Oklahoma: A Story Through Her People

No other state has had a greater impact on America’s space
program than Oklahoma. Even before rockets sent astronauts
hurtling toward outer space, Oklahoma’s pioneer aviators Tom
and Paul Braniff were building Braniff Airways and Wiley Post
was discovering the jet stream and developing the pressurized
flying suit. In 1933, Post made the first solo airplane flight
around the world, an unimaginable feat at the time.
Oklahoma has had more astronauts than any other state.
Leroy Gordon Cooper was chosen in the first group of seven
American astronauts. Jerrie Cobb was among the elite of women
pilots and was the first woman to pass NASA astronaut training
tests. Colonel Jack Ridley was the test pilot and project engineer
who made it possible for the sound barrier to be broken in 1947.
Shannon Lucid holds the record for most time in space for a
female astronaut. Thomas Stafford paved the way for the lunar
landing with his command of Apollo 10. John Herrington was the
first American Indian astronaut and Donna Shirley was project
manager for the innovative exploration of the planet Mars with
a robotic rover.
Top: The General Thomas P. Stafford Air and Space Museum located in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Above: Aviator Geraldyn “Jerrie” Cobb was born in Norman, Oklahoma.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF WOMEN PILOTS.
Right: Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
O K L A H O M A : A S t o r y T h r o u g h H e r P e o p l e
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