Project Mercury Astronauts signed Project Mercury Cachet, Postmarked Feb. 20, 1962, Cape Canaveral, Fl. Boldly signed by all seven astronauts in black and blue ink. Mercury was NASA's inaugural human spaceflight program. The program had two aims: to see if humans could function effectively in space, and to put a man in space before the Soviet Union did. While Mercury failed in the second aim, it did provide the technological basis for more challenging missions in the Gemini and Apollo programs. It also turned the seven original astronauts into superstars. While Mercury is not always well-remembered in space history, it was the foundation for all space missions in the American program. Mercury's surviving astronauts continued to popularize space even after leaving NASA, including writing autobiographies and making public appearances. Its last living astronaut, John Glenn, died of natural causes in December 2016, at age 95. This item has been professionally custom matted and framed. Comes with a Letter of Authentication from Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators, along with the GFA guarantee of authenticity.

Good