Project Mercury - 1959 | Movietone Moment | 9 April 2021

On this day in 1959, NASA introduced America’s first astronauts to the world. Here is a British Movietone report covering Project Mercury, America’s first manned space program. Atlas rocket being taken from the plane. Rocket on the truck being towed to the launching site. Glenn looking over the rocket. Rocket being raised into the gantry. Capsule being towed to rocket. Hoisting capsule to top of the rocket. Lt Colonel John Glenn, Mercury 6 astronaut, on the platform. Glenn looks equipment over. Glenn climbs into the capsule. Glenn in capsule checks equipment. CUs Glenn. Control room and equipment. The race to put the first men on the Moon is a race between the United States and Russia. Certain stages have to be accomplished before a moon-shot, and a Russian had already orbited the Earth, when American astronaut, Lieutenant-Colonel John Glenn prepared for his attempt. His mission now was to orbit the Earth three times in about five hours. The training involved going through the motions time after time. Anoth