During its graduation celebration Saturday, UW-Oshkosh will award 13 would-be space travelers honorary doctorate degrees for their efforts, thwarted by NASA in the early 1960s.
In an attempt to rival the Soviet Union's aeronautics program, 13 female pilots from the United States trained for space missions. However, before the women underwent space simulation tests in Pensacola, Fla., they were told NASA was no longer interested in their training.
Martha Ackman's book, ""The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight,"" chronicles the pilots' training and eventual disappointment at NASA's alleged rejection of the idea of sending women into space.
UW-Oshkosh communication instructor Jane Wypiszynski assigned the book to a class in fall 2005, and, seeing the reaction of students, suggested the bestowing of honorary doctorates to Chancellor Rick Wells.
""You don't understand the male attitude back then,"" Jerri Truhill, one of the 13, told Pravda, a Russian online newspaper. ""We were stepping on some giant egos.""
—The Houston Chronicle and http://www.pravda.ru contributed to this report.
