Jerrie Cobb | |
|---|---|
 Jerrie Cobb with a Project Mercury spacecraft | |
| Born | March 5, 1931 Norman, Oklahoma, US |
| Died | March 18, 2019 (aged 88) Florida, US |
| Education | Oklahoma City Classen High School |
| Known for | Part of the Mercury 13 |
| Aviation career | |
| First flight | 1943 |
Geraldyn M. Cobb (March 5, 1931 – March 18, 2019), commonly known as Jerrie Cobb, was an American pilot and aviator. She was also part of the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent physiological screening tests at the same time as the original Mercury Seven astronauts, and was the first to complete each of the tests.[1]
Cobb set three aviation records in her 20s: the 1959 world record for non-stop long-distance flight, the 1959 world light-plane speed record, and a 1960 world altitude record for lightweight aircraft of 37,010 feet (11,280 m).[2] In 1960,[3] Life Magazine named her as one of nine women of the "100 most important young people in the United States".[4][5]
- ^ Bartels, Meghan (April 19, 2019). "Jerrie Cobb, Record-Breaking Pilot and Advocate for Female Spaceflight, Has Died". Space.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ Gant, Kelli. "Women in Aviation". The Ninety-Nines Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ "Record free-fall". Life. August 29, 1960. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Internet Encyclopedia of Science, Aviation Pioneers Accessed March 12, 2010
- ^ John Shepler "Astronaut Jerrie Cobb, The Mercury 13 Were NASA's First Women Astronauts" JohnShepler.com. Accessed March 12, 2010