Selected from 500 applicants, the Mercury Seven were to be the first Americans in space. Introduced to the world on April 10, 1959, the men considered themselves to be military test pilots but became instant national heroes. However, the men were caught in the middle of the larger Cold War rivalry and space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
NASA, concerned about the growing competition between the two countries, sent this memo regarding the exchange of visits with Russian astronauts, proposing to publicly work with Russia. It said: “Propaganda-wise, we apparently stand to gain a great deal and could lose little or nothing.” Two of the Mercury Seven, Walter M. Schirra and Donald K. Slayton, in an apparent protest to this, crossed their names out and did not sign.
