The 'Mercury Seven': The emotional anniversary of the first Americans chosen by NASA to fly into space

They were part of the Mercury project, the first US space capsule

CONNOR REID

Actualizado 09/04/2025 - 12:30 CDT

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It is 66 years since the 'Mercury Seven', NASA's first astronauts. On April 9, 1959, NASA unveiled the seven astronauts who would be part of the historic Mercury Project, a pioneering US space exploration program. Known as the 'Mercury Seven', these brave men were selected from 110 military pilots and were tasked with making the country's first manned spaceflights between 1961 and 1963. The list included Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra and Alan Shepard. However, Deke Slayton was dropped due to a heart problem, although he continued to contribute to the space program until 1975, when he finally flew on the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

The Mercury capsule, a technological marvel that measured just 12.33 cubic meters, was designed to accommodate a single astronaut. Despite its small size, it had 120 switches, 55 electrical switches and 30 fuses, demonstrating the complexity of the technology that began to be tested on those pioneering flights. The 'Mercury Seven' not only flew in the Mercury program, but also in the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. However, the missions were not without tragedy: Gus Grissom lost his life in 1967 in the tragic Apollo 1 fire.

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Despite the challenges, many of the 'Mercury Seven' managed to make their mark on space history. Alan Shepard was the first American to travel into space in 1961, and also walked on the Moon during Apollo 14 in 1971. John Glenn, meanwhile, was the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, and later became a senator. In 1998, at the age of 77, Glenn returned to space, becoming the oldest person to do so. Of the 'Mercury Seven', Glenn was the last to die, in 2016, at the age of 95, leaving behind a legacy that marked the history of American space exploration.