Bibliograph

Wally Funk's race for space, the extraordinary story of a female aviation pioneer, Sue Nelson

Type

Label

Wally Funk's race for space, the extraordinary story of a female aviation pioneer, Sue Nelson

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-239)

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Wally Funk's race for space

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1049820720

Responsibility statement

Sue Nelson

Sub title

the extraordinary story of a female aviation pioneer

Summary

Mary Wallace "Wally" Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to complete NASA's 1961 Women in Space program. Funk went through the same rigorous physical and mental tests as male candidates, and her scores beat many of theirs--even John Glenn's. Just one week before Funk was to enter the final phase of training, the entire program was abruptly cancelled. Politics and prejudice meant that none of the qualified women ever went to space. Undeterred, Funk went on to become one of America's first female aviation inspectors and civilian flight instructors, though her dream of being an astronaut never dimmed. In this offbeat odyssey, journalist and fellow space buff Sue Nelson travels with Wally Funk, approaching her 80th birthday, as she races to make her giant leap. Covering their travels across the United States and Europe--taking in NASA's mission control in Houston and Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Funk's ride to space awaits--this is a uniquely intimate and entertaining portrait of a true aviation trailblazer

Classification