Mercury 13 — Trailer

added: Mon, Apr 9th '18

"It was a good old boy network. And there was no such thing as a good old girl network," says pioneering female aviator Wally Funk in the newly-released trailer for "Mercury 13," the Netflix original documentary about the untold story of 13 trailblazing women who, in the early 1960s, underwent and passed secret physical and psychological tests at NASA to see if they could become one of the first astronauts in space, but ultimately were turned down due to their gender.

The documentary film, directed by David Sington (In the Shadow of the Moon, The Fear of 13) and Heather Walsh, reopens a forgotten chapter in NASA's history, concerning their early space program, in which a group of extraordinary women had the "right stuff" but weren't given a fair shot.

"Mercury 13" will be released on Netflix later this month beginning April 20th.

synopsis:
Mercury 13 is a remarkable story of the women who were tested for spaceflight in 1961 before their dreams were dashed in being the first to make the trip beyond Earth.

NASA's "man in space" program, dubbed "Project Mercury" began in 1958. The men chosen -- all military test pilots -- became known as The Mercury 7. But away from the glare of the media, behind firmly closed doors, female pilots were also screened. Thirteen of them passed and, in some cases, performed better than the men. They were called the Mercury 13 and had the "right stuff" but were, unfortunately, the wrong gender.

Underneath the obsession of the space race that gripped America, the Mercury 13 women were aviation pioneers who emerged thirsty for a new frontier, but whose time would have to wait. The film tells the definitive story of thirteen truly remarkable women who reached for the stars but were ahead of their time.

directed by David Sington and Heather Walsh

release date April 20, 2018 (on Netflix)