASA, “STS-41G Crew Post Flight Press Conference” transcript, October 18, 1984.
207. “I could have been the 50,000th or 100,000th woman”: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 12, 2008,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_3-12-08.htm.
207. Kathy spent her spare moments simply watching the view: Sullivan, “Vivid Memories of Viewing Earth.”
Chapter Eighteen Anna to the Rescue
Page 209. She was on The Today Show: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
209. the engines of both satellites had failed: Richard Saltus, “NASA’s booster problem: With two satellites lost, some shuttle customers may defect to the Ariane,”
The Boston Globe, March 19, 1984.
210. Anna had had her first flight assignment: Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
210. With Rich Hauck as commander: NASA JSC, “Shuttle Crews Selected,” press release, September 21, 1983.
210-211. They’d launch a satellite with a different type of rocket: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
211. Anna started prepping for her flight while waiting: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, February 17, 2009,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_2-17-09.htm.
211. I’m here and nothing’s going to change**:
Ibid.
211. “I didn’t want anyone to think that just because I’d had a baby”:
Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
211. Anna decided to take on another role:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
212. Women working in Mission Control:
Interview with Marianne Dyson, 2021.
212. And they might do something else:
Interview with Rick Hauck, 2021.
212. fork out $180 million to Indonesia and the Western Union:
Sharon Begley, “A Salvage Mission in Space,” Newsweek, November 26, 1984, pg. 79; Thomas O’Toole, “Space Shuttle Mission Winds Up in Triumph,” The Washington Post, November 17, 1984.
212. insurance companies in charge of the cargo:
Mike Leary, “Shuttle heads for 2d space pickup,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 14, 1984.
212. The companies urged NASA:
Peter Marsh, “Space salvage effort will attempt satellite recoveries,” The Globe and Mail, August 31, 1984.
212. that had never been done before:
O’Toole, “Space Shuttle Mission Winds Up in Triumph.”
213. plagued with challenges:
Wayne Hale, “Ground Up Rendezvous,” Wayne Hale’s Blog, May 28, 2012, https://waynehale.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/ground-up-rendezvous/.
213. It had been built with a handle:
Natalie Angier, Jerry Hannifin, David S. Jackson, “Rounding Up the Runaways: For the first time ever, astronauts snare two errant satellites in space,” Time, November 26, 1984.
213. NASA pictured an astronaut strapping on the MMU:
Interview with Rick Hauck, 2021.
214. just hoped the rescue mission:
Ibid.
214. the training for STS-51-A went into overdrive:
Ibid.
214. Dale and Joe, the spacewalkers:
NASA, “Space Shuttle Mission STS-51A Press Kit,” April 1985.
214. Dale sketched the design:
Angier, Hannifin, Jackson, “Rounding Up the Runaways.”
214. “like opening an umbrella”:
Ibid.
215. “WHEN MOM IS AN ASTRONAUT”:
Ball, “When Mom Is An Astronaut.”
215. “I had made up my mind what I was going to do”:
Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022.
215. Anna received a letter from a “concerned” citizen:
Ball, “When Mom Is An Astronaut.”
216. They had a tiny NASA flight suit made:
George Hackett, “Newsmakers,” Newsweek, October 29, 1984.
216. who went with her mother to a round of interviews:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
216. standard weeklong quarantine on October 31, 1984:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
216. One thing Anna made sure to do:
James Reston, Jr., “The Astronauts After Challenger,” The New York Times, January 25, 1987.
216. Anna still hoped to see her daughter one last time:
Ibid; Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
217.
*Okay, that’s behind me
*:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
217. she felt like ithe launch was actually going to happen:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
217. Anna was the second-to-last person:
Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
217-218. “I cannot tell you what it was like”:
Ibid.
218. As flight engineer, Anna sat behind:
Ibid.
218. “Oh no, Mama,” she said:
Renner, “Space Age role models.”
299. Anna could feel the blood almost instantly rush:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
218. liquids shift upward:
“Fluid Shift in Microgravity,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Video, posted to YouTube on August 26, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTgLO0D9Gew.
218. noticed in the mirror:
Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
218. Anna felt sick:
Ibid.
218. the urge to take a nap:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
218.
*I feel terrible,
* she thought:
Ibid.
219. the crew released:
NASA, “STS 51-A National Space Transportation Systems Program Mission Report,” December 1984.
219. “Anna is back with us”:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
219. she ate a hot dog:
Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
219. Anna sat next to Rick:
“Space Shuttle Flight 14 (STS-51A) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society, posted to YouTube on May 12, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSefxa9SslU.
219. a navigational instrument:
NASA, “Crewman Optical Alignment Sight,” https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/coas.htm.
219. It looked like a tiny star:
“Space Shuttle Flight 14 (STS-51A) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society.
220. looked a bit like a white knight:
“Space Shuttle Flight 14 (STS-51A) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society.
220. he slowly swung:
“Space Shuttle Flight 14 (STS-51A) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society.
220. even when muscle cramps kicked in:
Angier, Hannifin, Jackson, “Rounding Up the Runaways.”
221.
“For Sale” sign written in bright red letters:
“Space Shuttle Flight 14 (STS-51A) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society.
221. President Reagan called the astronauts:
STS-51-A air-to-ground audio, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/Sts-51aHighlights.
221. “Oh, that I would, Mr. President”:
Ibid.
221. “I very much enjoy being a mother”:
Ibid.
222. hoped it had shown the foolishness of the question:
Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 3, 2011, https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_3-3-11.htm.
222. “the problems of today’s society”:
Pasquale Varallo, “Letters to the Editor,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 18, 1984.
222. the National Mother’s Day Committee:
Associated Press, “Eight Named Mothers of Year,” The Burlington Free Press, April 20, 1985.
222. Anna found it ironic:
Anna Fisher, MILE spring 2021 presentation.
222. that her mother owed everything to her:** Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_5-3-11.htm.
Chapter Nineteen Rhea and the Space Heist
Page 223. She’d been called to George Abbey’s office: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 187–188.
224. working weekends at a hospital emergency room: Ibid, pg. 84.
224. Her commander was Karol “Bo” Bobko: NASA JSC, “Shuttle Crews Selected,” press release, September 21, 1983.
224. Rhea hadn’t been particularly close: Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview with Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 21, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-21-10.htm; Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 190.
224. Their mission would involve: NASA JSC, “STS Flight Assignments,” press release, November 17, 1983.
225. George asked if she wanted a second assignment: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 193.
225. a laboratory designed to fit inside the shuttle’s payload bay: Jessica Eagan, “Spacelab Paved Critical Path to Space Station,” NASA press release, November 12, 2013,
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/spacelab/.
225. Judy’s aborted flight changed everything: NASA JSC, “NASA Announces Updated Flight Crew Assignments,” press release, August 3, 1984.
225. “I called my father and ranted”: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 198.
225. “She was pretty miserable”: Interview with Hoot Gibson, 2021.
226. Rhea’s crew would take up another satellite: NASA JSC, “NASA Announces Updated Flight Crew Assignments,” press release, August 3, 1984.
226. “In the grand scheme of life perhaps these weren’t major losses”: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 199.
226. “Who ever remembers any of that?”: Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview with Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 21, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-21-10.htm.
226. so massive it took up all the room in the payload bay: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, p. 199.
226-227. A French payload specialist named Patrick Baudry: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
227. silently hoped the senator wouldn’t end up in their crew: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022; Interview with Mike Mullane, 2021.
227. Rhea was more positive: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 201.
227. Engineers found a defect in the booster: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022; Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 204; Associated Press, “NASA Puts. Sen. Garn On New Flight,”
Ithaca Journal, March 7, 1985.
227. “We felt like the most snake-bit crew”: Associated Press, “NASA Puts. Sen. Garn On New Flight,”
Ithaca Journal, March 7, 1985.
228. a different piece of cargo caught Rhea’s eye: Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview with Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 21, 2010,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-21-10.htm.
228. made the heart change shape: Michael Johnson, “Cardiovascular Health in Microgravity,” NASA press release,
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/station-science-101/cardiovascular-health-in-microgravity/.
228. Rhea missed Paul: Seddon
, Go for Orbit, pg. 209.
229. “four different crew pictures”: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 205.
229. turning out to be a pretty boring mission: Ibid, pg. 205.
229. She didn’t feel a bit of nausea: Seddon
, Go for Orbit, pg. 234.
229. Dave and Jeff released a communications satellite: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 235.
230. they saw the giant cylinder glide: “Space Shuttle Flight 16 (STS-51D) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society, posted to YouTube on May 12, 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-67i-LMzMM.
230. the Syncom IV-3 satellite would extend its upper antenna: STS-51-D air-to-ground audio, Internet Archive,
https://archive.org/details/STS-51D.
230. the Syncom’s antenna hadn’t extended: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 244; Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
230. She knew her words were probably causing: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 244.
230-231. Rhea and the others were all immediately curious: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022; Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 245.
231. NASA gave the crew a startling a wake-up call: STS-51-D air-to-ground audio.
231. stuck in the off position: UPI, “Shuttle satellite fails; rescue try considered,”
Chicago Tribune, April 14, 1985.
231. NASA’s first idea: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
232. No one had tried anything like it: Lee Dye, “Unscheduled Spacewalkers Will Try to Rescue Satellite,”
Los Angeles Times, April 15, 1985.
232. But Jeff and Dave lit up at the thought of doing a spacewalk: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
232. First they had to craft: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 249; Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
233. Rhea used a bone saw: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 250.
233. The result was two makeshift plastic paddles: Kevin Wilcox, “This Month in History: Build a Fly Swatter,” NASA, APPEL Knowledge Services, April 14, 2022,
https://appel.nasa.gov/2022/04/14/this-month-in-nasa-history-build-a-fly-swatter/.
234. The spacewalkers had no foot restraints or special tools: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
234. “Well, I’m sure you know how tough that’s going to be”: STS-51-D air-to-ground audio.
235. they crawled all around the payload bay: Interview with Jeff Hoffman, 2022.
235. They’d barely trained for such a move: Ibid.
235. Bigger and bigger the satellite became: “Space Shuttle Flight 16 (STS-51D) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society, posted to YouTube on May 12, 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-67i-LMzMM.
235. “Somehow this was the moment”: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 261.
236. Rhea had a window of only a few minutes to snag and flip the switch: Staff writers, “‘Swat team’ installs space-rescue tools,”
Chicago Tribune, April 17, 1985.
236. “We got, as we can count”: “Space Shuttle Flight 16 (STS-51D) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society.
236-237. didn’t revive the satellite: Lee Dye, “Shuttle Crew Strikes Out–$80- Million Satellite Lost: Lever Not Source of Problem,”
Los Angeles Times, April 17, 1985.
2
37. Rhea and her crewmates were proud: Seddon,
Go for Orbit, pg. 264.
237. Anna later told Rhea that a couple of the astronauts: Interview with Hoot Gibson, 2021.
237. had commented that she was “a good seamstress”: Rhea Seddon, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview with Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 9, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SeddonMR/SeddonMR_5-9-11.htm.
##
Chapter Twenty Shannon Flies with a Prince
Page 238. She didn’t get caught up in the politics: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
238. “After hours, I couldn’t do much”: Ibid.
238. on a Saturday in late 1983: Ibid.
239. Shannon finally asked politely: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
239. They soon learned that their commander: NASA JSC, “STS Flight Assignments,” November 17, 1983.
239. Payload specialists: Interviews with Shannon Lucid, John Creighton, 2021.
239. Charlie Walker and Greg Jarvis: NASA JSC, “Note to Editors,” February 22, 1985.
327. Greg, to whom Shannon had grown close: Interview with John Creighton, 2021.
240. Shannon’s crew was finally set: NASA JSC, “Arabsat Payload Specialist Activities,” May 4, 1985.
240. “Arabsat had three safety reviews”: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
241. NASA was competing: Louis Sahagun, “Space-Private Rocket Firms Bet 1980s Will Open a New Frontier,”
Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1982.
241. “NASA didn’t make mistakes”: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
241. twenty-eight-year-old Sultan bin Salman Al Saud: Associated Press, “Saudi prince to be on June shuttle flight,”
The Baltimore Sun, May 5, 1985.
241. Sultan had lived in the United States: Interviews with Dan Brandenstein, John Creighton, 2021.
241. She wasn’t a big fan of Saudi Arabian culture: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
241-242. She kept her distance in the first few weeks: Interview with John Creighton, 2021.
242. Shannon suggested Sultan: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
242. she was advised not to wear shorts during the mission: Ibid.
243. While they lay in the cockpit: Interview with John Creighton, 2021.
243. “I mean, it was such a relief”: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021.
334. Shannon and the other mission specialists released the three communication satellites: NASA, “STS 51-G National Space Transportation Systems Program Mission Report,” July 1985.
244. Shannon put her robotic-arm skills to work: “Space Shuttle Flight 18 (STS-51G) Post Flight Presentation,” National Space Society, posted to YouTube on May 12, 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS45EdIfcFk.
244. Designed to study X-rays and the supermassive black hole: NASA, “Spartan-A,”
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1985-048E.
244. “You never have to worry about whether or not”: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
245. interested in Sultan: UPI, “Space shuttle off to a princely start,”
Chicago Tribune, June 18, 1985.
245. “Looking at it from here”: AP, “Space Shuttle Ready for Landing.”
245. she felt as if she’d doubled her weight: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
245-246. “I thought, ‘Oh my goodness’”: Ibid.
246. “Mom,” he cried, “what are you going to cook”: Shannon Lucid, Anna Fisher, and Rhea Seddon, “Space Center Houston Thought Leader Series,” interview by John Charles, June 28, 2018,
https://spacecenter.org/video-thought-leader-series-pioneers-of-space-exploration/.
246. the crew traveled: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
246. The schedules for Saudi Arabia had the men: Ibid.
247. the country had deemed her an “honorary man”: UPI, “Queen Becomes Man For A Day,”
The Atlanta Constitution, February 12, 1979.
247. “Absolutely not,” Shannon said: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
247. NASA agreed that Shannon didn’t have to go to Saudi Arabia: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
247. “Where’s Shannon?” he asked: Interview with John Fabian, 2021.
247. King Fahd placed a call: Interviews with Dan Brandenstein, John Fabian, 2021.
247. The next morning Shannon was sitting at her desk: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020. The rest of Shannon’s story about her trip to Saudi Arabia comes from the author’s interview with her.
250. “I’m directing NASA to begin a search”: Associated Press, “Reagan Says Teacher Will Be 1st Passenger In Space: NASA Will Decide Who and When,”
Los Angeles Times, August 27, 1984.
250. NASA had said for a long time: Stewart McBride, “Dawn Of The ‘Peopled Space Age,’”
Christian Science Monitor, April 28, 1981.
251. NASA was talking about flying other members of Congress: Associated Press, “Florida Congressman To Make Shuttle Flight,”
The New York Times, September 7, 1985; Thomas O’Toole, “More Bigwigs May Follow Garn Aloft,”
The Washington Post, December 18, 1984.
251. Plenty of astronauts thought: Mullane,
Riding Rockets, chap. 24.
251. some astronauts felt that NASA was making the mistake: Interviews with Steve Hawley, Hoot Gibson, Mike Mullane, 2021.
252. Out of more than eleven thousand applicants, NASA picked a social studies: John Noble Wilford, “Teacher Is Picked for Shuttle Trip: New Hampshire Woman Says She Will Keep a Journal to Demystify Outer Space,”
The New York Times, July 20, 1985.
252. Christa was going to give school lessons: James Fisher, “Down to Earth Teacher Prepares For Big Test In Space,”
Orlando Sentinel, December 26, 1985.
252. appeared on a number of TV shows: UPI, “Shuttle-Bound Teacher Prepares for TV Circuit,”
Sun Sentinel, July 22, 1985.
252. even The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, July 31, 1985.
Chapter Twenty-One Turning Point
Page 253. Sally, Judy, Anna, Rhea, and Kathy: NASA JSC, “51-D, 6-D Crew Announcements,” press release, February 2, 1984; NASA JSC, “NASA Names Crews To Deploy Satellites In Year- End Flights,” press release, January 29, 1985; NASA JSC, “NASA Names Astronaut Crew For Space Shuttle Mission 61-I, press release, June 17, 1985; NASA JSC, “NASA Names Crews For Upcoming Space Shuttle Flights,” press release, September 19, 1985.
253. with up to twelve flights planned: NASA, “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986).
253. eleven women in the mix: NASA JSC, “NASA Selects 17 Astronaut Candidates,” press release, May 23, 1984.
253. Everyone could feel the electricity: Interview with Hoot Gibson, 2021.
254. she went to Atlanta, Georgia: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
255. she was assigned to her third flight: NASA JSC, “NASA Names Astronaut Crew For Space Shuttle Mission 61-I,” press release, June 17, 1985.
255. Judy was assigned to her second mission, STS-51-L: “NASA Names Crews To
255. had expressed concerns about non-scientists: Washington Post staff,
Challengers, pg. 95.
256. Judy wanted to dedicate her life to space: Galloway, “A Private Astronaut.”
256. She had found her true passion working for the space program: Wittman Lamb, “Tempo: Second woman in space puts her career first.”
256. told friends that she was going to live on Mars someday: Interview with Fani Brown Brandenburg, 2021.
256. took the newbie under her wing: Cook,
The Burning Blue, chap. 4.
256. The mission was originally supposed to fly: NASA JSC, “NASA Names Crews To Deploy Satellites In Year-End Flights,” press release, January 29, 1985.
257. Everyone thought this decision was odd: Daniel Junge and Steven Leckart, dirs.,
Challenger: The Final Flight, episode 3, Bad Robot, 2020,
https://www.netflix.com/title/81012137.
257. Then the strangest problem arose: William J. Broad, “24-Hour Delay Called for Shuttle Flight As Wind and Balky Bolt Bar Launching,”
The New York Times, January 28, 1986.
257. strong winds had picked up near the pad: NASA, “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986).
257. Judy and the rest of her crew didn’t really believe they were going to launch: Challenger: The Final Flight, episode 3.
257. dropped to just twenty-four degrees Fahrenheit: NASA, “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986).
257-258. drops of water trickled down the shuttle and its launchpad: Challenger: The Final Flight, episode 3.
258. Judy and the rest of the crew woke up at 6 a.m.: Jay Hamburg, “Jan. 28, 1986 Etched Forever: An Account of the Final Hours of Space Shuttle Challenger,”
Orlando Sentinel, January 28, 1987.
258. she chose two steaks: Malcolm McConnell,
Challenger A Major Malfunction: A True Story Of Politics, Greed, And The Wrong Stuff (Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1987), pg. 216.
258. the crew huddled in a conference room for their final weather briefing: Hamburg, “Jan. 28, 1986 Etched Forever.”
258. Crews had been out on the pad throughout the night: McConnell,
Challenger A Major Malfunction, pg. 219.
259. Judy stepped through the gray doors of the building: “STS 51L Pre-Launch Activities Through Launch Failure,” NASA video provided to author by Stephen Slater.
259. the crew had to step carefully: McConnell,
Challenger A Major Malfunction, pg. 222.
259. “This is a beautiful day to fly”: Ibid.
259. “Kind of cold this morning”: Hamburg, “Jan. 28, 1986 Etched Forever.” The remainder of the chapter is taken from this article.
Chapter Twenty-Two Endings and Answers
Page 263. to be serviced over time by shuttle astronauts: John Uri, “30 Years Ago: Hubble Launched to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe,” NASA,
Roundup,
https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/pages.ashx/1414/30%20Years%20Ago%20Hubble%20Launched%20to%20Unlock%20the%20Secrets%20of%20the%20Universe.
263. Kathy yawned: Sullivan,
Handprints on Hubble, chap. 6; Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 12, 2008,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_3-12-08.htm.
263. she called Jessie, her secretary: Kathy Sullivan, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, March 12, 2008,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/SullivanKD/SullivanKD_3-12-08.htm.
264. Rhea said that it was the booster rockets: Seddon,
Go For Orbit, pg. 304.
264. Shannon was in training, too: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021; Sherr, “Remembering Judy,” pg. 58.
264. Anna was sitting on the flight deck: Anna Fisher, “Ask an Astronaut Session,” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, January 22, 2022; Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_5-3-11.htm.
265. she was on a plane: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021; Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
265. Sally suddenly realized that Judy and all her other friends: Sherr, “Remembering Judy,” pg. 57.
265. They just wanted to be there, to help if needed: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2022.
266. “When I visualize what’s going on in the cockpit during that accident”: “Intimate Portrait: Sally Ride,” Lifetime Tonight.
266. Could this be the end of the space shuttle program?: Interviews with multiple TFNG astronauts, 2020–2022.
266. President Ronald Reagan stood before: Bernard Weintraub, “Reagan Pays Tribute to ‘Our 7 Challenger Heroes,’”
The New York Times, February 1, 1986.
267. who had flown to Ohio to be present: Associated Press, “Judy Resnik called to ‘touch the sky,’”
The Courier-News, February 1, 1986.
267. “Our Jewish tradition tells us that those who pioneer”: Ibid.
267. Sally was asked to serve: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 7; Sally K. Ride Papers, “Two small notebooks containing Ride’s notes from the Rogers Commission,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Archives.
268. The commission would be headed by William Rogers: NASA, “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986).
268. “I need to do this”: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 7.
268. She sat at a conference table with the other members: NASA, “President Commission On Space Shuttle Challenger Accident — Executive Session — Monday, February 10, 1986,” transcript, Washington, D.C.
269. The culprit had been the shuttle’s right solid rocket booster: “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986).
269. Another clue was soon spotted: Ike Flores, “Tape Shows Smoke Puff During Liftoff,” Associated Press,
The Boston Globe, February 14, 1986.
270. the paper reported that power and pressure in the right solid rocket booster: Richard Witkin, “Data Said To Show Quick Power Drop Just Before Blast: Sign Of Rocket Rupture: Fire Burning Through Booster Called Most Likely Cause of Challenger Disaster,”
The New York Times, February 1, 1986.
270. the paper published a blockbuster story claiming: David E. Sanger, “Cold and Vibration in Rocket Studied: Questions About Solid-Fuel Booster Focus on Temperature and Changes In Pressure,”
The New York Times, February 5, 1986.
270. Sally and her fellow commissioners asked: “President Commission On Space Shuttle Challenger Accident — Friday, February 7, 1986,” transcript, Washington, D.C., National Academy of Sciences Auditorium.
270. the Times was back with another scoop: Philip M. Boffey, “NASA Had Warning of a Disaster Risk Posed By Booster: Engineers Feared Leaks: Internal Reports Cited Erosion of Rocket Seals — Agency Declines to Comment,”
The New York Times, February 9, 1986.
270. the Rogers Commission decided to hold a closed-door meeting: Challenger: The Final Flight, episode 4.
270. the discussions became exceptionally dull: NASA, “President Commission On Space Shuttle Challenger Accident — Executive Session — Monday, February 10, 1986,” transcript, Washington, D.C.
271. “Is there any internal correspondence on potential concern”: NASA, “President Commission On Space Shuttle Challenger Accident — Executive Session — Monday, February 10, 1986,” transcript, Washington, D.C.
271. “We all concluded that there was no problem”: Ibid.
271. a man from the back of the room: “Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: Ethics Case Study No. 1,” American Society of Civil Engineers; McDonald and Hansen,
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings, chap. 12.
272. in a shaking voice: Lazarus Dean, “The Oral History of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster”;
Challenger: The Final Flight, episode 4.
272. Then Allan dropped a bomb: NASA, “President Commission On Space Shuttle Challenger Accident — Executive Session — Monday, February 10, 1986,” transcript, Washington, D.C.
272. the mood in the room shifted: Lazarus Dean, “The Oral History of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.”
272. Sally stared at a paper she held in her hands: Ibid;
Challenger: The Final Flight, episode 4; Interviews with Tam O’Shaughnessy, Steve Hawley, 2021.
273. Steve always suspected it was one of NASA’s contractors: Interview with Steve Hawley, 2021.
273. “Sally had this reputation at NASA and other places”: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
273. Sally handed Don the piece of paper: Ibid; Lazarus Dean, “The Oral History of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.”
274. the general invited the physicist over for dinner: Ibid. Don Kutyna remembers inviting Richard Feynman over for dinner. But in his book, Feynman says Kutyna helped him make the connection through a phone call.
274. The next meeting of the Rogers Commission: “Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” C-SPAN video, February 11, 1986,
https://www.c-span.org/video/?125993-1/presidential-commission-space-shuttle-challenger-accident.
274. Richard asked for a cup of ice water: Richard Feynman, as told to Ralph Leighton,
What Do You Care What People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), chap. “The Cold Facts,” Kindle.
275. “I took this stuff that I got out of your seal”: “Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” C-SPAN video.
275. the astronauts were assigned: Ibid; Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2021; Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_5-3-11.htm.
275. “It was a lot of long, long hours, sitting, going line by line”: Interview with Shannon Lucid, 2020.
276. As experts analyzed the footage: Lawrence C. Levy, “Cockpit Survived 1st Blast: Did the Crew Try To Abort?”
Newsday, February 2, 1986.
276. One of the biggest underwater searches in history began: Dennis E. Powell, “Obviously, A Major Malfunction: First came the bang. Then… silence. A story about catastrophe and cover-up,”
The Miami Herald, November 13, 1988.
276. After almost six weeks: Charles Fishman, “The Epic Search for the Challenger: A Weeks-Long Probe For Secrets From The Ocean Bottom,”
The Washington Post, May 28, 1986.
276. someone had draped American flags: Jim Leusner and Dan Tracy, “Ship Docks With Astronauts’ Remains: Flag Covers Object On Deck of Vessel,”
Orlando Sentinel, March 12, 1986.
277. the massive four-hundred-fifty-page document: NASA, “Report to the President By The Presidential Commission On The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident,” (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1986).
278. In the end Judy’s family received a settlement: Interview with Michael Oldak, 2021.
279. Challenger Center for Space Science Education: “Looking to the Future While Honoring Our Legacy,”
https://challenger.org/
Chapter Twenty-Three Going On
280. NASA reviewed safety procedures: Interview with Wayne Hale, 2020.
281. She didn’t want to leave NASA just yet: Sally Ride, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Rebecca Wright, October 22, 2002,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/RideSK/RideSK_10-22-02.htm.
281. she offered to work: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 8.
281. Sally was asked to form a planning group: John Noble Wilford, “Exploration of Mars is Advised as Goal for NASA,”
The New York Times, March 18, 1987.
281-282. In 1987 they turned in what became known as the Ride Report: Dr. Sally K. Ride, “NASA Leadership and America’s Future in Space,” a report to the administrator, August 1987,
https://history.nasa.gov/riderep/main.PDF.
282. At first NASA considered burying: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 8.
283. she began a two-year fellowship: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 9.
283. helped with the investigation after: NASA, “Columbia Accident Investigation Board,” August 2003,
https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/assets/columbia-accident-investigation-board-report-volume-1.pdf.
283. asked twice to be NASA’s administrator: Sherr,
Sally Ride, chap. 9 and 11.
283. She worked on projects called EarthKAM: Melanie Carlson, “GRAIL Puts MoonKAM in Students’ Control,” NASA press release, October 3, 2011,
https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/home/grail_moonkam.html.
284. Sally died of cancer: Denise Grady, “Sally Ride, Trailblazing Astronaut, Dies at 61,”
The New York Times, July 23, 2012.
284. “I have heard from people”: Interview with Tam O’Shaughnessy, 2021.
284. Anna Fisher sat at a conference table: Anna Fisher, “NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project,” interview by Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, May 3, 2011,
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/FisherAL/FisherAL_5-3-11.htm.
285. “I was disappointed to not fly again”: Anna Fisher keynote speech, “2019 UCLA College Commencement Ceremony,” UCLA, video streamed to YouTube on June 14, 2019,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRNENs9CGyI.
286. She flew two more shuttle missions: NASA Biographical Data, Margaret Rhea Seddon,
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/seddon_margaret.pdf.
286. the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope: NASA Biographical Data, Kathryn D. Sullivan,
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sullivan_kathryn.pdf.
286. she was commissioned to the U.S. Naval Reserve: Mark Kahn, “Kathryn D. Sullivan: From Outer Space to Under the Sea,” September 17, 2022,
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/kathryn-sullivan-outer-space-under-sea.
286. she voyaged to the Challenger Deep: Ibid.
287. her daughters had given her a science fiction book: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, “Out of This World,”
https://omrf.org/findings/out-of-this-world/.
287. she had spent more time in space: APPEL News Staff, “This Month in NASA History: Shannon Lucid Set Spaceflight Records,” September 6, 2017,
https://appel.nasa.gov/2017/09/06/this-month-in-nasa-history-shannon-lucid-set-spaceflight-records/.
287-288. Every astronaut class: Jason Treat, Jay Bennett, and Christopher Turner, “How ‘The Right Stuff’ Has Changed,”
National Geographic, November 6, 2020,
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/graphics/charting-how-nasa-astronaut-demographics-have-changed-over-time.
288. less than one-sixth have been women: Supercluster, “Astronaut Database,”
https://www.supercluster.com/astronauts.
288. Only five Black women have gone to orbit: Ibid.
288. NASA announced plans for the first all-woman space walk: Jacey Fortin and Karen Zraick, “First All-Female Spacewalk Canceled Because NASA Doesn’t Have Two Suits That Fit,”
The New York Times, March 25, 2019,
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/science/female-spacewalk-canceled.html.
289. The incident caused an uproar: Chris Mills Rodrigo, “NASA responds to criticism over canceling all-female spacewalk,”
The Hill, March 26, 2019,
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/435845-nasa-responds-to-criticism-over-cancelling-all-female-spacewalk/.
289. “sometimes the effects”: Loren Grush, “Why spacesuit design choices — not women’s physiques — delayed the first all-female spacewalk,”
The Verge, October 21, 2019,
https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/21/20920790/nasa-first-all-female-spacewalk-christina-koch-jessica-meir-spacesuit-design-bias.
289. the first all-female space walk: Ibid.
289. “They didn’t have any women [astronaut] role models”: Interview with Eileen Collins, 2021.
290. “Just the fact that they were on the same base”: Ibid.
290. Sixty years later: Marina Koren, “Guess Who’s Going to Space With Jeff Bezos?”
The Atlantic, July 1, 2021,
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/07/jeff-bezos-wally-funk-blue-origin/619344/.
290. the agency announced the creation of the Artemis program: Loren Grush, “NASA’s initiative to put a woman on the Moon is named Artemis, after Apollo’s twin sister,”
The Verge, May 13, 2019,
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/13/18622415/nasa-moon-return-first-woman-astronaut-artemis-program.
291. assigned to the first crewed Artemis mission: Claire O’Shea, “NASA Names Astronauts to Next Moon Mission, First Crew Under Artemis,” NASA press release, April 3, 2023,
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-names-astronauts-to-next-moon-mission-first-crew-under-artemis.
