THE MERCURY 13
Group of women who might have been astronauts featured in local exhibit
“Women are every bit as capable as men in the fields of math and science and aviation, and only in the last 25 or 30 years have we had some of the same opportunities as men in these fields.”
— Vicky Benzing, pilot, skydiver, aerobatic performer and air racer
Millions of Americans have heard of the Mercury 7, the seven original Project Mercury astronauts featured in the movie and book “The Right Stuff.”
But have you heard of the Mercury 13?
“This history is pretty unknown to most people,” said David Alvarez, the director of student life at California Aeronautical University in Bakersfield, which just began hosting a traveling exhibit on loan from the International Women’s Air & Space Museum in Centerville, Ohio called the “Mercury 13.”
The exhibit tells the story of 13 women pilots who secretly underwent privately-funded astronaut training in the 1960s with an eye toward becoming the first American women to become astronauts.
Made up of 26 panels, the display shares the history of the 13 “brave women who endured and passed the same battery of grueling physical and psychological tests endured by the men,” said CAU President Matthew Johnston.
“In some cases, these women scored better on the tests than their male counterparts,” Johnston said. “And several ranked among the most distinguished pilots of their time.”
According to the exhibit, in early 1961, 25 women pilots reported to the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, N.M. to undergo a series of tests that would determine whether they could become potential astronauts. Founded by Dr. W. Randolph Lovelace II, the clinic had already earned a reputation as the aviation medicine hub that tested the Mercury 7, America’s first astronauts.
The exhibit illustrates the struggles and triumphs the women encountered before the program was shut down in 1962, due to lack of approval from Congress.
“I think the story of the Mercury 13 is a fabulous story in the history of space exploration, and really illustrates the progress women in our society have made since the early 1960s,” said Vicky Benzing, an accomplished pilot, skydiver, aerobatic performer and air racer.
Benzing flew her 1940 Boeing Stearman biplane as a stunt pilot in the 2018 documentary film “Mercury 13,” which also tells the story of those astronaut hopefuls.
“Women are every bit as capable as men in the fields
of math and science and aviation, and only in the last 25 or 30 years have we had some of the same opportunities as men in these fields,” Benzing said.
Morgan Yoss, 21, a pilot studying at the local aeronautical university, said she sees the women of Mercury 13 as role models.
“I see this as inspirational,” she said of the traveling display.
The exhibit will be on display at the university’s administrative offices from March 23 through April 23. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the exhibit is not open to the public. However, the university will showcase each panel of the exhibit on CAU’s social media platforms and in conjunction with the International Women’s Air & Space Museum, are offering two virtual events that further explore details of the “Mercury 13.”
Benzing, who met and befriended Wally Funk, the youngest of the 13 pilots, during the making of the documentary film, said it’s been wonderful to learn about women like the Mercury 13, “who were trailblazers in their time. I believe that they are important as role models for other young women to pursue their own aviation dreams.
“I was a stunt pilot for Wally Funk,” Benzing said. “She’s the real deal.”