L. Gordon Cooper (1927–2004)

I really enjoyed this book. Lengthy descriptions of so many aspects of getting humans into space. This was the Mercury Project from the point of view of the initial seven astronauts selected, from 1959 to 1962, and covered the first four Americans in Space. From the psychology tests to lying in a capsule, absolutely gripping reading. I wished the book carried on to the end of the project to include the last two manned flights. I found it useful to watch the old period videos of television show more coverage at the time. Sometimes it seemed I was learning rocket-science. I wonder what the "Voss Meter" actually looked like? Interesting to compare this book to "Starman : Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin", some major obvious similarities, but We Seven is much more detailed and personal. show less

A collection of memoirs "by THE ASTRONAUTS themselves" (it says so on the cover) from the original Mercury 7 in 1962. A fascinating historical account of their backgrounds (including John Glenn's Korean war stories), training (including the MASTIF device in Cleveland that spins you on three axes simultaneously - even the expression head over heels doesn't do it justice), technical information about the capsule and boosters (you have to keep reminding yourself what they called a computer was show more in the early 60s), and tense descriptions of the ballistic and orbital missions with all of the various human and mechanical malfunctions. Not that easy to read since the authors were engineers and all had the same outlook, and the book must have passed through some editor or ghostwriter's hands since there is a slightly numbing uniformity. show less

I read The Right Stuff immediately before reading this book, and the differences between the two are fascinating. The Right Stuff seems to be a much more honest description of the astronauts in the Mercury program and of the program itself, but We Seven is completely sanitized.

Gordon Cooper, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, reveals behind-the-scenes events of the early days of NASA’s space program and takes a look at what might be the next millennium of space travel.

Cooper, along with the other six Mercury astronauts, came to NASA following a distinguished career as a test pilot. “Leap of Faith” promises readers a journey to places they’ve never been before as the space pioneer takes them into the cockpits of airplanes and spacecraft.

Highly show more recommended. show less