Labels:text | clothing | poster | person OCR: THE MERCURY SEVEN ON APRIL 9, 1959, NASA announced the names of the men chosen to become America's first astronauts. Selected from over 500 applicants, the Mercury Seven were all experienced test pilots from the US Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps. Each was required to be less than 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) tall, under 40, and in peak physical condition. The future astronauts underwent rigorous training to prepare for their missions. THE CHOSEN FEW The men who were to become America's first astronauts (clockwise from top left): Alan Shepard, Virgil Grissom, Gordon Cooper, Walter Schirra, Donald Slayton, John Glenn, and Scott Carpenter.
