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Wally Funk's Race for Space

The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer

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Wally Funk's Race for Space

By: Sue Nelson
Narrated by: Sue Nelson
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About this listen

In 1961, Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to pass the ‘Women in Space’ programme. Wally sailed through a series of rigorous physical and mental tests, her scores beating many of the male candidates, including those of John Glenn, the first American in orbit. But just one week before she was due to enter the final phase of training, the programme was abruptly cancelled. A combination of politics and prejudice meant that none of the women ever flew into space. Undeterred, Wally 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, now approaching her 80th birthday, as she races to make her giant leap - before it’s too late. Covering their travels across the United States and Europe - taking in NASA’s mission control in Houston and Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Wally’s ride to space awaits - this is a uniquely intimate and entertaining portrait of a true aviation trailblazer.

©2018 Sue Nelson (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Science & Technology Women Transportation Aviation Space Station US Air Force Air Force

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Great for astrophiles and aviation enthusiasts

Very easy to listen to book, great reading performance. A journey that begins chronicling the events of The Mercury 13, the women that could have been the first people in space. It then follows one of the 13, aviatrix Wally Funk, in the present day across various space related locations in the U.S., and her relentless pursuit of her dream.

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