Mercury Seven

The Mercury Seven

The Mercury Seven were the first seven astronauts chosen by NASA to fly for Project Mercury. In 1959, their names were announced: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton. These men were the first group of American astronauts and started a new job that changed history.

All seven flew into space! They were pilots for the six Mercury missions with astronauts from 1961 to 1963. After Mercury, they also flew on other NASA missions, including Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle.

Some of their great achievements include Alan Shepard becoming the first American in space in 1961 and later walking on the Moon during Apollo 14. John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth and, in 1998, became the oldest person to fly in space when he flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery. Gordon Cooper flew the last Mercury mission and later made a second spaceflight on Gemini 5. These astronauts helped the United States lead in space exploration and inspired many people around the world.

The Mercury Seven astronauts helped design the spacecraft they flew in. They used their skills to improve different parts of the project. Some worked on communication systems. Others worked on control systems. And some worked on the cockpit layout.

These astronauts kept their military jobs while working with NASA. They traveled for meetings and sometimes needed extra flying time. Later, NASA gave them special aircraft to help with this. The astronauts became famous. Their style, like certain shirts and sunglasses, was recognized by many people. They shared any money they earned from telling their stories fairly.

The Mercury 7 astronauts received many special awards for their work. In 1963, they won the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Iven C. Kincheloe Award. President John F. Kennedy gave them the 1962 Collier Trophy for helping start space travel in the United States. A monument for the Mercury 7 was placed at Launch Complex 14 on November 10, 1964. This is where some of their important space missions began. Under the monument, there is a time capsule with photos, reports, and a movie. It is meant to be opened many years later in 2464.