Selecting the Mercury seven : the search for America's first astronauts / Colin Burgess.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Burgess, Colin.

Series:

Springer-Praxis books in space exploration.

Springer-Praxis books in space exploration

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Project Mercury (U.S.).

Astronauts--United States.

Astronauts.

Astronautics--United States.

Astronautics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (390 p.)

Edition:

1st ed. 2011.

Place of Publication:

New York : Springer, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In January 1959, after an exhaustive search through military service records, a number of Americas elite test pilots received orders to attend a series of top-secret briefings in Washington, D.C. These briefings were designed to assist in selecting a group of astronauts for the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its man-in-space program, Project Mercury. Following in-depth medical and psychological screening, 32 finalists were chosen. They would be subjected to the most rigorous, exploratory, and even degrading medical and psychological stress tests ever imposed on the nation's service personnel. NASA wanted the best of the best in its quest for the nation's first astronauts, and this is the story of that search for a group of near-supermen who were destined to become trailblazing pioneers of American space flight. For the very first time, after extensive research and numerous interviews, the names and amazing stories of those 32 finalists are finally revealed in this book. Only seven of them would ultimately be selected as America's Mercury astronauts, but those responsible for choosing the seven openly concede that it was an incredibly difficult task. They reveal that any of these courageous and superbly talented test pilots could so easily have been selected to fly into space, finding adventure, fame, and lasting renown as one of NASA's legendary Mercury astronauts.

Contents:

Foreword

Author's Preface

About the author

Acknowledgements

Illustrations

Chapter 1: Sailing in and out of war

Chapter 2: The call goes out

Chapter 3: Narrowing the field

Chapter 4: The finalists

Chapter 5: Tennessee patriot, pilot, and poet

Chapter 6: Lovelace Clinic, New Mexico

Chapter 7: Wright-Patterson: the final hurdle

Chapter 8: Announcing the Mercury astronauts

Chapter 9: Back in contention

Chapter 10: Mercury Seven

Appendices

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

"Published in association with Praxis Publishing, Chichester, UK."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613351241

9781283351249

1283351242

9781441984050

1441984054

OCLC:

747105631