Americas First Women Astronauts, “Crum and Forster”, “1/22/X2?”,

“This exclusive Screen News Digest film highlights the most recent pioneers about to venture into space — American women. Until the Space Shuttle Challenger, American voyage into space has been the domain of men. Beginning in 1958 with the Russian satellite, Sputnik, and continuing until very recently, only two women have ever been launched into space — in 1964, Valentina Tereshcova, and in 1982, Svetlana Savitskay. These two women made their mark in history next to other Russian cosmonauts. In America, however , astronauts who were involved in six Mercury fights, twelve Geminis, fourteen Apollos and three Sky Labs, were all male. Though the Russian cosmonauts had neither technical skills nor scientific training, Tass, the Russian News Service boasted of a brilliant star which ‘had flared up in the cosmic firmament.’ That star being the women astronauts”

“When the Space Shuttle Challenger, lifts off with Astronaut Dr. Sally K Ride aboard, 26 years of America’s male-dominated space program will have come to an end”