CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — America’s first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died. Altogether, 13 women passed the arduous physical testing and became known as the Mercury 13. None of the Mercury 13 ever reached space, despite Cobb’s testimony in 1962 before a Congressional panel. Instead of making her an astronaut, NASA tapped her as a consultant to talk up the space program. Cobb and other surviving members of the Mercury 13 attended the 1995 shuttle launch of Eileen Collins, NASA’s first female space pilot and later its first female space commander.

Source: National Post April 18, 2019 18:48 UTC