The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel
Jan 8, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Who doesn’t love a book about female friendship, camaraderie, and a little space age adventure? This story, The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, from Lily Koppel takes us behind the scenes during America’s great space race, when hope was infectious and scientific developments ushered in a new kind of hero – the cosmic explorer. Focusing on NASA’s missions from 1959 to 1966, her storytelling provides new perspective on what it meant to be an astronaut’s wife and how each assignment impacted their relationships and families.
Ms. Koppel expertly weaves their deeply personal tales within the larger national context. As vintage followers know, the 1950s and early 60s were all about harmony – maintaining a happy, clean home environment without complaint. In many ways, the astronaut’s wives were the role models to American women everywhere. An eager audience desired to know every aspect of their lives, anxiously anticipating fashion cues or recipe suggestions.
One of the most interesting things about this tale is NASA’s almost obsessive devotion to the astronauts’ personal lives. As the author notes early on “one of the first among NASA’s many unofficial rules was: if you don’t have a happy marriage, you won’t have a spaceflight.” (Koppel, 15) As you can imagine, that put a lot of pressure on the women to keep the home environment serene. With the world peering on, they looked to themselves to keep their spirits high as they dealt with all sorts of challenges. The intensely competitive climate that the men worked in only added to the drama of the ladies’ get-togethers.
Mercury 7 Astronauts
Most of the wives came from poor backgrounds, but once their husbands were on the mission roster their lives took a dramatic turn. They were treated to a lot of free swag and promotions, with a Life Magazine contract being the largest. The magazine paid the families a total of $500,000 (to be equally divided amongst them) and a $100,000 life insurance policy for each astronaut. While this endorsement was incredibly generous it was a double-edged sword, as in exchange the nation was granted practically unlimited access to their daily comings and goings.
While most of us can’t relate to people being interested in our lives on a national scale, we find ourselves understanding the wives’ struggles. Even though the time frame is dated, the messages Koppel provide are timeless. The biggest takeaway is the devoted friendship that arose out of great emotion. In the author’s own words, “The astronaut wives instituted official monthly coffees and teas; everyone knew their unspoken promise: “If you need us, come.” (Koppel XV)
The author gently walks through each mission, but we did find that the later missions (and related wives) were written in at lightening pace – making it hard to keep up. Even though you might have to re-read the last few chapters to stay on track, the book is a worthwhile read. We think you’ll gain a renewed appreciation for the sacrifices hero’s families make, as well as the importance of good friends in hard times.
Cause a Frockus would like to thank the tremendous Lily Koppel.
For our readers: Have you read this book? What did you think about the story?