NASA Passed Over the Best Pilot
In 1947, amidst the Cold War between the United States and Russia, Edwards Air Force Base was the place to be for daring pilots with the “Right Stuff.” These pilots had the bravery and daring to test pilot some of the fastest and most technologically advanced planes the United State produced. In this dry desert climate with concrete block buildings and Pancho Barnes’ Happy Bottom Riding Club for entertainment, 24 year old Air Force captain Chuck Yeager was the first to break the sound barrier in a bright orange, bullet-shaped X-1 rocket plane.
Yeager certainly had the “right stuff,” military accolades, record-breaking piloting skills, and respect from his peers. The Smithsonian Institute has named him among the top five pilots of all time. But he didn’t qualify for the astronaut program. Yeager didn’t have a bachelor’s degree. This automatically disqualified him from the Mercury program and astronaut training class.
