Gene Nora Jessen: Much More than the Woman in Space Program

It’s 1961. You’re a 24-year-old pilot. You’re also one of 25 women invited to undergo the rigorous testing that the Mercury 7 astronauts went through. You're one of the 13 women that pass, greatly defying everyone’s expectations. Most people would dine out on this story for the rest of their lives. Gene Nora (pronounced Jenora) Stumbough Jessen, however, isn’t “most people.”

Called the Woman in Space Program, the testing was conducted independently by Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II and Brig. Gen. Donald Flickinger, to test female pilots for astronaut fitness. Despite the positive results, the Lovelace Program was cancelled. To Jessen this was merely one interesting week out of a life full of many such weeks. For it to still generate such interest was, well, a bit disconcerting to her. In response to a teacher’s letter asking her about the experience, Jessen writes that it was “no special accomplishment. I was young and fit and the timing was right… In fact, it’s a little embarrassing to deal with the hoopla generated about that long-ago program.” She was also quick to point out that that they “were a research group – definitely not ‘women astronauts’” and sometimes even referred to herself as an “astroNOT.”

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A title that Jessen would proudly claim, however, was that of pilot. And not just any pilot, an incredibly accomplished one. Born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1937, Jessen joined the Civil Air Patrol while in 11th grade, eventually earning her private pilot license at age 19. She paid her tuition at the University of Oklahoma by teaching flying lessons, becoming the first female flight instructor at the school. Unable to get time off work, she was forced to quit her job to participate in the Lovelace Program. Once the training was over, she landed her “dream job of all dream jobs” at Beech Aircraft in 1962. There, she flew “brand new airplanes, the entire line of sophisticated equipment.” One of her first tasks was to fly the newest model, the Musketeer. Jessen, along with pilots Joyce Case and Mike Gordon, flew the planes in formation for 90 days, covering over 40,000 miles in all 48 contiguous states. They were marketed as “The Three Musketeers.” Jessen and Case were the only women pilots flying for an aircraft manufacturer at the time. There, she also met and married Leland Robert “Bob” Jessen (1925-2020), a B-29 pilot during World War II. They relocated to Idaho and opened their own Beech dealership and had two children, Briana and Taylor. The couple later established an aviation insurance company.

Jessen was also a prolific author. She wrote five books about aviation, including The Fabulous Flight of the Three Musketeers, Amelia Was Right, and Sky Girls: The True Story of the First Woman’s Cross-Country Air Race. She was also a regular columnist for The Northwest Flyer and The Idaho Statesman. In the latter book, she interviewed many of the original pilots who flew in this historical race in 1929.

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Despite her humility, female astronauts did consider her a pioneer. Astronaut Barbara Morgan wrote, “Gene Nora, you’re sitting on my shoulder here every day. Thank you.” She also corresponded with shuttle astronaut Linda Godwin, (who flew on STS-108, STS-76, STS-59, and STS-37) and was invited by Eileen Collins to attend the launch of STS-63. Jessen kept a detailed scrapbook of the exciting day. This, along with 8 cubic feet of material from Jessen’s life, is now available for research at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Archives.