50th Anniversary of Project Mercury
May 5, 2011
Follow Similar ProgramsOn May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, making a brief suborbital mission that marked the first manned launch of Project Mercury. On the 50th anniversary of that mission, Roger Launius reconsidered the legacy of Project Mercury and America’s first astronauts, examining the origins of these first attempts to reach into space, the Cold War space race, and the meaning of Project Mercury half-century later. Mr. Launius showed many slides during his presentation, “The Right Stuff Revisited: Project Mercury 50 Years On,” and then responded to questions from members of the audience.
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, making a brief suborbital mission that marked the first manned launch of Project Mercury. On the 50th anniversary of that mission, Roger Launius reconsidered the legacy of Project Mercury and America’s first astronauts, examining the origins of these first attempts to reach into space, the Cold War space race, and the meaning of Project Mercury half-century later. Mr. Launius showed many slides during his presentation, “The Right Stuff Revisited: Project Mercury 50 Years On,” and then responded to questions from members of the audience.
