Project Mercury

Project Mercury was the United States's first successful manned spaceflight program. It ran from 1959 through 1963 with the goal of putting a man in orbit around the Earth. Early planning and research was carried out by NACA, while the program was officially carried out by the newly created NASA. The name Mercury comes from the Roman god (it is also the name of the innermost planet of the solar system).

Further reading

• Gene Kranz, Failure is Not an Option. Factual, from the standpoint of a chief flight controller during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs. ISBN 0743200799
• Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff. Sentimental, from the astronaut viewpoint, not meant to be taken as a strict history, but fascinating anyway.
• Schirra, Grissom, Glenn, Slayton, Shepherd, Carpenter, Cooper, We Seven. (ISBN B00005X54G); Simon & Schuster - 1962. Factual; a collection of articles written by the seven Mercury astronauts describing events from their points of view.
• James M. Grimwood, This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury
• James M. Grimwood, Project Mercury - A Chronology
• Mae Mills Link, Space Medicine In Project Mercury
• Results of the first US manned orbital space flight - Feb 20, 1962 (Friendship 7) NASA report - (PDF format)
• Results of the second u.s. manned orbital space flight, May 24, 1962 (Aurora 7) NASA report - (PDF format)
• This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA report (PDF format)
• Chronology of Project Mercury - NASA report (PDF format)