Mighty M's 1st Choice: Promised the Moon
Promised the Moon: the Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race by Stephanie Nolen.
Wow! Another nonfiction pick! I didn't expect my kids to both pick nonfiction to start with. And here are your questions (answer each question in a separate post):
- One of the people I find very fascinating is Jerry Cobb. Give me a brief biography of this amazing woman.
- As someone who aspires to be an astronaut, what did you find most discouraging and what did you find most encouraging in reading this book?
- Of the women profiled in the book, who did you most relate to and why?
- How has this book affected your decision to become an astronaut?
4 comments:
Jerrie Cobb was the first woman to go through the astronaut training program. She was a pilot for a while, before she went through the tests. Jerrie's first job was as a pilot in the Aviatrix. There were a lot of people who were surprised by the fact that she was a woman. Jerrie became addicted to flying on her first flight, when she was a passenger in her father's airplane. She realized the freedom of the skies, and wanted to spend as much time as possible in the sky. On her sixteenth birthday, Jerrie earned her pilot's license. Jerrie's first job was at a circus. After a little while, Jerrie left the circus. She joined a softball team, the Sooner Queens. She fell in love with an airplane. She worked hard for a while to earn the money to buy the plane. After she finished the season, Jerrie had the plane. Jerrie's next job was teaching people to fly. This was a difficult job, because people doubted a girl's ability. Jerrie's next job was as a charter pilot-before she discovered racing. Jerrie's next job was as a clerk, for the company wouldn't let girls be mechanics. While Jerrie was a clerk, she met a seemingly rude man, who, the next morning, reappeared and apologized for his behavior. The man-Jack Ford-mentioned that he couldn't get ferrying pilots to ferry cargo to South America. Jerrie quickly accepted the job. Soon, Jerrie was in love. However, she never married him, and no one knows what really happened.
Jerrie met Mr. Flickinger and Dr. Lovelace on a beach, and they told her about a woman astronaut program. Jerrie was ecstatic, and she became the first woman to undergo the same tests as the Mercury astronauts. Jerrie passed all the tests, and some of the tests she did better than men! Jerrie finished the training before any of the FLATs, or Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees, began their training. After many tests, there were thirteen FLATs left. They were ready to go to complete all the training, when the program was cut short. Some of the women were disappointed, and went back to their regular way of life. A few of the others fought for the chance to complete the tests. Jerrie Cobb was one of them. Janey Hart, who was the wife of a senator, was another. They fought in a hearing against the House Space Committee. They thought they had a fighting chance, and they fought for a long time. However, Jerrie realized that their fate was sealed when Alan Shepard and Scott Carpenter appeared in court. After the day in court was over, as Jerrie and Janey were leaving the room, they glanced back and saw the members of the Committee asking Glenn and Carpenter for their autographs. Jerrie fought for a while longer, but soon she found that it was useless. Jerrie moved to South America, where she helped with the missions. When Stephanie Nolan talked to Jerrie, she found that many of the things Jerrie claimed she did appeared to be false claims. Finally, Jerrie and the other FLATs came to the conclusion that they were too good too soon.
What is encouraging about woman who want to, but can't, become astronauts? I found many things about this book discouraging, but the perseverance of the woman encouraged and astounded me. One of the things that really discouraged me was how much NASA opposed women in the space field. Why did NASA oppose the women-who were just as physically and mentally fit as the male astronauts? I believe that NASA opposed them simply for that reason-they were women. What else discouraged me? One thing that didn't discourage me so much as bother me was the fact that we could have beaten the Soviets at one thing other than first man on the moon. We could've sent the first woman into space. But no. NASA's officials were too pigheaded about sending woman into space. Why? This all took place at a time when men were the superiors to women. Men were the breadwinners, and women stayed at home and watched the children. This was the trend until men went off to war. Then the women had to rise to the occasion and find jobs, while the men risked their lives to save our country. Why didn't it stay this way? When the men came back, work was once again filled by men, but the ideals of feminism had been set in motion.
But enough about what discouraged me-what about what encouraged me? Despite all the negativity in this book-meaning how the women were struggling to do what they loved-I found quite a few encouraging aspects of the women. I was amazed that they took the tests, and beat many of the men's records. Their extreme perseverance amazed me, and I was extremely encouraged by what they were able to do, even though they couldn't do more.
Many things were encouraging, and many were discouraging in this book, but over all the book was encouraging and enlightening.
Who did I relate most to? That's a tough question. The person that I feel I relate most to is one of the women who is not one of the main characters. Her name is Wally Funk. I feel that I relate well to Wally. Why? Wally is still perseverant about getting into space. Wally used her connections with someone in the Navy or Marines to finish the tests the Mercury Seven took. I really admire her, and I feel that I relate to her. Wally Funk has given up on NASA, but is still searching among private institutions for a trip into space. That is why I feel I relate to Wally Funk.
As an astronaut, how did this book encourage or discourage my choice to become an astronaut? This book has had little sway over my decision to become an astronaut. However, this book did show me some of the qualities needed to be an astronaut. For example, Determination is a key subject in this book. I think that goes to show how much determination an astronaut needs. I really like this book, but I don't think that it would encourage or discourage someone thinking about becoming an astronaut.
Post a Comment