One of the Thirteen is gone

[anghara]

"Janet Christine Dietrich loved to fly."

Thus is a life encapsulated.

Back in the Sixties, she and twelve other women were picked up by NASA to be trained as astronauts - the first women to achieve this - the "Mercury Thirteen". The battery of tests they were put through was gruelling, and included things that their male counterparts never had to put up with - stuff that was done "in addition to more traditional physical exams", and included electroshocks.

They were never allowed to complete their training, never allowed to fly in space.

But they paved the way to the stars for their sisters.

Janet Christine Dietrich, the woman who loved to fly, was one of the Mercury Thirteen. One of the true pioneers of the space program, willing to put up with hell for the dream of stars.

Rest in peace, Janet - and may there be stars for you to reach for, wherever it is that you've gone.

One of the proudest moments of my writing life was having NASA request permission to post a part of one of my poems on a commemorative poster for the Mercury Thirteen, produced a couple of years ago. I have it framed in my house, and it still makes my heart beat faster when I walk past it and let my eyes light upon it. I never had to put up with the tough physical training, or learn how to fly a plane, or swim against the stream all my life just to be taken seriously as a candidate for spaceflight - but I share something with those women, anyway. I share a dream of stars. And I am proud to have my name linked to theirs.

Comments

[ckocher.livejournal.com]

I remember checking out a book on the Mercury 13 a few years back. It was a completely random grab - I saw women and astronauts and was in a hurry so I just added it to the stack on my way to the checkout desk.

It turned out to be one of those books that you're just grateful they came along. I had no idea of this slice of history before I read it, and it led to me research and read other books after.

I honor their work, their courage and their vision.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

I'm chairing the 2010 International Space Development Conference and one of the items we're hoping to have is a reunion of as many of the thirteen as we can get.

[anghara.livejournal.com]

That sounds like an awesome conference, an awesome job, and a more than awesome event...

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

Good Lord, I'd be inordinately proud of something like that too.

I've been to a hell of a lot of museums in my life, and a lot of aviation museums specifically. At least a couple of those have had exhibits on the Mercury 13 and also on the WASPs and WAVEs and the recognition they didn't get. It's kind of embarassing to be choking back tears in a museum about airplanes, but that's how it gets me every time.

[alexjay.livejournal.com]

Embarassing, hell. Every time I've visited the Air & Space Museum in my adult life, I've walked around with a grin lighting my face as tears of joy, tears of home, make it shine.

[alexjay.livejournal.com]

I think of these women, and I think of women like Pancho Barnes. Neta Snook. Beryl Markham. Amelia Earhart.
All the way up through Valentina Tereshkova, Sally Ride, Eileen Collins.

And I think of my own sister below whom I am coincidentally posting)--a pilot and an aerospace engineer who has done work for NASA.

And I am proud. Of our entire species.

(And, too, I think of my good friend, who weaves words and worlds in dreaming of the stars, and I am proud as well.)