‘Mad Men’ meets the space race: Astronaut wives get their say

Tonight at Griffith Park, you can go to the moon–and back to the origins of the space race, from a fresh perspective.

Writer Lily Koppel is speaking there about her new book, already a bestseller, called “The Astronauts Wives Club.” It’s about early American space exploration–through the eyes of the women who supported the heroes of their day.

Like Joan Aldrin, ex-wife of Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon. What it was like for the men who shot into space is well-documented.The stories in Koppel’s book lasso up the lesser-known tales of the women who lived through it with them, and how it altered their lives forever.

What it was like to be married to a space pioneer during the early stirrings of feminism–and the pressures of being the perfect spouse to these heroes? Listen below to my conversation with Koppel and Aldrin below: