Geraldyn M. Cobb died in March. [
Jerrie Cobb 1961]Her New York Times obituary says:
A seasoned pilot, she held world records for speed, altitude and distance. She had undergone rigorous physical and psychological examinations and emerged in the top 2 percent of all those — mostly men — who were tested.
But in 1961, as she seemed on the verge of becoming the nation’s first female astronaut, the door was slammed shut.
NASA wasn't interested in the 13 women pilots (known as the Mercury 13) who'd passed the rigorous tests that the Mercury astronauts did.