Sarah Gorelick
American pilot (1933–2020)
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Sarah Ratley (née Gorelick; August 30, 1933 – March 17, 2020) was an American pilot and one of the Mercury 13 female astronauts group.
August 30, 1933
Sarah Gorelick | |
|---|---|
Ratley in 1995 | |
| Born | Sarah Lee Gorelick[1] August 30, 1933 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 2020 (aged 86) |
| Known for | Mercury 13, aviation |
Biography
Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Gorelick learned to fly in 1949 and raced in the Powder Puff Derby and toured with the Ninety-Nines.[2] She graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, minoring in physics, chemistry and aeronautics, then worked as an engineer at AT&T.[1][2]
During a tour of Europe she heard about a space research program which produced the Mercury 13, and was invited to take part upon her return.[3] This program, developed in 1961, was NASA's first Women in Space Program. It was geared toward investigating women's capabilities in space due to their biological differences from men.[4]
She underwent invasive testing, including freezing the inner ear with ice water to induce vertigo. She said of the experience, "The tests didn't bother me at all [...] When you are young you can take anything. My mind was made up: I was going to pass."[5]
After the Mercury 13, Gorelick became an accountant with the Internal Revenue Service and in 2007 received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Wisconsin.[1]
Gorelick died on March 17, 2020.[6]