“The Astronaut Wives Club” star JoAna Garcia Swisher (Photo : Instagram/JoAna Garcia Swisher)
"The Astronaut Wives" season 1 episode 1 will air on ABC on June 18, Thursday. Created by "Gossip Girl" co-creator Stephanie Savage, the new TV series was based on Lilly Koppel's novel of the same title. Here are the seven real-life astronaut wives that inspired the titutal characters:
1. Senator John Glenn's (Sam Reid) wife Annie Glenn (Azure Parsons)
On Feb. 20, John became the first American to orbit the Earth having flown the Friendship 7. He married Annie, his childhood sweetheart, on April 6, 1943.
2. Scott Carpenter's (Wilson Bethel) wife Rene Carpenter (Yvonne Strahovski)
After John, Scott was the second American to orbit the Earth. He married Rene in 1942. After their divorce, he got married three more times. Rene was John F. Kennedy's favorite astronaut's wife.
3. Alan Shepard's (Desmond Harington) wife Louise Shepard (Dominique McElligott)
Alan is the first American to fly in space. His wife Louise was known for her ladylike and serene personality that is why her fellow astronaut wives call her Saint Louise.
4. Gus Grissom's (Joel Johnstone) widow Betty Grissom (JoAna Garcia Swisher)
Gus is the second American to fly in space after Alan. On Jan. 27, 1967, he died during the Apollo1 accident along with two pilots. Prior to his death, Gus enjoyed the support of her wife Betty, who even worked night shift at Indiana Bell just to put him through engineering school at Purdue.
5. Gordon Cooper's (Bret Harrison) wife Trudy Cooper (Odette Annable)
In 1963, Cooper piloted the longest and final Mercury spaceflight and during the 34-hour mission, he became first American to sleep in space. His wife Trudy was the only licensed pilot among the seven astronaut wives.
6. Deke Slayton's (Kenneth Mitchell) wife Marge Slayton (Erin Cummings)
Deke was NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office. He was not only Gus's fellow astronaut but was also his friend. Deke married Marge in 1955 but they divorced two years later. Marge was the one who ran the Astronaut Wives Club.
7. Wally Schirra's (Aaron McCusker) wife Jo Schirra (Zoe Boyle)
Wally is the first person to go into space three times, and the only person to have flown in Apollo, Gemini and Mercury. His wife Jo, daughter of a Navy wife, was a Navy royalty. While she was well-versed with proper codes of behaviour, she was the jokester among the seven astronaut wives.
Watch how Parsons, Strahovski, McElligott, Swisher, Annable, Cummings and Boyle portray the seven women in the new series "Astronaut Wives Club."
