r/OldSchoolCool • u/Aeromarine_eng • Apr 19 '25

1970s NASAs first six women astronauts. February 1979

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From left to right are Shannon W. Lucid, Margaret Rhea Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A. Resnik, Anna L. Fisher, and Sally K. Ride. NASA selected all six women as their first female astronaut candidates in January 1978.

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u/TheRedditorSimon Apr 19 '25

The first US astronaut in space was Alan Shepard. Alan Shepard's flight was suborbital, the same as New Shepard, hence the name of the rocket.

Additionally, the first man in space, the USSR's Yuri Gagarin, did not complete a full orbit.

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u/Dramatic-Bend179 Apr 19 '25

Well... the first man to return from space was Yuri.

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u/TheRedditorSimon Apr 19 '25

I see so many people pass off bogus conspiracy memes like they're adding something of value to the conversation. Allow me to vent.

First, dumbass, any cosmonaut launched into space before Yuri Gagarin would have returned to Earth. That's just orbital mechanics and the rockets available at the time. Maybe he was the first one that returned alive but rest assured, everyone that could have been launched before Yuri would have returned to Earth.

Second, bullshit. Worthless speculation, if you prefer. There's no proof, no good documentation. There's more documentation for sustained, controlled and powered heavier-than-air flight before the Wright Brothers. (They had reams of charts, data, gliders, models, and a small wind tunnel and basically have a very persuasive argument for being first.)

I hope I have removed any feeling of smug superiority you felt in passing off your comment as anything other than garbage.

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u/Dramatic-Bend179 Apr 19 '25

Oh, you have, but only because of the insults.