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]
