Mercury 7 50th Anniversary

At a press conference in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1959, NASA introduced the Mercury Seven to the public.

The press and public soon adopted them as heroes, embodying the new spirit of space exploration.

During the five-year life of the project, six human-tended flights and eight automated flights were completed, proving that human spaceflight was possible. These missions paved the way for the Gemini and Apollo programs as well as for all further human spaceflight.

The "Mercury Seven" were Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton.

Mark R. Hailey, NASA Televisions Art Director, created this piece

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• hq
• nasa
• mercury astronauts
• mercury 7
• nasa press conference
• nasa tv
• animation
• astronauts
• space flight

[Maisy5]

You can't compare the two. WIthout these guys, Neil Armstrong would not have done his thing.

[Maisy5]

Those men did truy have the "right stuff" - all of them heroes.

[Pirate88179]

I agree 100%.

Bill

[madjames101]

these were the real guy alright i give credit to the moon landing and apollo mission but these were the first boys to strap themselfs onto a americas first rockets lol ( i would of love to been one of them )

[dcb1138]

The BALLS of it ALL.....todays "heros" (sports player, actors) are worthless compared to these guys.

[toddsmitts]

Only Carpenter and Glenn are left. I hope I get to meet them someday.

Interestingly a number of the guys who didn't make it into the 7 later made it into "The New 9" such as Lovell, Conrad, and McDivitt. (And many that didn't make it into that group later made it into the third group of 14).

[TheGeekSquadGuru]

I still think Neil Armstrong did better

[NAVC130VET]

the foundation of the astronaut corps