The Right Stuff is an eight-part episodic retelling of the historic Mercury 7 mission, available on Disney+ and co-produced by National Geographic - but what happened to astronauts John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and the rest of the Mercury 7 crew? A new adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, which was also adapted into a movie by Philip Kaufman in 1983, Mark Lafferty’s The Right Stuff dramatizes the saga of the first humans who flew into space nearly 60 years ago while exploring the dichotomy between genuine American heroism and the flawed, inner lives of these brave, remarkable star voyagers.
The Mercury Seven were a group of seven astronauts, also referred to as “The Original Seven”, who paved the way for all of NASA’s human spaceflight programs in the 20th century and the years to come. The Original Seven comprised of Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.
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Shepard went on to become the first American to enter space in 1961, while Glenn became the first American in orbit in 1962. The Mercury Seven were decided upon after a grueling selection process, owing to the immense history and legacy that came attached with Project Mercury, and its significance in terms of the Space Race. Here’s what happened to the Mercury Seven astronauts.
John Glenn
Played by Suits star Patrick J. Adams in The Right Stuff, John Glenn was a United States Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, and politician. Prior to joining NASA, Glenn was an esteemed fighter pilot in World War II, having been awarded a string of Air Medals. Selected as one of the Mercury 7 crew in 1962, Glenn visited the Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to make runs on a spaceflight simulator. During NASA’s PR efforts for the Mercury Seven, Glenn was dubbed “the most quotable, the most photogenic...lone Marine” as he inspired the other six to set a moral example for their portrayal in Life Magazine. After the mission, Glenn went on to garner heroic fame as the first American in orbit, while also being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Post resignation from NASA, Glenn flew on the Discovery’s STS-95 mission at age 77, becoming the oldest person to fly in space.
Alan Shepard
Jake McDorman of Shameless fame plays the role of Rear Admiral Alan Shepard, who was an American astronaut, naval aviator, and test pilot, who also walked on the Moon in 1971. In May 1961, he made the first crewed Project Mercury flight, Mercury-Redstone 3, which entered space but was unable to achieve orbit. Shepard was the first space traveler to manually control his craft’s orientation, along with being designated as commander of the Project Gemini mission, which, unfortunately, he couldn’t do due to an inner ear ailment. However, Shepard surgically corrected the same and went on to command the Apollo 14 mission, later becoming the fifth person to walk on the Moon. Post his stint at NASA, Shepard was a fellow of the American Astronautical Society and one of the directors of the National Space Institute.
Gordon Cooper
Gordon ‘Gordo’ Cooper, portrayed by Colin O'Donoghue (known for playing Captain Jones in Once Upon A Time), was a US Air Force pilot and aerospace engineer who served in the Marine Corps during World War II. Cooper piloted the longest Mercury spaceflight, Mercury-Atlas 9, in 1963 - a total of 34 hours in space, despite severe equipment glitches, which he maneuvered through. He also flew as Command Pilot of Gemini 5 along with PilotPete Conrad, wherein the duo set a new space endurance record by traveling 5,331,745 kilometers within 190 hours and 56 minutes. After his retirement from NASA and the Air Force, Gordo became the president of GCR, a company that designed, tested, and raced championship cars.
Scott Carpenter
In The Right Stuff, James Lafferty plays Malcolm Scott Carpenter, who was a naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer, and aquanaut selected for Project Mercury in 1959. Carpenter was the second American to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space, after Shepard, Grissom, and Glenn. While being a naval aviator, he flew a Lockheed P-2 Neptune in anti-submarine warfare missions along the coasts of the Soviet Union. After becoming a test pilot in 1954, Carpenter was named Air Intelligence Officer of USS Hornet and was back up to Glenn during the Mercury-Atlas 6 orbital mission. During the launch of Glenn’s Friendship 7, Carpenter said "Godspeed, John Glenn,", a quote that was included in the voiceovers of the teaser trailer for the 2009 Star Trek film. Then, he joined the U.S. Navy SEALAB as an aquanaut, during which, he suffered multiple injures that hindered him from future space flights. Carpenter eventually became the Director of Aquanaut Operations for SEALAB III.
Gus Grissom
Michael Trotter plays Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, a US Air Force pilot and a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps, who was also a Project Gemini and Apollo program astronaut. Grissom was a World War II and Korean War veteran, who received the Distinguished Flying Cross and earned degrees in engineering and aeromechanics. As a part of the Mercury Seven, Grissom piloted Mercury-Redstone 4, whose capsule hatch blew off prematurely and filled the craft with water as it landed on the Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately, Grissom was retrieved from the craft on time, and when asked about the experience by reporters, he simply stated: "Well, I was scared a good portion of the time; I guess that's a pretty good indication." He also commanded Gemini 3, which became a successful three-orbit mission in 1965. Grissom was also the recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor after his death.
Wally Schirra
Aaron Staton plays Walter Marty Schirra, who was a naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, who flew the six-orbit, nine-hour, Mercury-Atlas mission in a craft named Sigma 7. Throughout his mission, Schirra demonstrated the ability to act as a backup to automatic controls and manually fly the spacecraft, although his key responsibilities lied in maintaining life-support systems and pressurized flight suits. After six orbits, Schirra manually aligned his spacecraft over Africa and performed retrofire. Also a part of the Gemini program, Schirra achieved the first space rendezvous, and in 1968, he commanded Apollo 7, the first crewed launch for the Apollo space program. After this, he retired from NASA and became a consultant for CBS News, joining as co-anchor for all seven Moon landing missions.
Deke Slayton
In The Right Stuff, Micah Stock appears as Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton, a US Air Force pilot and aeronautical engineer, who went on to become NASA’s first Chief of the Astronaut Office and Director of Flight Crew Operations. Slayton served the US Air Force during World War II, later joining the Minnesota Air National Guard after working as an aeronautical engineer. While Slayton was scheduled to pilot the second U.S. crewed orbital spaceflight during the Mercury Seven mission, he couldn’t do so due to irregular heart rhythms. Once he was medically cleared, he flew the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and helped develop the Space Shuttle.
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