March 5, 2022
On this date in 1931, American aviator Geraldyn (Jerrie) Cobb was born. She was one of a group of women aviators who participated in the privately funded FLATS program. These women underwent all the physical and psychological testing required to become astronauts but were never allowed to fly in space. Jerrie often outperformed in these tests compared her male counterparts, finishing in the top 2% of all astronaut candidates of any gender.
To read more about Jerrie Cobb, visit: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/remembering-geraldyn-jerrie-cobb-pioneering-woman-aviator
Jerrie Cobb testing the Gimbal Rig in the Altitude Wind Tunnel, AWT in April 1960. This machine was designed to train astronauts to control a tumbling spacecraft. Image credit: NASA/GRC/Arden Wilfong
