Entertainment
Who Were The Mercury Seven In Real Life? 'The Astronaut Wives Club' Draws Inspiration From The First American Astronauts — PHOTOS
ABC made a good choice with Astronaut Wives Club. It's kind of the perfect summer series. Just in time for the Fourth of July, the true story of the Mercury Seven on Astronaut Wives Club is a great tribute to American optimism. I haven't been this emotional about astronauts since I was a ten year old dreaming of Space Camp. It's amazing to me that this true story has not been told like this already.
Who were the Mercury Seven in American history? They were, in fact, the first United States astronauts — all picked for their military background as test pilots. Today, we picture astronauts as STEM geniuses but back then it was more of a military operation — which makes sense considering the bravery required to fly something never flown before, as well as the importance of Space Race competition during the Cold War. In order to compete with the Soviet Union, we were trying to put a man in Outer Space and then orbit the Earth. Those were the early goals. Some of the men involved in Project Mercury made history, some didn't make it back home again. If you're enjoying the lives of their wives on The Astronaut Wives Club, let's take a look at the real life men who made them famous by crossing that final frontier.
Alan Shepard
Played by Desmond Harrington.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
Alan Shepard
Shepard was the first American in Space. According to Nasa, in 1963, he was grounded for health reasons and later became the fifth man to walk on the moon as part of Apollo 14.
Gus Grissom
Played by Joel Johnstone.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
Gus Grissom
Grissom was the first person to be launched into space twice. Unfortunately, according to Biography, on his third mission, in 1967, he was killed in a launch pad fire during a test.
Image: NASA
John Glenn
Played by Sam Reid.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
John Glenn
While John Glenn was the third of the group to go up, he was the first American to orbit the Earth, and later became the oldest person in space. He’s also the only living member of the Mercury Seven today, and served as a United States Senator.
Scott Carpenter
Played by Wilson Bethel.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
Scott Carpenter
Carpenter was selected to go up when Deke Slayton’s heart condition grounded him. His flight aboard the Aurora 7 also completed an orbit. After retiring from NASA and the Navy, he went on to publish novels.
Image: NASA
Wally Schirra
Played by Aaron McCusker.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
Wally Schirra
Schirra was the first person to be launched into space three times and commanded the first manned Apollo mission.
Gordon Cooper
Played by Bret Harrison.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
Gordon Cooper
While Cooper was the last Mercury pilot to launch into space, his mission lasted longer than a day. He later commanded an eight-day mission in 1965, according to NASA.
Donald "Deke" Slayton
Played by Kenneth Mitchell.
Image: Cook Allender/ABC
Donald "Deke" Slayton
The final member of the Mercury Seven only made one flight, and it was many years down the road. According to NASA, Slayton’s heart condition grounded him for most of his astronaut career, however he ultimately made it up in 1975 as part of the United State’s first joint mission with the Soviet Union.
