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Bell X-1

Manufacturer:
Bell Aircraft Corp.  Search this
Materials:
Overall: Aluminum, radium paint
Dimensions:
Other: 10 ft. 8 1/2 in. × 30 ft. 9 in. × 28 ft., 2780.5kg (326.4 × 937.3 × 853.4cm, 6130lb.)
Type:
CRAFT-Aircraft
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Date:
1946
Credit Line:
Transferred from the Department of the Air Force
Inventory Number:
A19510007000
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv99a205dd3-3969-43d2-971c-d3d3e6c6b1f2
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nasm_A19510007000

Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Papers

Creator:
Jessen, Gene Nora  Search this
Extent:
8 Cubic feet (22 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1950s-2010s
Summary:
This collection consists of 8 cubic feet of archival material documenting the life of Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen from 1950s to the 2010s. She had a successful career as a flight instructor, Beech Aircraft sales demonstration pilot, Beech Aircraft dealership owner, flight school chief pilot, commercial pilot, Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Safety Counselor, aviation insurance agent/broker, advisor to the FAA, president of the Ninety-Nines, Inc. (1988-1990), and published aviation author. Jessen also participated in the Women in Space Program, evaluating women's potential as possible astronauts at the Lovelace Medical Center in 1961.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 8 cubic feet of archival material documenting the aviation career of Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen, including her involvement with the Ninety-Nines, her career with Beechcraft Aviation, and her writings on aviation; there is also a small amount of material related to her week-long testing with the Women in Space Program. The following types of materials are included: correspondence, photographs, pilot logs, scrapbooks, photo albums, programs, brochures, maps, magazine articles, manuals, handbooks, VHS tapes, and audiotapes.
Arrangement:
When the National Air and Space Museums Archives received the Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Collection, it was arranged alphabetically by folder name. All original folder titles have been retained. PII has been manually redacted. Any additional contextual information that was added by the processing archivist appears in brackets.
Biographical / Historical:
Gene Nora (pronounced Janora) Stumbough Jessen was born on January 10, 1937, in Springfield, Illinois. While growing up, Jessen became interested in aviation after learning about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who served their country during World War II. She began flying while in her junior year of high school in the Civil Air Patrol and earned her private pilot license in 1956. She then attended the University of Oklahoma (OU), where she was a member of their flight team and entered her first National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) competition. While taking classes in 1959, Jessen became the first woman to work as a flight instructor for the school, which allowed her to also pay for college. During her time at OU, she earned seven collegiate-level flying trophies and remained on staff for six years after completing her English degree.

In 1961 Jessen quit her job as a flight instructor when she was selected as one of the women to participate in the Women in Space Program (1960-1962), also known as the Mercury 13 or Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs), at the Lovelace Medical Center in New Mexico. She was twenty-four years old. Dr. William Randall "Randy" Lovelace, who designed and carried out the rigorous testing for the thirty-two male Project Mercury candidates, and US Air Force Brigadier General Donald Flickinger, were curious to see how women would fare against their all-male peers. Unable to interest the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the undertaking, they conducted the experiment in secret independently. For Phase 1, this group of women underwent the same rigorous physical testing regimen used for NASA's Mercury astronauts. All participants passed. Armed with these results, Lovelace and Flickinger lobbied both Congress and the White House to consider including women in the Astronaut Corps, neither of which were keen on the idea; On a draft response letter, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson wrote "Let's stop this now!" Before the other parts of the test could begin, the Lovelace Program was cancelled.

Jessen moved to Wichita, Kansas, and accepted a job at Beech Aircraft in 1962. There, Jessen piloted planes for demonstration purposes for the company. On July 20, 1962, she embarked on a 90-day, 40,000 mile cross-country flight with fellow pilots Joyce Case and Mike Gordon. They were known as "The Three Musketeers", named after the Beech Musketeers the trio flew in formation across the United States. She and Case were the only female pilots flying for any aircraft manufacturer at that time. Soon, Jessen became rated to fly the entire line of Beech aircraft. In her spare time, she volunteered with the Wichita Wing Scouts from 1963-1967.

In Kansas, she also met and married Leland Robert "Bob" Jessen (1925-2020), a B-29 pilot during World War II, on June 12, 1964, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1967, they moved to Boise, Idaho, where they established their own Beech dealership and, later, an aviation insurance business and Boise Air Service, a full-service, fixed base operation on the Boise Airport.

Jessen was also an avid writer. She was the aviation columnist for The Northwest Flyer, and The Idaho Statesman. Jessen also wrote several books on the history of women in aviation, including Sky Girls, a chronicle of the 1929 Powder Puff Derby.

Additionally, Jessen was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to serve on the Federal Aviation Agency's (FAA) Women in Aviation Advisory Board for five years. Between 1988 and 1990, Jessen was President of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots. She was also a Wing Scout Leader, treasurer of the Idaho Pilot's Association, an Accident Prevention Counselor for the FAA, and the Boise Airport Commissioner. She was recently inducted into the International Women in Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. Jessen holds over 4,000 hours of flying experience and earned ratings as a commercial pilot, single and multi-engine land, single-engine sea, instrument rating and a Gold Seal flight instructor.

HONORS:

Honorary PhD, University of Wisconsin

Idaho Aviation Hall of Fame

Pathfinder Award Wall of Fame, Seattle Museum of Flight

Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

Ninety-Nines Amelia Earhart Award

Achievement Award, International Northwest Aviation Council

Evanston Township High School Distinguished Alumni Award

Adler Planetarium Women in Space Service Award

Mercury 13 NASA Award, International Human Space Flight Day

Women with Wings Award, International Air and Space Museum

Next Generation Indie Book Award, 2010

YMCA Pioneers of the Future Award

FAA Women's Advisory Committee on Aviation

Boise Airport Commissioner
Provenance:
Gene Nora Jessen, Gift, 2023, NASM.2023.0052
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
Aeronautics -- Flights  Search this
Astronautics  Search this
Beech Aircraft Family  Search this
Women in aeronautics  Search this
Citation:
Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Papers, NASM.2023.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2023.0052
See more items in:
Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen Papers
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b905f10b-05ae-4366-94c0-809cf299d0bc
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2023-0052
Online Media:

Gas Container/Restraint, Advanced Crew Escape System, Large/Long

Manufacturer:
David Clark Company, Inc.  Search this
Materials:
Nylon
Rubber
Velcro
Synthetic Fabric
Non-Magnetic Metal
Adhesive
Adhesive Tape
Plastic
Brass
Dimensions:
3-D (Arms Folded Over Back): 193 × 58.4 × 11.4cm (6 ft. 4 in. × 1 ft. 11 in. × 4 1/2 in.)
Type:
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT-Pressure Suits-Parts & Structural Components
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Credit Line:
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Inventory Number:
A20130142000
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv92bf7c034-a705-44e0-b4f8-0b31d96f28a5
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nasm_A20130142000
Online Media:

Eileen Collins on Piloting: My Path

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2024-03-14T18:57:46.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_P1iA98oMFgg

Cookies From Space

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-09-08T17:25:07.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-09rPjFZyfo

Air and Space Live Chat: The Wright Brothers

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2020-05-26T19:12:47.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-2tetlX7v6U

Hidden Figures Mathematician Christine Darden: My Path

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2020-08-10T15:15:01.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-4jxZfOZToA

Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold: Planets in the Goldilocks Zone

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2020-03-13T04:00:01.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-8cp-1nVUHU

Celebrating A Century of Airmail: A Discussion of the Wiseman Cooke Flight with Smithsonian Curators

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2011-05-13T18:29:36.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-B_V-Qg_ZBM

Story Time: "Three Friends' Alien Adventure"

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-01-12T16:00:11.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-CJ1VOSIiSk

Story Time: "In My Beautiful Balloon"

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2022-11-22T16:00:00.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-FcHmc9qNww

Understanding the Doppler Shift

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2014-07-07T20:29:28.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-P5J7XEwZIs

Howard Hughes and the World’s Fastest Land Plane

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2016-10-24T20:15:50.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-Rpc3Rv-09A

The Spirit of Apollo - Apollo 8 50th Anniversary Celebration

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2018-12-13T17:36:27.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-SwFXgd1ESQ

Make a Sensory Box Craft Activity

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-10-06T20:13:05.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-eJAQqN8Txk

Veamos de cerca: Bessie Coleman

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2022-01-26T16:08:51.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-hRv_CC6QMw

Make a Model of Your House from Above Craft Activity

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-09-19T15:00:00.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_-mhMlp_IkPg

Earth-Based Analogs In Support of Space Missions (Lecture)

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-03-31T01:14:18.000Z
YouTube Category:
Science & Technology  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_03HW8SkO3do

How GPS Works

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2013-04-29T20:44:48.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_0ArABLo8Mog

Moving Large Objects at the National Air and Space Museum

Creator:
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2019-12-16T20:45:48.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Aeronautics;Flight;Space Sciences  Search this
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airandspace
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
YouTube Channel:
airandspace
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_0ElkG6u45Z8

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