CLEVELAND — For those looking for fun this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, take a trip to the International Women’s Air and Space Museum for a look at how women have played an intricate part in the exploration of space.
When it comes to space, Marcy Frumker's knowledge is out of this world. It started when she was young; growing up during the Apollo and Gemini programs, she would write letters to NASA and they would send her publications and photos of astronauts.
Soon she learned about the International Women’s Air and Space Museum, and it wasn’t a question if she wanted to assist. Over a span of 20-plus years, she went from a volunteer to a trustee, but she still gives her free time to the museum.
The museum is in the Cleveland Burke Lakefront airport. Two-thirds of the inside of the airport are filled with pictures, stories and artifacts from women who have influenced air and space travel.
“So here at the museum, we have stories about women...like those behind me have gone aboard the shuttle missions or space shuttle missions,” said Executive Director at the International Women's Air and Space Museum, Sara Fisher.
For many years, women couldn’t go to space.
“At the time in the late 50s, early 60s, the only military test pilots were men,” said Marcy Frumker.
Yet, they still played a big role with the work they did on the ground.
“So, they were working behind the scenes as computers,” said Frumker.
But by the ’70s there were six women that became astronauts: Anna Fisher, Shannon Lucid, Judith Resnik, Sally Ride, Rhea Seddon, and Kathryn Sullivan.
From there, the rest is history that can be cherished at the museum.
“I think it's important to know what people went through to get to the spot that we are right now,” said Frumker.
Frumker's passion for space meets the museum's mission to teach about the past and inspire those of the future.
“They are future young women, young men, they're going to be the leaders of tomorrow. So, it's important to let them know that if they work hard, they can get into these different STEM fields and be part of space programs in the future,” Frumker said
For more information about the museum, their program and tours, click here.
Several other museums and attractions are offering free or discounted experiences during Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Click here for more events.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
