Great Women in Aviation #1 - Mercury 13

In 1983, when Dr. Sally Ride made the historic flight that rocketed her into space, she succeeded in a quest that started two decades earlier. Her flight came 22 years, 36 manned missions, and 57 astronauts after the first Mercury capsule splashed down in the Atlantic.
The delay between the first Mercury mission and Dr. Ride's launch into space was not because of women's lack of interest. Look Magazine's February, 1960 issue asked in bold headlines, "Should a girl be first in space?" A photo showed 33 year old automobile test driver, and pilot Betty Skelton dressed in a space suit, posing in front of an Atlas Booster rocket. She was visiting Cape Canaveral as a reporter for the magazine, not as an astronaut candidate. According to Ms. Skelton, two thousand American women, mostly teenagers, volunteered for space flight. With such a large number, surely some would qualify. In the article, Air Force Brigadier General, Don Flickinger said without elaboration, "Women would not be given serious consideration for space travel until three person space vehicles were in use."