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Project Mercury was initiated in 1958 by the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA). After six successful manned flights, and numerous unmanned flights, the program was considered successful and was completed in 1963. It was the United States' first program of manned space flight.
In layman's terms, the specific objectives of Project Mercury were:
- To orbit a manned spacecraft around the Earth.
- To investigate man's ability to function in space.
- To return man safely back to Earth.
To put it more philosophically, the purpose of the Mercury project was to challenge the apparent Soviet dominence in space technology and to begin the human exploration of outer space. For those of vision, it was the birth of a dream.....
Project Mercury ended on a note of glory. The spacecraft had exceeded design specifications.
The Astronauts had established the importance of human pilots and in doing so had become national
heroes.
Critics said that it was a waste of money on an expensive toy. Proponents hailed the superiority
of democracy over communisim and argued that it had already led to new technologies which would
expand the economy and create new wealth for all. A few, the dreamers, quietly said it was the
beginning of man's searcch for his place in the universe.
American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts had crossed the frontier beyond the home planet. The space race was on but more importantly, the door to the cosmos was open.
