A full house was on hand to hear from visiting international writer and spaceflight historian, Amy Shira Teitel, at Western Sydney University Observatory on July 17.
Organised by community science initiative Science at the Local, the talk covered the secret history of the women who trained to be astronauts in the early 1960s but never made it to space.
“I’ve been a space history nerd since I was a kid,” Teitel said, “so it’s great to see so many people coming along and sharing my interest in these hidden stories about spaceflight.”
In her talk she told the story of colourful characters like Jerrie Cobb, a record-breaking pilot who outperformed some of the men from the original Mercury astronaut team, and Jackie Cochran, who grew up in poverty and went on to become a businessperson, groundbreaking pilot and influential powerbroker. Renowned speedster Chuck Yeager said Cochran was the only person who liked to go as fast as he did.
Teitel, who runs the popular YouTube channel Vintage Space, is in the middle of a whirlwind tour of Australia, with stops in Byron Bay, Parkes, Coonabarabran, Mt Annan and now Werrington, home of the Observatory. Teitel is writing a book about the story of women in spaceflight history.
“This is Science at the Local in a nutshell,” said co-founder Hamish Clarke. “Interested locals of all ages coming together with outstanding science communicators, building a community around science. Special thanks to our sponsors RDA Sydney for helping us bring Amy out.”
The talk was followed by a viewing session, made possible by volunteers from Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group who brought their own telescopes. Teitel thanked the Observatory for the excellent outreach work they do. “It’s so important,” she said.
Science at the Local is supported by Winmalee and Springwood Neighbourhood Centres, Inspiring Australia and the NSW Government.