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The national manned space-flight project, later named Project Mercury was implemented on October 7, 1958 and lasted about 4 2/3 years, from the time of its official go-ahead to the completion of the 34-hour orbital mission of Astronaut Gordon Cooper on May 16, 1963.
The objectives of the project included: placing a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth; investigating man's performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space; and, recovering the man and spacecraft safely. At the completion of Cooper's flight, it was proved that all of the objectives were met with shining success.
After some successful and unsuccessful unmanned flights using the Atlas and Redstone rockets, Mercury-Redstone 2 was launched from Cape Canaveral on January 31, 1961, carrying Ham the Chimpanzee, America's first space celebrity. Mercury-Atlas 2, 3, and 4, all unmanned hardware tests, were completed by September of 1961. Mercury-Redstone 3 became America's first manned flight on the morning of May 5, 1961 followed by five more flights using either the Redstone or Atlas rockets to launch the astronauts into space. These manned space flights were accomplished with complete pilot safety and without change to the basic Mercury concepts. They demonstrated that man can function ably as a pilot-engineer-experimenter without undesirable reactions or deteriorations of normal body functions for periods up to 34 hours of weightless flight.
These six Mercury Flights were as follows:
| Mission | Crew | Date |
| Mercury-Redstone3 | Shepard | May 5, 1961 |
| Mercury-Redstone4 | Grissom | July 21, 1961 |
| Mercury-Atlas6 | Glenn | Feb. 20, 1962 |
| Mercury-Atlas7 | Carpenter | May 24, 1962 |
| Mercury-Atlas8 | Schirra | Oct. 3, 1962 |
| Mercury-Atlas9 | Cooper | May 15 & 16, 1963 |
The first seven astronauts, selected from an initial group of 110 military test pilots through an extensive testing and screening process, were introduced on April 9, 1959 at a press conference in Washington, D. C. by the NASA Administrator. They were to be called "astronauts," as they were to sail into a new, uncharted ocean. These astronauts were:
| Alan Shepard (USN) | Gus Grissom (USAF) |
| John Glenn (USMC) | Scott Carpenter (USN) |
| Walter Schirra (USN) | Gordon Cooper (USAF) |
| Deke Slayton (USAF) | Jose Jimenez (The 8th Astronaut) |
| Badcock Home Furnishings | Loys Ward Associates |
| BAMSI, Inc. | McCotter Ford |
| Bray, Beck & Koetter | Paul's Smokehouse |
| Corporate Property Group, Inc. | Ron Norris Buick - Honda - GMC Truck |
| Dirt Shirts International | Schenck Beverage |
| EG&G Florida, Inc. | Space Coast Advertising |
| Fischer Pontiac - Oldsmobile - Nissan | The Job Place, Inc. |
| Florida Coca Cola Bottling Co. | Titusville Florist and Plantery |
| Janet's Cafe' Orleans | T.W. Recreational Services |
| Kloiber's Cobbler and Eatery | WHKR Radio |
| Lockheed Martin Space Operations Co. | Wiltech Corporation |
Everyone who was involved in the Historic Mercury Project deserves to have their name enshrined on the Space Walk Of Fame Monument.
If you know any personnel involved with the Mercury program that would like to be included, please download and complete the form below.
Family or friends may also purchase an engraving for a program worker......
| - Click HERE For Monument Engraving Form - |
| - Click HERE To Review Engraved Names- |
NASA's Mercury Program history page
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