Brains On presents – Rocket Women: How a Secret Program Paved the Way for Female Astronauts

Podcast: Brains On! Science podcast for kids
Host: Joy Dolo (with Molly Bloom, Elsa, and guest Loretta Hall)
Episode Release: December 30, 2025

Episode Overview

This engaging, story-driven episode journeys into the little-known history of the women known as the FLATs—Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees—who, in the 1960s, participated in secret tests to prove women could be astronauts. Hosted in classic Brains On! style, the episode interweaves playful, imaginative storytelling (involving a black hole–stuffed closet) with deeply researched, factual accounts of these pioneering women and the obstacles they faced. The episode highlights how the efforts of the FLATs helped break down barriers for future generations of female astronauts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Space Race

• [09:51] The 1950s were a time of rapid technological advancement and growing fascination with outer space.
• The launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 by the Soviet Union kicked off the space race.
• [11:54] Both the U.S. and the USSR chased milestone after milestone, each seeking to outdo the other.

2. Barriers for Women in Aerospace

• [14:09] Although technically no law barred women from becoming astronauts, NASA required applicants to be military test pilots—a profession closed to women at the time.
• [14:33] Pioneering pilot Jerry Cobb was introduced as an example of the talented women shut out of NASA’s astronaut program.

3. Meet the FLATs—Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees

• [17:37] Dr. William Randall Lovelace started a secret program to test whether women could make good astronauts, positing that their smaller size and lower resource needs could be advantageous.
• [18:08] Jerry Cobb signed up first, later joined by 24 female pilots who were put through tests as rigorous—and grueling—as those faced by the (all-male) Mercury Seven.
  • Tests included swallowing a rubber tube as long as a baseball bat, spinning tables, and having ice water shot into their ears.

Notable Quote

"I had needles stuck in every part of my body, tubes running up my bottom. So I went along with it. It didn’t bother me." —Wally Funk, reflecting on the tests (20:18)

• [20:26] Twelve additional women, including Jane Hart (age 41, skilled pilot and senator’s wife) and Wally Funk (youngest at 21), passed the tests with flying colors.

4. The Program Canceled

• [21:22–31:05] As the women were set to begin further testing at a naval base in Florida, the U.S. government discovered the program and halted it. The Navy withdrew support without official NASA authorization.

  • Guest expert Loretta Hall:

    "NASA came back and said, what testing? We haven’t authorized any." (31:15)

• [31:34] Life magazine published a feature on Jerry Cobb, sparking national attention and inspiring women and girls to write to Vice President Lyndon Johnson, urging support for women in space.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

"The intelligence, patriotism, initiative, and creative ability of women is the most wasted resource in this country." —Letter excerpt read aloud (32:27)

• [32:59] Despite public interest, Vice President Johnson decided training women would "slow things down" and scribbled “Let’s stop this now” on a memo.

5. Fighting for Equality

• [33:39] Jerry Cobb and Jane Hart testified before Congress for the right to continue the program, but their arguments were dismissed despite their qualifications.

"They were genuinely trying to accomplish something for their group of women. They were not taken seriously." —Loretta Hall (33:48)

• [34:08] Meanwhile, the Soviet Union sent the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, into space in 1963.

6. Legacy and Progress

• [35:03] The program’s cancellation coincided with larger social shifts: the civil rights and women's rights movements helped usher in laws making workplace discrimination illegal.
• [36:06] While the FLATs never flew, their advocacy helped future women break through barriers.
  • In 1995, Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a US space shuttle. Surviving FLATs were present to watch.
  • Wally Funk, the youngest FLAT, went to space at age 82 in 2021.

"She was just so delighted that her dream finally came true...she made it into space. And that’s what she’d been striving for for so long."
—Loretta Hall, about Wally Funk (37:09)

• [35:53–36:06] The Artemis program aims to put the first woman and the first person of color on the moon by 2025.

Chronological Highlights with Timestamps

• [09:51] – 1950s context: space fever, Sputnik, start of the space race
• [14:09] – Military pilot requirement blocks women
• [17:22] – Dr. Lovelace and the secret testing program
• [18:41] – Grueling physical tests for Jerry Cobb
• [20:18] – Wally Funk’s vivid recounting of test hardships
• [21:31] – Program abruptly halted when discovered by authorities
• [31:15, 31:34–32:27] – National reaction, Life magazine story, letters to VP Johnson
• [32:59] – Johnson: “Let’s stop this now”
• [33:39–34:08] – Congressional hearings, ultimate dismissal
• [34:08] – 1963: Valentina Tereshkova goes to space
• [35:03] – Social movements and legal change
• [36:06, 36:27, 37:04] – Women’s achievements: Eileen Collins piloting shuttle, Wally Funk’s eventual spaceflight, Artemis moon plans

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [14:33]
  "She got her solo pilot’s license when she was 16, and by the time she was 20, she had her private and commercial pilot's license. All she wanted was to get a job flying planes."
  — Joy Dolo, on Jerry Cobb's determination

• [20:18]
  "I had needles stuck in every part of my body, tubes running up my bottom. So I went along with it. It didn’t bother me."
  — Wally Funk

• [32:27]
  "The intelligence, patriotism, initiative, and creative ability of women is the most wasted resource in this country."
  — Letter to Vice President Johnson, read aloud

• [33:48]
  "They were genuinely trying to accomplish something for their group of women. They were not taken seriously."
  — Loretta Hall

• [37:04]
  "She was 82 at the time, making her the oldest person to ever go to space."
  — Elsa, on Wally Funk

Conclusion

The episode ends on a note of triumph and hope. While the pioneering women of the FLATs/“Mercury 13” never made it to space themselves, their effort and persistence helped break down doors for the women who followed. The ongoing work for equality continues, but as the Artemis program promises: the first woman and the first person of color may soon set foot on the moon, a testament to the trailblazing women who helped make it possible.

Further Listening

If you want more on the history of women’s achievements or the origins of other everyday things, check out Forever Ago, Brains On’s sister show—just as the episode cross-promotes at the beginning!

For more history adventures and to submit your own questions, visit foreverago.org/contact.