Right Stuff, Wrong Sex - Female Astronauts

Sue Nelson tells the story of a group of pilots who became America's first female astronaut trainees. The 'Mercury 13' passed the medical examinations and had more flying hours than John Glenn, yet none of them made it into space. In this programme, we hear from some of those women and discover why America's First Women in Space Program was cut short before it even began.

The picture above shows trainee astronaut Jerrie Cobb during preparations for a high altitude flight at the North American Aircraft Lab. She was awarded the Amelia Earhart gold medal of achievement in 1949, nominated for a Nobel peace prize in 1981 and has received numerous commendations for her humanitarian work in South America. She remains the only woman to pass all three phases of the Mercury astronaut tests.

↗ Originally broadcast 24 April 1997.

See more programmes and clips about the Apollo Moon landings.