Existing comment:
Mercury 7: Not in agreement:
"Propaganda-wise, we apparently stand to gain a great deal and could lose little or nothing."
-- Memo from NASA regarding exchange of visits with Russian astronauts, October 21, 1959
Selected from 500 applicants, the Mercury Seven were to be the first Americans in space. Introduced to the world on April 10, 1959, the men considered themselves to be military test pilots, but became instant national heroes. However, the men were caught in the middle of the larger Cold War rivalry and space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. NASA, concerned about the growing competition between the two countries, sent this memo proposing to publicly work with Russia. Two of the seven, Walter M. Schirra and Donald K. Slayton, in an apparent protest to this, crossed their names out and did not sign. |