| The Mercury 7 |
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| Gus Grissom |
| Wally Schirra |
| Al Shepard |
| Gordo Cooper |
| John Glenn |
| Deke Slayton |
| Scott Carpenter |
| Slayton-Though grounded, he put himself into space more than two dozen times by selecting superb crews for crucial missions. |
| Grissom-I think Gus did a superb job in Mercury and Gemini. Based on both what I've read and face-to-face questioning of both Gordon and Chris Kraft, I believe that they are absolutely convinced that he didn't accidentally open the hatch on Liberty Bell 7 (and thats good enough for me). Given that he was CDR of Apollo 1, I have to believe he was one of the most talented of the bunch. |
| Cooper-He's definately a 'seat of the pants' pilot, but he seems to have given it his all during the Mercury and Gemini programs and really came through in some difficult situations. |
| Grissom- I think Gus Grissom was the best. Devoted to the program, smart, hard working, great pilot, leadreship and determination. |
| Glenn-The man would have loved to fly more missions if they had let him. He wore the mantle of hero well. |
| Schirra-Nerves of steel. Always the flawless mission. I think on his Apollo flight the pressure of years of training got to him. |
| Slayton-He got grounded by idiot NASA doctors in the 60's, at least he won in the end. |
| Schirra-Gemini 7/6 was the mission that put us ahead for good in the space race. |
| Grissom-He wouldn't have gotten the first Gemini and Apollo if he wasn't the best. Tom Wolfe can go to hell. |
| Shepard-First American in space. |
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| Cooper-Flew two great missions during Mercury and Gemini but never realised his full potential as an Apollo commander. |
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