In 1961, a pair of NASA scientists secretly tested a group of female pilots in the hopes of making them part of the Mercury astronaut program. Their final candidates' list included Jean Hixson - an Akron schoolteacher and World War II pilot. But when NASA leadership and Congress learned of the undercover effort, they shut the program down and sent the women home.

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Audionautix- The Great Unknown

The Great Phospher- Daniel Birch

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