This Day In Science History - 9th April - The Mercury Seven

In 1959, NASA disclosed the selection of America’s first seven astronauts for Project Mercury. Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton were chosen from 110 applicants. They then embarked on a training program at Langley, which ranged from a graduate-level course in introductory space science to simulator training and scuba-diving. Project Mercury, NASA’s first high profile program, was an effort to learn if humans could survive in space. NASA required astronaut candidates to be male, under 40 years old, no more that 5’11” in height and in excellent physical condition. On 5^th May 1961, Alan Shepard, on of the seven applicants to be chosen, became the first American in space.