Jerrie Cobb - Breaking Barriers in the Sky and Beyond

Aviator

Born: March 5, 1931, Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
Died: March 18, 2019, Florida, U.S.A

Jerrie Cobb was a record-breaking pilot who fought to become one of the first women considered for space travel.

Born on March 5, 1931, in Norman, Oklahoma, her father was a pilot, and she fell in love with flying at a young age. She flew for the first time with her dad when she was only 12 years old. By 16, she was flying over fields, dropping circus flyers from the sky. She earned her private pilot’s license at 17 and her commercial license by 18. At just 19 years old, she was already teaching men how to fly planes. By 21, she was flying military planes around the world.

After World War II, many male pilots returned home, and Jerrie found it hard to get good flying jobs because she was a woman. She ended up doing tough jobs like crop dusting and pipeline patrol. Even so, Jerrie didn’t give up. She broke three world records before she turned 30, one for long-distance flying in 1959, one for light-plane speed in 1959, and one for flying a lightweight plane to an altitude of 37,010 feet in 1960. These amazing achievements helped her become a consultant for NASA in 1961.

At the time, NASA didn’t allow women to be astronauts. Most women who worked at NASA were in low-level jobs and couldn’t move up. But in 1960, NASA’s head doctor, Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II, wanted to test if women could be astronauts too. Jerrie was one of 19 women who went through tough physical and mental tests. These tests included sitting in dark rooms for hours, getting electric shocks, running on treadmills, and blowing up balloons until they were exhausted. They were harder than most real space experiences.

Out of the 19 women, 13 passed the tests. Jerrie was one of them. She and other women, later called the First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs), scored even better than some of the men in the Mercury 7 group, the first U.S. astronauts. Many of the women had more flight experience than the men. But to finish their astronaut testing, they had to fly jets at military bases. NASA refused to let them. Because of this, Jerrie decided to speak out.

Jerrie and fellow FLAT Janey Hart went to Washington, D.C. to speak before Congress in 1962. They told lawmakers that NASA was unfair and that women were just as capable as men, maybe even more so. But famous astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter spoke against them. They said women couldn’t join because they didn’t have jet training, something women weren’t allowed to do at the time. Even though Jerrie didn’t win her case, she kept fighting. Her brave efforts drew public attention, and more people started to support equal rights for women in space.

Finally, in 1978, NASA selected a new class of astronauts that included women and people of color for the first time. Among them was Sally Ride, who in 1983 became the first American woman in space. This was a huge step forward and something Jerrie had worked toward for decades.

In 1999, Eileen Collins became the first woman to lead a space mission. Jerrie was invited to watch the launch. Before liftoff, Collins honored Jerrie and the other FLATs, saying she would never have had the chance without their fight for women’s equality.

Thanks to Jerrie Cobb, the doors to space opened for many others. Even though she never got to go to space herself, her hard work and bravery changed history. Today, more women and minorities work at NASA and fly in space, continuing the journey Jerrie started long ago.

References:
“Aviator Jerrie Cobb Trained in NASA’s Gimbal Rig in 1960.” NASA, NASA, 1 Mar. 2024, www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/aviator-jerrie-cobb-trained-in-nasas-gimbal-rig-in-1960/..
“Geraldyn ‘Jerrie’ M. Cobb Papers.” Geraldyn “Jerrie” M. Cobb Papers | National Air and Space Museum,airandspace.si.edu/collection-archive/geraldyn-jerrie-m-cobb-papers/sova-nasm-2017-0035.

Keywords:
Innovation, Wartime, Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Selflessness, Challenge Injustices, Make a difference

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