Host Dave Schlom is joined by Bloomberg News science reporter Loren Grush to talk about her new book, The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts.
While most of us may know that Sally Ride was the first female American astronaut, we probably don't know the amazing story of the group of women chosen along with her, any of whom could have been the first to fly.
Ride, Sally Resnick, Kathy Sullivan, Anna Fisher, Rhea Seddon, and Shannon Lucid all had solid NASA careers, paving the way for the women who now make up the diverse astronaut corps and one of whom will likely be the first woman to set foot on the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
It's an epic tale of a time when NASA made a huge pivot from an all-white male astronaut corps to one whose diversity better reflects America now. From their stressful selection process to their dramatic flights, including the tragedy of Resnick and her colleagues being lost on Challenger in 1986, it's a riveting story, skillfully told.
