What was the goal of the Mercury program?

What was the goal of the Mercury program?

The objectives of the program, which made six manned flights from 1961 to 1963, were specific: To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth. To investigate man’s ability to function in space. To recover both man and spacecraft safely.

Was the Mercury program successful?

Each capsule in the Mercury series weighed about 1,400 kg (3,000 pounds). The first U.S. crewed flight in orbit was that of the Friendship 7, commanded by John H. Glenn, Jr. Launched on February 20, 1962, it successfully completed three orbits and landed in the Atlantic Ocean near The Bahamas.

Who were the first 3 Mercury astronauts?

Their names were publicly announced by NASA on April 9, 1959. These seven original American astronauts were Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.

Who are the people involved in Project Mercury?

About Project Mercury. Initiated in 1958, completed in 1963, Project Mercury was the United States’ first man-in-space program. Image: Collage of the Mercury Program. Astronauts are shown from the left, M. Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Walter M. Schirra Jr., Alan B. Shepard Jr.

What was the selection process for Project Mercury?

This list of names included five Marines, 47 Navy men, and 58 Air Force pilots. Several Army pilots’ records had been screened earlier, but none was a graduate of a test pilot school. The selection process began while the possibility of manned Redstone flights in late 1959 still existed on paper.

Who was the Administrator of NASA during Project Mercury?

Indeed, the Nation as a whole began to participate vicariously in Project Mercury when, on April 9, 1959, at a press conference in Washington, Glennan (NASA ADMINISTRATOR) introduced to the public the seven men chosen to be this Nation’s nominees for the first human voyagers into space.

What did the astronauts on Project Mercury look like?

Their public comments did not class them with any elite intelligence. Rather they were a contingent of mature Americans, average in build and visage, family men all, college-educated as engineers, possessing excellent health, and professionally committed to flying advanced aircraft.