On April 9, 1959, NASA announced its first group of astronauts. This group named Mercury-7 Is known.
Introduction of astronauts
The first NASA astronauts were military test pilots before being selected for this job, and they had all the necessary equipment to carry out such high-risk missions.
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the first American astronauts in the press, whose names were as follows:
Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Shira, Alan Shepard and Donald Shelaton.
NASA planned to begin manned orbital flights in 1961.
Selection of Mercury-7 people
NASA selected 110 candidates from among the 505 military pilot files, and by applying written tests, interviews and checking medical records, their number was reduced to 36 people.
With the removal of 5 more people, 31 pilots began the process of learning and testing. They were exposed to different tests and pressures for several days. Six people were supposed to be selected as astronauts, but the seven pilots did so well that the committee had to choose all seven.
Astronauts gained a lot of fame after being introduced as Mercury-7. However, most of them could not be flown by the Mercury spacecraft, and Mercury’s obstacles were too great.
Among these 7 astronauts, Alan Shepard was the first American to make a suborbital flight in 1961, followed by John Glenn in 1962, the first American to orbit the Earth. After that, Scott Carpenter, Wally Shira and Gordon Cooper all successfully lapped the circuit.
