Jump to content

Sarah Gorelick

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sarah Gorelick
Ratley in 1995
Born
Sarah Lee Gorelick[1]

(1933-08-30)August 30, 1933
DiedMarch 17, 2020(2020-03-17) (aged 86)
Known forMercury 13, aviation

Sarah Ratley (née Gorelick; August 30, 1933 – March 17, 2020) was an American pilot and one of the Mercury 13 female astronauts group.

Biography

[edit]

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] 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."[4]

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.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Sarah Lee Gorelick Ratley". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Gorelick, Sarah Lee nee Ratley". Astronautix. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  3. ^ "The Mercury 13: The women who trained for space flight until NASA shut them down". CBC. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  4. ^ Nicole Branan (September 1, 2007). "A woman with wings". University of Denver Magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  5. ^ "Sarah Ratley, 'Mercury 13' pilot (1933–2020)". CollectSPACE.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.