Original 7 Astronauts Inspect Mercury Model
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Summary
The original seven Mercury astronauts were from left, front row: Virgil "Gus" Grissom. Scott Carpenter, Donald "Deke" Slayton and Gordon Cooper; back row: Alan Shepard, Walter Schirra and John Glenn. The Mercury 7 astronauts were introduced to the American public in April 1959. The seven criteria for selection were as follows: 1. less than 40 years old; 2. less than 5 foot 11 inches tall: 3. excellent physical condition; 4. bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent; 5. test-pilot school graduate; 6. minimum of 1,500 hours flying time; 7. qualified jet pilot. However, the process of choosing the first astronauts was elaborate and rigorous. The Langley Space Task Group believed that one of the most important prerequisites was being a test pilot. Langley engineer Charles Donlan and test pilot Robert Champine played important roles in the screening and selection process. Once selected, the astronauts began their training program at Langley. This included a "little of everything" ranging from a graduate-level course in introductory space science to simulator training and scuba-diving. Training continued until the Langley Space Task Group was transferred to Houston, Texas.
NASA Identifier: L90-4371
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