The Mercury Seven

The words

1. Albuquerque

   Mercury candidates underwent comprehensive medical examinations at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They then continued to Ohio for a separate round of stress testing.

   NASA: selecting the Mercury Seven (opens a new tab)

2. Astronaut

   From Greek words meaning star sailor.

   NASA used astronaut as the professional title for members selected for its astronaut corps. The Mercury Seven formed the agency’s first class in 1959.

   NASA: the name astronaut (opens a new tab)

3. Contour Couch

   Each Mercury astronaut had a fiberglass couch cast to fit his body. Its shape helped support him under the forces of launch and reentry.

   Did you know?

   The Smithsonian’s Shepard couch came from the Mercury Procedures Trainer, a simulator. The contractor transferred it to the museum on NASA’s behalf in 1968.

   Object A19690076000 · Smithsonian: Shepard’s training couch (opens a new tab)

4. Deke Slayton

   An irregular heartbeat led NASA to ground Slayton in 1962, keeping him from a Mercury flight. Cleared again in 1972, he first reached space aboard Apollo-Soyuz in July 1975.

   NASA: Slayton’s return to flight (opens a new tab)

5. Gilruth

   Robert R. Gilruth led the Space Task Group at Langley, responsible for Project Mercury. He became its project manager when the group was formally established on November 5, 1958.

   NASA: Gilruth and the Space Task Group (opens a new tab)

6. Heat Chamber

   During Mercury selection in 1959, candidates underwent heat-chamber testing at Wright-Patterson. Doctors measured how their hearts and other body functions responded to the heat.

   pp. 53–55 · Link: Mercury selection tests, pp. 53–56 (opens a new tab)

7. Life Magazine

   NASA arranged exclusive LIFE magazine coverage of the Mercury astronauts as they prepared for spaceflight. The agreement also brought their wives into the magazine’s coverage.

   NASA: the Mercury Seven meet the press (opens a new tab)

8. Mercury Seven

   NASA selected the seven astronauts on April 2, 1959, then introduced them to the public on April 9. The press conference took place in Washington, D.C.

   Did you know?

   The introductory press conference took place in the ballroom of the Dolley Madison House, which served as NASA’s first headquarters.

   NASA: selecting the Mercury Seven (opens a new tab) · NASA: the Mercury Seven meet the press (opens a new tab)

9. Right Stuff

   Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff was first published in 1979. The book looked back at Project Mercury and the people who took part in it.

   Did you know?

   The Right Stuff became the basis for a 1983 film with the same title, extending the book’s account of the early space program to movie audiences.

   Book Details · Macmillan: The Right Stuff (opens a new tab)

10. Silver Suit

    Alan Shepard’s Mercury pressure suit was a modified U.S. Navy Mark IV flight suit. Its silver coating was intended to make him easier to spot during an emergency rescue.

    Smithsonian: Shepard’s suit (opens a new tab)

11. Stress Tests

    At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Mercury candidates faced tests of their reactions to physical stress. This selection stage followed their medical examinations at Lovelace.

    NASA: selecting the Mercury Seven (opens a new tab)

12. Test Pilot

    President Eisenhower directed NASA to choose the first astronauts from military test pilots. Existing service records, medical screening and security clearances helped the agency conduct its selection.

    NASA: selecting the Mercury Seven (opens a new tab)

13. Tilt Table

    The tilt-table test assessed how a candidate’s heart adapted to an inclined body position. It was one of the physical stress tests used during Mercury selection in 1959.

    p. 55 · Link: Mercury selection tests, pp. 53–56 (opens a new tab)

14. Tom Wolfe

    Wolfe’s account included engineers and pilots alongside the astronauts. His book explored the physical and psychological demands surrounding America’s first human spaceflight program.

    Book Details · Macmillan: The Right Stuff (opens a new tab)

15. Treadmill

    Mercury candidates walked on a treadmill under increasing workload at Wright-Patterson. The test helped doctors assess their physical fitness as part of astronaut selection in 1959.

    pp. 55–56 · Link: Mercury selection tests, pp. 53–56 (opens a new tab)