The Mercury Project
The reason NASA summoned Cooper to come to Washington, D.C., was because he was a potential candidate for the Mercury Project. The project’s intention was to put a person (astronaut) into Earth’s orbit and then return him back to our planet safely. Cooper appeared to be the perfect candidate for the position.
Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Donald Slayton. Photo by Granger / Shutterstock
Gordon was placed on a shortlist of 109 potential contenders. Ultimately, NASA picked Cooper and seven other guys to participate in the project. He conducted his first mission in 1963, and it was aboard the Faith 7 – a tiny craft that the only people who could fit inside must be less than five feet and 11 inches tall.