Project Mercury: The First Americans in Space

Project Mercury taught NASA a lot about getting people off the surface of Earth and into orbit, and paved the way for all of their future space missions.

----------
Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon:   / scishow  
----------
Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters -- we couldn't make SciShow without them! Shout out to Kathy & Tim Philip, Kevin Bealer, Andreas Heydeck, Thomas J., Accalia Elementia, Will and Sonja Marple. James Harshaw, Justin Lentz, Chris Peters, Bader AlGhamdi, Benny, Tim Curwick, Philippe von Bergen, Patrick Merrithew, Fatima Iqbal, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Patrick D. Ashmore, and charles george.
----------
Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook:   / scishow  
Twitter:   / scishow  
Tumblr:   / scishow  
Instagram:   / thescishow  
----------
Sources:
http://www.space.com/24638-project-me...
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/cas... (page 200)
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://blog.nasm.si.edu/space/why-yur...
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hi...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer...
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacec...
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/m...

Images:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...