Who were the Mercury 7 wives?

The Astronaut Wives Club was an informal support group of women, sometimes called Astrowives, whose husbands were members of the Mercury 7 group of astronauts. The group included Annie Glenn, Betty Grissom, Louise Shepard, Trudy Cooper, Marge Slayton, Rene Carpenter, and Jo Schirra.

Did gordos wife become an astronaut?

There he met his first wife, Trudy B. Olson (1927–1994) of Seattle, through the local flying club. She was active in flying, and would later become the only wife of a Mercury astronaut to have a private pilot license. They were married on August 29, 1947, in Honolulu, when both were 20 years old.

Were all the Mercury 7 astronauts married?

The astronauts were hailed as national heroes and were seen as embodying the spirit of American courage and know-how at the height of the Cold War. All seven were married, and their wives were expected to uphold the same ideal image of Space Age perfection.

Which astronaut cheated on his wife?

Alan Shepard, the first American to go to space, was accused of cheating on his wife on many occasions.

How many of the Mercury 7 wives are still alive?

three
Only three Project Mercury wives are alive — Scott Carpenter’s former wife, Rene; John Glenn’s wife, Annie, and Gus Grissom’s widow, Betty. Glenn is the lone survivor of the original seven.

Did Trudy and Gordo divorce?

Trudy Cooper is the wife of Gordo Cooper, though they eventually divorce. She has an independent personality and is passionate about women’s rights, and is also a registered pilot and owner of a courier service.

Which Mercury astronaut wife was a pilot?

Trudy Cooper
Trudy Cooper—“Gordo” Cooper’s wife. Trudy was the only licensed pilot among the astronaut wives. An enigmatic woman who was always conspicuously quiet with reporters, Trudy relied on her kittenish eyes to say, I’m happily married.

Why did Gordon Cooper divorce his wife?

When she met Gordo at the University of Hawaii, she was already a pilot herself. They got married in Honolulu, in August 29, 1947. However, Gordo cheated on her, and Trudy left him, after 12 years of marriage, shortly before the astronaut selection process begun, in January 1959.

Which Mercury astronauts wife was a pilot?

Did Gordon Cooper’s daughter become a pilot?

Not long after Gordon Cooper retired from NASA and the USAF in 1970, he divorced Trudy. Was Trudy Cooper a pilot? Yes.

What are the names of the seven Mercury astronauts?

They are also referred to as the Original Seven or Astronaut Group 1. They piloted the manned spaceflights of the Mercury program from May 1961 to May 1963. These seven original American astronauts were Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom , Wally Schirra , Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.

Are any of the Mercury 7 astronauts still alive?

As of this posting (June 27, 2015), Rene Carpenter, Annie Glenn and Betty Grissom are the last three of the original seven Mercury astronaut wives still alive. Rene Carpenter at a post-flight press conference for the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission at Cape Canaveral on May 27, 1962.

Who is the cast of the Astronauts Wives Club?

The Astronaut Wives Club. It is based on Lily Koppel ‘s book of the same name. The series tells the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven —America’s first group of astronauts. Actresses Dominique McElligott , Yvonne Strahovski , Joanna García Swisher, Erin Cummings , Azure Parsons , Zoe Boyle , and Odette Annable play the roles of the astronauts’ wives.