At a press conference on this date in 1959, NASA introduced to the world the country’s first astronauts—Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr. and Donald Slayton. After a rigorous selection process, they had been chosen to take part in "Project Mercury," the United States’ first man-in-space program. According to NASA, its objectives were to: 1) Place a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth; 2) Investigate man’s performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space; and 3) Recover the man and the spacecraft safely. The men were military test pilots turned overnight heroes, collectively referred to as the "Mercury Seven" who embodied the new spirit of space exploration. NASA says that it has since selected 360 astronaut candidates. You can read more about "Project Mercury" and the "Mercury Seven" here and here; a list of astronauts currently eligible for flight assignment is here.
NCPA
