Download e-book for kindle: Selecting the Mercury Seven: The Search for America's First by Colin Burgess

The names of the seven Mercury astronauts have been introduced in April 1959 amid a flurry of exposure and patriotism. This paintings presents biographical info of all thirty-two finalists for the seven coveted locations as America's pioneering astronauts. the entire applicants have been one of the nation's elite pilots fascinated by checking out new supersonic airplane services. such a lot had served as wartime fighter and bomber pilots; a few have been try out pilots on most sensible mystery and complex aviation initiatives, whereas others have been fleet admirals, prisoners of battle, and proposed pilots for spaceflight courses equivalent to the Dyna-Soar (X-20). The names of all 32 finalists were stored mystery until eventually very lately. "Selecting the Mercury Seven" additionally relates the heritage and problems at the back of the preliminary number of applicants. The lives, motivations, army careers, and achievements of the unsuccessful twenty-five finalists are explored first in absolutely approved biographies. try out pilots for the U.S. army, Air strength, and Marine Corps, every one guy has a desirable and intensely varied tale to inform. All thirty-two males needed to suffer meticulous, demeaning, and brutal week-long scientific examinations on the Lovelace sanatorium in New Mexico. This used to be by way of one other torturous week on the Wright Aeromedical Laboratory in Ohio, the place they have been subjected to severe health and physiological checking out, the only goal of which was once to deal with the Supermen from the near-supermen. the ultimate a part of the ebook examines the accomplishments and spaceflights of the seven winning applicants, bringing their awesome tales correct as much as date.