Nixon's Women

-Besides the backfire, how was she? -Real sweet, Murph.

It's no X-15, but she handles like a real beaut.

-Yeah, she's cherry. -Hey, Chaddie. You piece of shit.

They'll let anyone land a plane in this godforsaken town.

Yeah. Navy still handing out wings like candy, I see.

-My bad. -Pardon me.

-No, that was my fault. -Sorry.

Hey.

-Weren't you-- -The Tumbler Inn. Friday night.

You were with your friend.

-Likes the two-step? Yeah? -Yeah, she likes to have fun.

-Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. -No.

-So, what are you doing here? -So, what are you doing here?

-You first. -I was just--

What's a pretty girl like you doing all the way out here?

-Your boyfriend a pilot or something? -No. No.

-I came here by myself. -Uh-huh.

Always wanted to learn how to fly.

Come on.

What? Pretty girls can't be pilots?

Well, I suppose they can. I just, I don't know any who want to.

Well, you do now.

I've always wanted to learn how to fly, ever since I was a kid.

Say, you wouldn't happen to know any instructors, would you?

Someone that could give a girl her first lesson?

Just gonna ease it into a nice altitude for ya.

There you go.

Best seat in the house.

Never gets old.

You're gonna let me fly? Now?

You gotta start sometime.

Don't worry about a thing, okay?

I'm right here with ya.

Push in.

Houses get bigger.

Pull back.

Houses get smaller.

Let's level that off.

There you go.

Okay, your turn.

Okay, here I go.

Back. Houses are smaller.

Okay, so you see how you're starting to lose speed?

Uh-huh.

Okay, push down.

Push down on the wheel. We'll go a little bit faster.

-Is this what's called a stall? -That's it.

Down, honey. Down on the... Push the wheel in.

What are you doing?

Well, did I do it right, Mister Navy Pilot Man?

Oh, shit.

Do that again.

How long you been flying?

725 hours. If anyone's counting.

Wow. You really had me going.

Why the whole... Why not just...

Americans across the political spectrum are asking,

"Are American women falling behind their counterparts in the Soviet Union?"

This in the wake of the moon landing of female cosmonaut, Anastasia Belikova,

who has become an overnight sensation across the globe.

The photograph taken of her on the lunar surface, smiling in pure joy,

has become an iconic image, splashed across the front pages

of magazines and newspapers around the world.

Belikova has been likened to Rosie the Riveter,

up until now, a uniquely American image

that symbolized female strength in the 1940s.

This latest Soviet success has cast doubt on NASA's priorities

as the rest of the world celebrates

the incredible moment in the history of womankind.

We were converting the third stage of a Saturn V into an orbiting workshop.

Von Braun called it Skylab.

Construction is already underway in Huntsville.

But it is still early enough to change the trajectory of the conversion process.

Current thinking is to take what would have been Skylab and strip it down.

Reduce the weight until we have a launchable habitat module

for our new permanently-manned moon base, Moonlab.

And how many military personnel can we fit inside that thing?

Doesn't look that big.

It'll be manned by three astronauts at a time for the first stages

until the kinks are ironed out,

and then there'll be further expansions that can include military aspects.

What exactly are the Pentagon's plans in that regard?

How soon will this Moonlab be ready?

Two years, give or take.

Jesus.

You know, first we have to find a place to land the damn thing.

Uh-huh.

Apollos 13, 14 and 15 are being re-tasked

to survey for potential sites for the base.

And then we have to analyze those results.

We look at geology, we do trade studies, resource budgeting, system analysis.

Change of plans, gentlemen.

I thought you weren't back until tomorrow.

No, I wasn't, but the boss threw me a curve,

and I thought I better get back ASAP.

Could you give us a minute, General?

Well, this can't be good.

Not if it involves Shorty Powers, it can't.

I am so misunderstood.

The president feels it's of national importance

that America equals the Soviets

in its great achievement of landing a woman on the moon.

You mean his poll numbers are down with women.

To this end, Nixon wants us to put a woman on the moon.

-Preferably a blonde. -You can't be serious.

-What about Moonlab? -What about what?

Our lunar base.

That's a terrible name.

This is bullshit, Tom.

We're on track to actually beat the Soviets for a change. We can't keep--

Establishing a base on the moon is still our top priority,

but so is putting a female astronaut on the moon.

They're both top priority. Co-top priorities.

Anybody tell the president that we don't have any female astronauts?

Well, I think he's aware.

Every newspaper, magazine, talk show and newscast

is pointing it out on a daily basis.

Can't just put a woman on the moon. She has to be an astronaut.

There are procedures, training, tests.

And I can't just train one woman.

I'll need at least 20 candidates to find one who can pass muster.

For God's sake, Deke.

This is just something to throw the women's libbers and The New York Times.

You don't need to go through the whole rigmarole.

Just find a nice-enough looking lady pilot, put her in a space suit,

teach her to walk down the goddamn ladder, and take her picture.

Nobody gets into a spacecraft in this program that I haven't certified.

The second that changes, my resignation will be on your desk.

I don't think any of us, including the president, would enjoy the bad press

that would result from Mr. Slayton's resignation.

It's fine.

You wanna train 20 women to find one? Go right ahead.

The press called them the Mercury 13.

Each was an experienced pilot

with hundreds or thousands of hours of flight time.

Each passed the entire battery of physical and psychological tests

given the original Mercury Seven male astronauts.

Program was killed before they could attend flight training in Pensacola.

I remember.

John Glenn really hated that whole thing.

Well, Glenn's not flying anymore.

And he's a Democrat, so his opinion doesn't matter.

Are any of these ladies still flying? What was this? Ten years ago?

It was shut down seven years ago.

And of the 13 pilots, exactly two are still flying.

The rest stopped because of kids, husbands, that sort of thing.

Who's left?

Molly Cobb.

Set aviation records for long-distance solo flight,

won several racing awards, qualified in single and multi-engine aircraft,

and was first in her class in Mercury 13,

but she's not really what the president's looking for.

The hell does that mean?

I mean, she's a bit rough around the edges.

We need Marlo Thomas, not Danny Thomas.

Jesus Christ, Shorty. This isn't a beauty contest.

I'm telling you, the president is gonna want a more enticing woman

to be America's first Moon Maiden.

"Moon Maiden"?

-I'm working on a press release. -Keep working.

Well, maybe she'll get lucky and wash out in favor of a Playmate of the Month.

But for now...

Patty Doyle.

Only other member of the Mercury 13 still flying, mainly helicopters.

She passed the Mercury test with flying colors.

Finished second in her class behind Cobb.

She'll do.

Danielle Poole.

Twenty-five years old, has a bachelor's of math and science--

Perfect. She's in.

Hang on. I'm not letting her in just because she's black.

That's exactly why you're letting her in.

I do not need Jesse Jackson up my ass

or Ralph Abernathy back here with his damn mules making all that commotion.

This time we're getting ahead of the story.

She's got 1,500 hours in the air, a commercial pilot's license,

and she already works here at NASA.

She's an engineer over with the computer ladies.

You see?

Fine.

Okay, that's our group then.

Not quite.

Great. Now what?

Just got off the phone with Ron Ziegler.

Who?

White House press secretary. This won't be good either.

Ziegler remembered this article from a couple years ago

and showed it to the president, who thought it was a great idea.

Thought what was a great idea?

Gordo will lose his mind.

Be serious, Shorty.

I am. I mean, let's face it.

We do not have one John Glenn in that group, and it's not even close.

I don't know. A couple of them look like they're starting to lose their hair.

Who in this group is the all-American girl?

The one people are gonna love and take into their hearts

and feel good about doing it?

John Glenn wasn't "John Glenn" until he became "John Glenn."

John Glenn was always "John Glenn." And that's why he was chosen for Mercury.

If the president wants Tracy Stevens, then Tracy Stevens he will have.