Both Stephen Alexander’s elementary teachers and televised NASA missions throughout the ‘60s influenced his journey into science. He recounts NASA’s legacy, 65 years after the agency’s inception.
Glenn, in the NASA mailroom, received letters from fans of all ages.
John Glenn Archives, The Ohio State University
John Glenn would have turned 100 on July 18, 2021. Today’s space program is a giant leap more inclusive than when he made his pioneering orbit of the Earth in 1962.
NASA is making a new effort to encourage women to pursue STEM careers.
Khakimullin Aleksandr/Shutterstock.com
NASA has made significant steps in making explicit appeals to women to support space exploration, but it might not be doing enough to gather needed political support.
John Glenn stands in the NASA mailroom surrounded by thousands of letters sent to him.
John Glenn Archives, The Ohio State University.
Letters from would-be girl astronauts in the 1960s tell part of the complicated story of sexism – in both NASA and the US at large – at the dawn of the space age.