15 Hidden Documentary Film Gems On Netflix Right Now
9. Mercury 13
In the 1960s, while NASA still regarded men as the most appropriate candidates for space travel, an independent scientist was curious as to how women would perform under the same rigorous testing as their male counterparts.
Enter the Mercury 13, a group of women, led by esteemed pilot Geraldyn Cobb, who successfully passed the same suite of tests as NASA's chosen few. For these women, there was no fanfare, no acclaim and ultimately no chance of reaching space.
The film charts the history of the testing programme, the efforts of the people involved and the fight to improve the rights of women in a heavily male-oriented world.
Mercury 13 is a sobering look at inequality in the so-called free world, highlighting how far we've come and how far we've still got left to go.