Mercury Seven Astronauts
America’s first astronauts were part of the “Mercury” Program. These were the first Americans who were launched into space.
NASA identifies the individuals in this photo. Each has signed his name below the picture:
Mercury Astronauts
The original Mercury astronauts are pictured around a table admiring an Atlas model.
Standing, left to right, are: Alan B. Shepard Jr., Walter M. Schirra Jr., and John H. Glenn Jr.
Sitting, left to right are: Virgil I. Grissom, M. Scott Carpenter, Donald Slayton, and L. Gordon Cooper Jr.
Virgil Grissom - more commonly known as “Gus” - died in the disastrous fire aboard Apollo 1.
Click on the image for a closer view.
Media Credits
Image, above, depicts a photo by Bill Taub; online, courtesy NASA.
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