Mercury 13 (2018)

This documentary profiles women who were tested in 1961 for spaceflight, but had their dreams dashed when only men were chosen to become astronauts.

Directors:

David Sington, Heather Walsh

Stars:

Joyce Case, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Joyce Case	...	Self - pilot (archive footage)
Bill Clinton	...	Self (archive footage)
Hillary Clinton	...	Self (archive footage)
Jerrie Cobb	...	Self
Jacqueline Cochran	...	Self - pilot (archive footage)
Eileen Collins	...	Self - astronaut
Gordon Cooper	...	Self - Mercury astronaut (archive footage)
Wally Funk	...	Self
Yuri Gagarin	...	Self - Soviet cosmonaut (archive footage)
John Glenn	...	Self - Mercury astronaut (archive footage)
Gus Grissom	...	Self - Mercury astronaut (archive footage)
Ann Hart	...	Self - daughter of Janey Hart
Janey Hart	...	Self - pilot (archive footage)
Jim Hart	...	Self - son of Janey Hart
Gene Nora Jessen	...	Self - pilot

Storyline

This documentary profiles women who were tested in 1961 for spaceflight, but had their dreams dashed when only men were chosen to become astronauts.

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Taglines:

Meet the Women Who Dared Reach for the Stars

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Soviet Union (Russia) launched two women into Space before Sally Ride became the first American into Space onboard the Space Shuttle. Since that milestone, tragedy has claimed four women in Spaceflight accidents, including three Americans and one from India. The second American woman into Space, Judith Resnik, lost her life in the Challenger disaster and is technically, the first woman astronaut to lose her life in a Spaceflight accident. Onboard with her was Christa McAuliffe, the third American woman in Space, the first non-astronaut, but the first Teacher in Space. Both died during liftoff and as the Shuttle Challenger was "Go for Throttle up." The other two women to perish were lost aboard the Shuttle Columbia. US Navy Captain and Flight Surgeon Laurel Blair Salton Clark and Aerospace Engineer Kalpana Chawla, were both Mission Specialists onboard Shuttle Columbia. Chawla was the first woman from India in Space and was on her second mission into Space. Chawla's first mission was also aboard Columbia. The 16-day Columbia mission was Clark's first mission into Space.

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Goofs

Reversed image. At 39:59 a TH-55 (Hughes 269) U.S. Army trainer hovers by the camera from left to right. The collective control is clearly visible in what appears to be the pilot's right hand. The collective is on the pilots left and thus the image must be reversed.

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Connections

Referenced in For All Mankind: Nixon's Women (2019)

User Reviews

Soviets sent women to space no problem

Interesting documentary. Liberals will be angered at the way these women were treated and inspired by their courage. Far right wing conservatives will be angry because they are knuckle-dragging reactionary maniacs. My takeaway is quite different from both American camps. I can't understand why these women continued to be patriotic to a society that treated them so badly and why they were somewhat disappointed when the first woman in space was Soviet and not American. I also question the sincerity and inclusiveness of the American bourgeois feminist movement. Documentaries like this point out the injustices of the American capitalist system, but they do not question the fundamental injustice of capitalism itself and of America's backward and reactionary nature. The Americans only did anything remotely progressive because the Soviets embarrassed them and they were forced to by their example as well as by burgeoning social movements and organized labor in the US.

Details

Official Sites:

Festival announcement

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Меркурий 13

Filming Locations:

Boise, Idaho, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Point Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Color:

Color