Project Mercury

"Here we were being paraded around as the bravest test pilots in America, and we hadn't done a damned thing but show up to a press conference."

            -Deke Slayton, Mercury Astronaut

 

 

 

Documented in The Right Stuff, a book by Tom Wolfe later made into a popular movie, the Mercury Program marked the United States’ entry into manned space flight.  During two years and six flights, Project Mercury tested many aspects of space flight, including successful launch and splashdown, as well as man’s ability to survive and function in Earth orbit.

 

The first group of astronauts, nicknamed the “Mercury Seven,” was composed of daredevil test pilots who found themselves instant celebrities almost overnight. 

 

Perhaps the most well-known of the seven, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962, before beginning a lengthy career as a U. S. Senator.

 

Three of the seven advanced to participate in Project Gemini, with two joining the Apollo Program.  Gus Grissom was killed in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire in 1967.  Alan Shepard, the first American in space, was the only astronaut from the original seven to walk on the moon during Apollo 14.

 

 

 

"As I sat in the capsule awaiting liftoff, I looked around at all of the machinery in front of me…and it occurred to me that everything was built by the lowest bidder."

                      -Alan Shepard, Freedom 7,

                         First American in Space