A Pregnant Woman Who Was Asked To Go Into Space Faced A Crucial Decision

What would you have done? Like we said, though, heading for the stars had been Anna’s dream for the longest time, an ambition stretching all the way back to her childhood. And she’d worked extremely hard to get into a position where going into space was even a possibility.

Fisher had been welcomed into the world back in August 1949 joining her mom and dad in New York. Yet the Big Apple wasn’t her home for long, as the family packed their bags for San Pedro, California. Anyway, going into 1961 the youngster saw something that would ultimately shape her life.

Sitting in front of her family’s TV set, Fisher watched in wonder as Alan Shepard rocketed into the history books, becoming America’s first astronaut. It was a truly historic moment for the country. And the little girl gazing at the screen reckoned that she’d just found her dream job.

Mind you, Fisher was more than a little reluctant to share her aspirations out loud. The website Xploration Station later quoted her saying, “I didn’t go around telling people I wanted to be an astronaut, because I thought they’d think I was crazy.” Why? Well, the answer’s actually quite simple.

When the Space Race was at its height in the 1960s, the United States didn’t have any female astronauts to send above the clouds. And in Fisher’s mind, she wasn’t sure if that’d be changing in the near future. She noted, “All the first astronauts were men, and they were test pilots.”

“I just felt like I was probably born too soon,” Fisher continued. “So I’d pretty much given up.” But putting aside her childhood dream, she moved past that disappointment and went on to enjoy plenty of academic success. If NASA wouldn’t have her, someone else certainly would!

Yes, after completing her studies at San Pedro High School in 1967 Fisher earned a spot at the University of California, Los Angeles, otherwise known as UCLA. A conscientious student, she obtained her chemistry degree in 1971. Yet she didn’t stop there — she still had a burning desire to better herself.

So, once she’d bagged her initial qualification, Fisher went to graduate school for the next 12 months. During that spell, she also helped write three separate papers that eventually made their way into the Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. Then in 1972 the student enrolled at UCLA’s medical school.

She continued her studies at UCLA for the next four years. And all that hard work paid off when the future astronaut trainee became a Doctor of Medicine in 1976. But what did she have planned next?

Well, given Fisher’s qualifications, you might not be too surprised to hear that she landed in the medical sector. She started out at California’s Harbor General Hospital for 12 months, before moving around numerous facilities in Los Angeles in 1977. The college graduate’s field was “emergency medicine.”

Yet everything changed later that year. While Fisher might’ve been thinking about a long-term future in medicine, at this stage NASA attempted to entice a new crop of recruits — and for the first time, there were no gender restrictions. Following that announcement, memories of her buried childhood dreams began to emerge. Could this be her big chance?

Fisher fired off an application and played the waiting game. In the end, she finally got a reply in January 1978 — and it was the response about which she’d dreamed. Yes, the graduate was picked as one of the trainees. She hadn’t been “born too soon” after all. In fact, her selection alone had been something of a watershed moment.

You see, Fisher was one of six women to be recruited by NASA from that open call. They were subsequently the first females in the agency’s history to become astronaut trainees. It was an incredible achievement, in itself, but the doctor couldn’t afford to rest on her laurels: the real hard work was still to come.

And we’re not just referring to the training itself. Fisher had something else on her mind, too: gender issues. As she later explained to Xploration Station, “You’re sitting there thinking, ‘Well, I’ve got to really do a good job here. Because not only am I wanting it for myself, but now they’re going to be looking at how women do.’”

Keeping that in the forefront of her mind, Fisher got to work alongside the other 34 new trainees. She spent more than a year earning her stripes at NASA, ahead of passing the “training and evaluation period” in the summer of 1979. That meant the recruit was now eligible to be selected for space shuttle missions.

As we’ve mentioned, alongside passing their training, the women trainees had an additional goal as well. They didn’t want to be seen as any different from the male recruits. To this end, Fisher decided to eschew beauty products or makeup during her shifts, and wore nigh-on identical clothes to the guys.

Plus, in a move to help assuage any concerns of her workmates’ romantic partners, Fisher also frequented the “astronauts’ spouses’ club.” She wanted them to feel more comfortable with the idea of a woman helping their guys out on the job. And on that subject, perhaps you’re wondering how her own romantic life was going during this period?

Well, Fisher was a happily married woman by the time she joined NASA in 1978. Her hubby, Bill, also harbored ambitions of becoming an astronaut, and he too had responded to the recruitment drive the year before. He’d missed out on that occasion, only to earn a slot later on. And despite their highly demanding jobs, the pair still had another big ambition.

Yep, Fisher in particular wasn’t afraid to talk about their hopes of becoming parents. In fact, she’d even brought the subject up during the recruitment process at NASA ahead of her selection. But even so, no one could’ve predicted what eventually happened in the summer of 1983.

So, let’s cast our minds back to the scene described as we began this tale. At this point Fisher was over eight months pregnant. She and Bill were summoned to speak to their superior, and in that meeting, he informed them, “I’m thinking of sending Anna [into space].” Would she agree to do it, though?

Fisher had two wildly different choices available to her. She could either say no and focus on her impending new job as a mother. Or she could risk her life and grab the chance to cement her name in history. It was a decision that she couldn’t take lightly. Yet the expectant mom didn’t waste time sharing her choice.

Looking back on that pivotal day, Fisher spoke to The Washington Post newspaper in April 2019. She recalled, “I wasn’t about to say ‘No.’ You don’t say no to that offer.” Yep, the NASA recruit accepted her dream assignment, despite knowing the costs that would come with it. There was a lot of work ahead of her now.

Those challenges quickly became apparent following the arrival of the Fishers’ little girl, Kristin. Just a few days on from that magical moment, the new mom found herself back at headquarters getting ready for the mission. That punishing routine would continue for another 14 months, brutally testing both her and Bill’s resolve.

Yet all that being said, Fisher didn’t have any regrets. She also hit back at media crews that questioned her decision to accept the mission with a daughter at home. After all, the male astronauts on her team had kids as well. What was the difference? Anyway, little Kristin was always in her mom’s thoughts throughout that spell.

Kristin even influenced the design of the mission’s badge, with Fisher drawing it up. It included six stars in the background, representing the five astronauts on board the shuttle. As for the sixth, that was for her little girl. 

Meanwhile, back at home, Fisher spent as much time as possible with her baby. The mom captured a lot of those interactions on her video camera. And nice as that might sound, there was also a poignant ulterior motive behind it. And this became even clearer after she penned a message to Kristin.

As the countdown ticked down in November 1984 and the take-off date looming, Fisher wrote, “If anything happens to me, just know that I love you so much. Your dad and your grandma will take care of you. And I’ll be watching over you.” 

So, that brings us to the day of the launch. Fisher and her colleagues were crewing the Discovery craft, which had been used by NASA just once before. Her mother, Bill, and Kristin were all present for the big moment in Florida; they all looked on as the shuttle spat flame and headed skywards.

Despite the anxiety that Fisher must have been feeling beforehand, we can only imagine her feelings as she left Earth’s atmosphere behind. Years on from that day in front of the television, she could finally say that she had emulated her hero Shepard. Plus, the astronaut also joined him in the history books, and for a pretty cool reason.

No, Fisher wasn’t the first woman from the United States to go up. That honor belonged to Sally Ride — another from that famous initial group of six female trainees. Instead, she held the distinction of being the only mom to have traveled into space at that time, regardless of their nationality.

As for the mission itself, it spanned about a week, with Fisher providing a few details afterwards. As per Xploration Station, she said, “We launched two satellites on Day Two and Day Three. And then on Day Five and Day Seven, we retrieved two satellites.” Once that was all done, the crew came back safe and sound.

The relief that Fisher felt once they touched down safely must have been palpable. She’d finally get to see her little girl again, having had to rely on a short clip of her voice on tape to feel close to her toddler during the mission. That’s one advantage that modern astronauts have over their predecessors — access to video calls!

Anyway, when Fisher arrived back at her house, she immediately packed away the note she’d penned for Kristin. There was no need to keep it out. At the same time, though, the mom knew that she would probably have to go through the same process again if she returned to space.

And for a while, it looked like that would happen. Fisher was given a second mission above the skies just a few weeks after her return. But as the launch day drew in ever closer, plans were brought to a halt following a horrible tragedy. Yes, we’re referring to the Challenger shuttle disaster, which claimed the lives of seven astronauts.

Judith Resnik was one of the names on the casualty list — another member of the trailblazing six who had started out together in 1978. From there, Fisher went on to take a lengthy sabbatical from NASA starting in 1989, during which time she and Bill welcomed a second baby into the world.

Fisher did eventually go back at the start of 1996, and remained at the agency until her retirement in 2017. She held a very important position across those years, too: space station branch chief. Over time, the former astronaut came to realize just what a trailblazer she’d been in the eyes of a lot of NASA’s subsequent recruits.

Yes, Fisher spoke with several women, many of them mothers themselves, who had previously got in touch with her during their own childhood years. Just like Alan Shepard, she’d played a big role in getting these women to NASA. In a career littered with highlights, you could argue that’s her greatest legacy of all.

As for Kristin, who’s all grown up now, well, she followed a different path from her mom. She joined the world of journalism, covering stories in Washington, D.C. Yet Fisher’s daughter did share at least one seminal experience with her astronaut mom: she, too, became a parent to a baby girl. And she’s also had to deal with lengthy periods of separation from her child.

On that subject, Fisher told The Washington Post, “[Kristin] calls me and asks about traveling. I say, ‘Do you remember when I was gone when you were that age?’ I told Kristin to not feel guilty for being away. If you’re doing something you love, or you’re bringing the money in, you’re doing something important for your child.” Fittingly wise words from a woman history won’t forget.