We all know about Scott Carpenter, John Glenn and all the other men who were America’s first astronauts. But what do we know about Rene, dubbed the undisputed prom queen of the early space program, or Annie, who suffered from a severe speech impediment, or all the other wives of the space explorers? Join Museum Curator Sue Taylor for the Launch Pad Lecture on Friday, Dec. 2, as she takes an in-depth look at the astronauts’ wives and how they supported their husbands and the space program.
The Launch Pad Lecture is free to the public and is held at 9 a.m. on the Museum's first floor. Coffee and donuts are compliments of the International Space Hall of Fame. The next Launch Pad Lecture will be on January 6, 2017 and the topic will be Some Gave All: The Apollo 1 Incident with Museum Executive Director Chris Orwoll.
The Launch Pad Lectures are streamed live on Periscope and are available on the museum’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SirhgX3NsxcREfOVLjHeA.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at: www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum/
PHOTO CUTLINE: Annie Glenn, wife of astronaut Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr. (center), steps up to view the interior of the space capsule Friendship 7 following the presentation ceremony of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Distinguished Service Medal to Lieutenant Colonel Glenn (in profile, behind Mrs. Glenn) at Hangar 'S,’ Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Brevard County, Florida. The Friendship 7 carried Lieutenant Colonel Glenn in orbit around the earth three times. President John F. Kennedy (back to camera) and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (directly in front of President Kennedy) look on from right. To the right of Mrs. Glenn is the couple’s daughter Lyn. (Photo courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.)