‘Mad Men’ meets the space race: Astronaut wives get their say

Written by
photo
Lily Koppel and Joan Aldrin at KCRW (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

Tonight at Griffith Park, you can go to the moon–and back to the origins of the space race, from a fresh perspective.

Writer Lily Koppel is speaking there about her new book, already a bestseller, called “The Astronauts Wives Club.” It’s about early American space exploration–through the eyes of the women who supported the heroes of their day.

Like Joan Aldrin, ex-wife of Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon. What it was like for the men who shot into space is well-documented.The stories in Koppel’s book lasso up the lesser-known tales of the women who lived through it with them, and how it altered their lives forever.

What it was like to be married to a space pioneer during the early stirrings of feminism–and the pressures of being the perfect spouse to these heroes? Listen below to my conversation with Koppel and Aldrin below: