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Astronauts are introduced to the American and foreign p?
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Astronauts are introduced to the American and foreign p?
Astronauts are introduced to the American and foreign press at a press conference in Washington in summer 1959. From left: Maj Deke Slayton, Cdr Alan Shepard, Cdr Walter Schirra, Maj Virgil Grissom, Lt Col John Glenn, Maj Leroy Cooper and Lt Cdr Malcolm Scott Carpenter. Date: 1959
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Media ID 18388534
© The Royal Aeronautical Society (National Aerospace Library)/Mary Evans Picture Library
1959 Alan Astronauts Conference Foreign Grissom Introduced Lieutenant Press Shepard Virgil Walter Washington Schirra Slayton
EDITORS COMMENTS
In this historic photograph taken in the summer of 1959, seven brave astronauts of the United States' NASA space program are introduced to the American and foreign press during a press conference held in Washington D.C. The astronauts, who were selected by NASA to become the first Americans in space, pose confidently before an eager crowd of journalists. From left to right, the astronauts are: Major Robert "Maj" Deke Slayton, Commander Alan B. Shepard, Commander Walter "Cdr" Schirra, Major Virgil I. "Maj" Grissom, Lieutenant Colonel John H. "Lt Col" Glenn, Major Leroy "Maj" Cooper, and Lieutenant Commander Malcolm S. "Lt Cdr" Carpenter. This esteemed group of men would go on to make significant contributions to the early years of the American space program. Shepard, the second American in space and the first American in suborbital spaceflight, was launched on May 5, 1959, aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft. Schirra, the fifth American to go to space, flew on the Sigma 7 spacecraft on October 3, 1962. Grissom, the fourth American in space, flew on the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft on July 21, 1961. Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, flew on the Friendship 7 spacecraft on February 20, 1962. Cooper, the fifth American to go to space, flew on the Faith 7 spacecraft on May 15, 1963. And Slayton, who was grounded due to a heart condition but later flew as the pilot of the Apollo-Saturn 9 mission in November 1963. Carpenter, the second American to orbit Earth, flew on the Aurora 7 spacecraft on May 24, 1962. This photograph captures a pivotal moment in history, as these astronauts, who would become household names, were introduced to the world and the media for the first time. Their groundbreaking achievements in space exploration would forever change the course of human history.
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