Former Wife of Apollo 14 Astronaut Recounts Remarkable Stories in Riveting New Memoir

February 14, 2025

Told with humor and a sense of awe, You Don’t Look Like an Astronaut’s Wife! from Anita Mitchell shares her improbable journey from small-town beginnings in Medina, Ohio, through her life in Florida with then-husband and sixth man to walk on the moon Astronaut Edgar Mitchell — set against the thrilling and historic backdrop of the U.S. Space Program.

“Now we have Elon Musk and going to Mars, which is something Wernher von Braun would talk about every time he visited and stayed at our home,” Mitchell commented. “Today, it almost feels like the Apollo days again, only bigger. It's an exciting time to be alive and to witness it all.”

You Don’t Look Like an Astronaut’s Wife! is filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes escapades of some of the most revered people of the day, from astronauts to actors, politicians to metaphysical gurus. Some of Mitchell’s stories will leave readers shocked, at times touched, and always wondering what she will talk about next. Through it all, she remained grounded, thanks to a strong family foundation, lifelong faith and her irrepressible love of life.

“I also wanted to give deference to the original seven early astronaut wives,” Mitchell said. “They were amazing, especially with overnight notoriety. The national news media were on their front lawns while they were trying to get their little ones off to school and provide some normalcy in their family lives. They did that with style and grace, and without a road map to go by.”

You Don’t Look Like an Astronaut’s Wife! poignantly transports readers to a magical era in the history of humanity, when anything seemed possible, and when the world first saw the Earth from space — an awe-inspiring moment that transcended geographical, cultural and political boundaries.

“It pulled the world together in a way nothing else ever has,” Mitchell recalled. “They sent back that incredible picture taken from the moon of Earth. We all saw our planet in a new way. No matter who you were, when you saw that tiny blue and white marble, knowing it was our home, it was humbling, and it united us.”

You Don’t Look Like an Astronaut’s Wife! is not just Mitchell’s journey, but the journey of a proud nation, capturing the wonder of venturing into the cosmos — just in time for what promises to be a remarkable era of space exploration.

“I married a guy who went to the moon,” Mitchell added. “I stayed on Earth, but it was an amazing journey for me, nonetheless.”

You Don’t Look Like an Astronaut’s Wife! A Memoir of Improbability, Impossibility, and Still Making it All Happen.