America's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died. In 1961, Cobb became the first woman to pass astronaut testing. Altogether, 13 women passed the arduous physical testing and became known as the Mercury 13. From left to right: Gene Nora Jessen, Wally Funk, Jerrie Cobb, Jerri Truhill, Sarah Rutley, Myrtle Cagle and Bernice Steadman. Jane Hart, left, wife of Sen. Philip Hart, D-Mich., and Jerrie Cobb pose with a model of a Saturn rocket at Capitol Hill in Washington in 1962.

Source: CBC News April 18, 2019 22:18 UTC