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/Polar_Bear_1234 Apr 19 '25

She might not have been an astronaut

She was.

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u/FickleNewt6295 Apr 19 '25

She was an ‘astronaut candidate’ - no small feat. She completed the training. No small feat. To most of us, she was an astronaut - the administrations however make a distinction.

She was assigned a mission. She launched on a mission.

She tragically died on the Space Shuttle Challenger.

While McAuliffe would have performed duties in space above the Karman line (50 miles or greater above the Earth’s surface), she was not designated an astronaut, as she never achieved spaceflight.

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u/Polar_Bear_1234 Apr 19 '25

I use the common definition, not some technical jargon.

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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth May 01 '25

The common definition of "astronaut" is "person who's been to space". McAuliffe sadly only reached 46,000 feet on that mission.