April 9, 1959: NASA Introduces the First Astronauts
On this day in 1959, NASA announced to the public the seven astronauts, also known as the Mercury 7, that would partake in Project Mercury, the first manned space program. The astronauts included: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr., and Donald Slayton.
During this time period, the United States and the USSR were in a constant space race, where each country was aiming to explore outer space at a quicker pace than the other. Although the U.S. was restricted on time, they developed a thorough evaluation process to select their astronauts.
NASA placed its candidates under extreme pressure and temperature conditions in order to test their health, skills, and endurance. In addition, candidates were tested on how they managed psychological and physical stress.
Love their suits? Check out these classic images from Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo as well as space-suit prototypes that never made the cut.
Top Photo: The Project Mercury Astronauts, also known as the Mercury 7 Bottom Photo: The front wall of the Flight Control Area featured a large world map display with the path to be followed by the capsule (NASA)
June 13, 1922: Veterans Bureau employee Viola LaLonde and Census Bureau employee Elizabeth Van Tuyl pose beside a Ford automobile before making their cross-country drive from Washington, DC to San Francisco. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Keep in mind, these women crossed the country before the construction of a national highway system. Forget Econolodges and Denny’s restaurants, they packed their own fuel and food, sleeping in the car.
Eisenhower drove cross country on the Lincoln Highway in 1919 as part of an army convoy which took four months to cross the country. The contrast between that experience and his experience driving on the Autobahn during World War II led to Eisenhower’s proposal for a national highway system.
Happy Birthday NASA!
On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act that would result in the creation of NASA.
Lyndon B. Johnson was Senate Majority Leader at the time, and oversaw efforts to pass legislation to accelerate the American space effort.
NASA officially began operations on October 1, 1958.
-from the Presidential Timeline
The U-2 Mission and the Cold War
The U-2 spy plane was designed as a high altitude, single-pilot, single-engine aircraft. It was lightweight, but able to carry a variety of equipment such as multi-sensor cameras, and electro-optic, infrared and radar imagery machines.
Although the plane’s design broke ground in many ways, its main drawback was sluggish flight control due to its landing gear requirements. In case of an emergency ejection, the pilot seat was equipped with a hunting knife, a .22 caliber pistol, a parachute, and a survival pack. An explosive mechanism was installed that would blow up the plane after the pilot ejected.
On May 1, 1960, Captain Francis Gary Powers’ CIA mission was to perform secret aerial reconnaissance by flying over the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact territory. While in flight, a missile hit his plane and Powers was unable to follow the self-destruct protocols. The Soviet Union quickly recovered the wreckage and captured the pilot.
President Eisenhower learned of the missing U-2 plane on May 2. Believing that there was no possibility that Powers could survive a high-altitude missile strike, President Eisenhower gave the order to proceed with releasing a cover story.
-from the Eisenhower Library
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, famed for its reference to the “military-industrial complex,” is one of the most famous speeches in American history. President Eisenhower delivered the speech 51 years ago today, on January 17, 1961.
Dr. Malcolm “Mac” Moos was one of Ike’s speech writers. This letter to Moos from Special Assistant to the President Frederic Fox, provides a glimpse of the brainstorming process that went into the remarks months in advance. In it, Fox recommends George Washington’s Farewell Address as a relevant speech for Moos and the President to read for possible inspiration. Among the ideas, he cites Washington’s warning against “overgrown military establishments.”
Eisenhower’s Farewell Address has been analyzed and debated by historians ever since and the speech drafts, memos, and letters about it are among the most requested records at the Eisenhower Library. You can view many of the Farewell Address documents here.
-from the Eisenhower Library
"General Eisenhower had never met a female photojournalist…" Whew. Glad times have changed.
Obit of the Day: Eisenhower’s First Female Photographer
Patricia Holden really wanted to enlist in the Canadian military but her age prevented her. So instead she lied about her age, but to get around the need to provide a birth certificate she claimed to be from the Isle of Guernsey - which was occupied by the Nazis, making records inaccessible. Brilliant. Holden was recruited into the Royal Air Force’s Women’s Division to train as an aerial photographer, at the age of 17. She began by photographing the damage caused by bombing of London by the Luftwaffe. Later was was given assignments on the ground.
In 1945 she was one of the pool of reporters taking photos of General Dwight Eisenhower and Air Vice-Marshal Robert Leckie, and the only woman. According to the Globe and Mail obituary, General Eisenhower had never met a female photojournalist, so he asked to meet Ms. Holden following the shoot. He later signed a copy of the photo.
She was also in the darkroom at the London Free Press developing the first photos documenting the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The scenes of bodies piled up in the camp, were what Ms. Holden said she remembered most from her wartime service.
When Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, married Prince Phillip in Westminster Abbey, Holden was one of only six photographers allowed into the service.
She returned to Canada in the 1950s and worked for Reuters for a period of time. After marrying advertising executive Arthur Collins she became a photographer for Canada Pictures before leaving photography to raise her five children, as well as taken in pregnant teenager to provide love and support. She died at the age of 87.
(The image of General Eisenhower and Air Vice-Marshal Leckie taken by Holden is courtesy of the Globe and Mail.)
American Public Opinion Index taken after the Soviet launch of Sputnik
"The blame for our missile lag was attributed to the following, in order:
1. Our schools have placed too little stress on science. (69%)
2. We Americans have been too smug and complacent about our national strength. (67%)
3. There’s been too much rivalry between the Army, Navy and Air Force. (63%)
4. We have failed to give scientists the salaries and recognition their importance deserves. (61%)”
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched a satellite into orbit around the earth. The satellite was named Sputnik, Russian for “traveling companion.”
One month later, the Soviets launched Sputnik II, a satellite which carried a dog, Laika, into space. The launch of the two satellites raised fears in America that Soviets could use the methods to launch nuclear weapons against the United States. The Space Race had begun.