March 29, 2025 2:30 PM
They Promised Her the Moon
This March, for Women’s History Month, PenArts is presenting Jerrie Cobb’s story, THEY PROMISED HER THE MOON, at The Gordon Community Art Center. It is the inspiring story of one woman’s life and how she affected the future for all female astronauts.
In 1960, Life Magazine listed Geraldyn (Jerrie) Cobb as one of only nine women in their “100 most important young people in the United States", yet today, her story remains virtually unknown. In the pursuit of becoming an astronaut, Jerrie Cobb trained with the “Mercury 13” program (13 female astronaut trainees). She surpassed many of her male “Mercury 7” colleagues in the testing they all underwent as they trained for spaceflight. Yet just as she was heading to the next phase of training in Pensacola, FL, NASA decided not to include the “Mercury 13” program because Congress deemed that it was a waste of money for NASA to train women.
THEY PROMISED HER THE MOON is an inspiring, yet infuriating, tale of one woman’s powerful sense of purpose and her efforts that eventually opened the door for women to become astronauts nearly two decades later.
Upcoming Dates
- Sunday, March 30
They Promised Her the Moon
Parking Instructions
There is a free adjacent parking lot and free street parking.There are two matinees - 3/29 and 3/30 at 2:30pm.
