Upcoming Events at Swain Student Activities Center
Tue Mar 19, 6:00 PM - Tue Mar 19, 8:00 PM
Swain Student Activities Center
2100 South Floyd Street, Louisville, KY 40208
Community: Louisville
Description
Join us on a journey to explore the significant contributions women have made and are making to space exploration. Over the decades, women have made significant contributions to space science. Their work will be acknowledged and celebrated in a series of events March 19
Event Details
Join us on a journey to explore the significant contributions women have made and are making to space exploration. Over the decades, women have made significant contributions to space science. Their work will be acknowledged and celebrated in a series of events March 19, 22 & March 23, 2019. More information on all events.
All events are free and open to the public. Preregistration for events at the planetarium is required.
Mercury 13 is a remarkable story of the women who were tested for spaceflight in 1961 before their dreams were dashed in being the first to make the trip beyond Earth. NASA’s ‘man in space’ program, dubbed ‘Project Mercury’ began in 1958. The men chosen - all military test pilots - became known as The Mercury 7. But away from the glare of the media, behind firmly closed doors, female pilots were also screened. Thirteen of them passed and, in some cases, performed better than the men. They were called the Mercury 13 and had the ‘right stuff’ but were, unfortunately, the wrong gender. Underneath the obsession of the space race that gripped America, the Mercury 13 women were aviation pioneers who emerged thirsty for a new frontier, but whose time would have to wait. The film tells the definitive story of thirteen truly remarkable women who reached for the stars but were ahead of their time. A Netflix original documentary directed by David Sington (The Fear of 13) and Heather Walsh.
Sponsored by:University of Louisville Women’s and Gender StudiesUniversity of Louisville Women’s CenterUniversity of Louisville Gheens Science Hall and Rauch PlanetariumAmerican Association of University Women, University of Louisville Chapter
All events are free and open to the public. Preregistration for events at the planetarium is required.
Mercury 13 is a remarkable story of the women who were tested for spaceflight in 1961 before their dreams were dashed in being the first to make the trip beyond Earth. NASA’s ‘man in space’ program, dubbed ‘Project Mercury’ began in 1958. The men chosen - all military test pilots - became known as The Mercury 7. But away from the glare of the media, behind firmly closed doors, female pilots were also screened. Thirteen of them passed and, in some cases, performed better than the men. They were called the Mercury 13 and had the ‘right stuff’ but were, unfortunately, the wrong gender. Underneath the obsession of the space race that gripped America, the Mercury 13 women were aviation pioneers who emerged thirsty for a new frontier, but whose time would have to wait. The film tells the definitive story of thirteen truly remarkable women who reached for the stars but were ahead of their time. A Netflix original documentary directed by David Sington (The Fear of 13) and Heather Walsh.
Sponsored by:University of Louisville Women’s and Gender StudiesUniversity of Louisville Women’s CenterUniversity of Louisville Gheens Science Hall and Rauch PlanetariumAmerican Association of University Women, University of Louisville Chapter
