In April 1959, some of the doctors who had worked with NASA to select the Mercury Seven ran an experiment. They selected a group of 25 women with over a thousand hours of flying experience, and put them through the same tests. Thirteen passed. This was done quietly (though it wasn't a secret project) but given Heinlein's background and connections it's very likely he'd heard of it and knew the results.
What we know now is that the pool of women who had a thousand hours of flying in 1959 was already going to be the best of the best, peak health and ability. Whereas the male candidates for Mercury were, as the movie said, "The best... that we can get."
Thanks for pointing this out, I was unaware of this.
Starship Troopers came out in December 1959.
In April 1959, some of the doctors who had worked with NASA to select the Mercury Seven ran an experiment. They selected a group of 25 women with over a thousand hours of flying experience, and put them through the same tests. Thirteen passed. This was done quietly (though it wasn't a secret project) but given Heinlein's background and connections it's very likely he'd heard of it and knew the results.
What we know now is that the pool of women who had a thousand hours of flying in 1959 was already going to be the best of the best, peak health and ability. Whereas the male candidates for Mercury were, as the movie said, "The best... that we can get."