6 - The Mercury Seven

Frontier of Infinity: A Space Exploration Podcast

NASA begins work on the Mercury Program, striving to place a human in space. There's plenty to do. Spacecraft to design, launch vehicles to choose, and space pilots to find. We ride along as they select their first class of astronauts and reveal them to the world. Meanwhile, Sergei Korolev launches another lunar probe and struggles to get his own manned space program authorized.
Addendum: There were two additional requirements for astronaut candidates I forgot to include. They are: 1. Minimum 1500 hours flying time. 2. Must be qualified jet pilot.
Source: "Project Mercury" by Eugen Reichl
Twitter: @FOISpacecast
Music: "Crossing the Universe" by Ester Garcia
Sources and Further Research:
Books -
"Korolev: How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon" by James Harford
"Moonshot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon" by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton with Jay Barbaree and Howard Benedict
"Project Mercury" by Eugen Reichl
"Space Race: The Epic Battle Between America and the Soviet Union for Dominion of Space" by Deborah Cadbury
"Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War" by Michael J. Neufeld
Web Sources -
NASA - Walter Schirra, 1923-2007
Scott Carpenter, 1925-2013 | NASA
Profile of John Glenn | NASA
40th Anniversary of Mercury 7: L. Gordon Cooper (nasa.gov)
40th Anniversary of Mercury 7: Donald K. "Deke" Slayton (nasa.gov)
Who Was Alan Shepard? | NASA
Gus Grissom | NASA
The Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square - White House Historical Association (whitehousehistory.org)
Press Conference Introducing 7 Mercury Astronauts 1959 Part 1/3 - YouTube