NASA Picks the Mercury Seven: America's First Astronauts
NASA announced the selection of its first seven astronauts, a group the press immediately christened the "Mercury Seven." This roster launched the American human spaceflight program and set the specific trajectory for the nation's race against the Soviet Union to reach orbit.
April 9, 1959
67 years ago
Key Figures & Places
NASA
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Project Mercury
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Astronaut
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Mercury program
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Mercury Seven
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United States
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NASA
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Astronaut
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Project Mercury
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Gus Grissom
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Alan Shepard
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John Glenn
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Deke Slayton
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Gordon Cooper
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Wally Schirra
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Mercury Seven
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Scott Carpenter
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