Astronaut Wives Club facts for kids
The Astronaut Wives Club was a special group of women. They were the wives of the first American astronauts, known as the Mercury 7. People sometimes called them "Astrowives." These women supported each other during an exciting and often scary time.
The group included Annie Glenn, Betty Grissom, Louise Shepard, Trudy Cooper, Marge Slayton, Rene Carpenter, and Jo Schirra.
Why the Club Started
In the middle of the 1900s, there was a big competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was called the Cold War. To make Americans feel proud and confident, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower started Project Mercury. This project aimed to send Americans into space.
Seven young men were chosen to be the first astronauts. They were shown to the public as American heroes. Their wives were also seen as important symbols of family and country.
While their husbands worked at Cape Canaveral in Florida, many of the wives lived close to each other in Houston. They formed a strong support group, calling themselves the "Astronaut Wives Club." They would host "launch parties" together. These were like potlucks where they could support each other during rocket launches.
Becoming Famous
These women quickly became famous. They were like celebrities overnight! They helped shape what it meant to be American at that time. People were encouraged to value family and country. The astronaut wives showed these values.
Writer Lily Koppel said that women were expected to have happy marriages and families. This was seen as a way to support the United States during the Cold War.
Life magazine bought the rights to tell the women's stories. They published articles written by the wives themselves in 1959.
The Mercury 7 astronauts were given cool Corvettes to drive. But their wives were encouraged to keep their family-friendly station wagons. This was a message to regular American families. It suggested that they should also buy station wagons.
Notable Astronaut Wives
Annie Glenn was born in Ohio in 1920. She grew up with John Glenn, who later became a famous astronaut. They married in 1943 and had two children. Annie had a severe stutter from childhood. In 1973, she got successful treatment for it. She then became a champion for people with speech problems. She even became a professor at Ohio State University. An award was created in her honor in 1987. She lived to be 100 years old, passing away in 2020.
Louise Shepard was called "First Lady in Space." This was because her husband, Alan Shepard, was the first American in space. She became a trendsetter for fashion in the group. Stores even sold the outfit she wore to the White House!
Jo Schirra was born in Seattle. She married naval pilot Wally Schirra in 1946. She passed away in 2015.
Rene Carpenter met Scott Carpenter when she worked at a theater. They married in 1948. They had five children together. The Washington Post described her as a "striking platinum blonde" in 1961. Life magazine also wrote about her experience during her husband's space launch. Rene and Scott Carpenter later divorced. She then moved to Maryland with her children. She wrote a newspaper column called "A Woman, Still." She also worked as a TV presenter.
Later, in 1962, a new group of astronauts was chosen. They were called the Next Nine. Their wives also started meeting in 1963. These wives included Pat White, Marilyn See, Marilyn Lovell, Susan Borman, Jane Conrad, Jan Armstrong, Faye Stafford, Barbara Young, and Pat McDivitt.
In Media
The story of the astronaut wives has been told in different ways.
- In 1998, a TV miniseries called From the Earth to the Moon had an episode about the Next Nine wives.
- In 2013, a book called The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel became a bestseller.
- A TV miniseries based on the book, also named The Astronaut Wives Club, aired in 2015.
