The Astronauts: Pioneers in Space; Special Edition, Containing Commander Alan Shepard's Own Account of His Flight into Space
New York: Golden Press, 1961. Special Edition. Pre-flight printing [stated]. Trade paperback. 95, [3] pages plus covers. Wraps. Profusely illustrated (some in color). Maps. Figures. Covers somewhat soiled and some edge wear, sticker scuff on front cover. The cover states: "The Only First-Hand Story of America's Man-in-Space Project." This is by the seven astronauts of Project Mercury with Loudon Wainwright a staff writer for Life Magazine. Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Union. Taken over from the US Air Force by the newly created civilian space agency NASA, it conducted twenty unmanned developmental flights (some using animals), and six successful flights by astronauts. The program, which took its name from Roman mythology, cost $1.8 billion adjusted for inflation. The astronauts were collectively known as the "Mercury Seven", and each spacecraft was given a name ending with a "7" by its pilot. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Space, NASA, Astronauts, Project Mercury, Alan Shepard, Walter Schirra, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Virgil Grissom, Countdown, Space Capsule, Donald Slayton, Gordon Cooper, Orbit, Freedom 7
[Book #13398]
Price: $45.00