In 1959, the doctor who supervised the selection of NASA's first astronauts concluded that women might actually be better for the job. After testing the top female pilots in the United States, Dr Randy Lovelace selected thirteen superb candidates who equaled or bettered the performances of astronauts such as John Glenn and Alan Shepard in many key areas. A clandestine women-in-space program was launched. But in 1961, the program was abruptly and mysteriously canceled.