55 years ago yesterday. 4/9/59.

[SkyMan]

Oooops, I'm a little slow off the mark. Obviously I should have posted this yesterday. Oh well.

 

On April 9, 1959 NASA introduced it's first astronaut class. The class consisted of 7 individuals; Scott Carpenter, "Gordo" Cooper, John Glenn, "Gus" Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and "Deke" Slayton. Given that they were going to fly America's first spacecraft, the Mercury capsule, they became known as the Mercury 7.

 

Of all the coins carried aboard all of America's spacecraft, probably the most famous/infamous are the dimes Gus Grissom carried aboard Liberty Bell 7 in July 1961. Here are some pix of my piece. Late last year, I had a request from an author that is well known in the space field to use these pix in his book about Liberty Bell 7 and I OK'ed it. The coin is attributed to the SkyMan1958 collection.

 

Post a coin from 1959 or something related to space.

 

Front row left to right; Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Carpenter. Back row left to right Shepard, Grissom, Cooper.

 

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

[RWB]

Is John Glenn the only remaining Mercury 7 astronaut?

[CaptHenway]

Uh, 50 years???

 

[SkyMan]

Uh, 50 years???

 

Whoops. Meant to say 55 and I spaced. It's too early in the morning. Good catch. I'll edit the title.

[RWB]

For the astronauts, time dialation caused them to experience only 50 years, not the 55 us ordinary mortals lived through. At least that what my editor, Ivan Dogski, PhD says....

 

 

[CaptHenway]

The sad thing is, I remember seeing their introduction on the news....

[SkyMan]

Is John Glenn the only remaining Mercury 7 astronaut?

 

Yes, John Glenn is the only surviving Mercury 7 astronaut, and he was born in 1921.

 

Good point about the time dilation!

[RWB]

Glenn and Eric Newman should get to know one another. If Newman were sent into space at a high enough velocity Glenn could wipe out the 10-year age difference in "no time."

[illini420]

Very cool!

 

My local coin club was organized in March of 1959 and had our first full meeting in April 1959.

 

We had some medals made up this year for our 55th anniversary in copper, silver and gold... they came out really pretty:

 

[Walkerfan]

SUPER COOL!

 

BRAVE Souls!

 

Interesting dime----what is it's market value as a space collectible?

[johnny9434]

Uh, 50 years???

 

Whoops. Meant to say 55 and I spaced. It's too early in the morning. Good catch. I'll edit the title.

it happens to the best of us.

[SkyMan]

SUPER COOL!

 

BRAVE Souls!

 

Interesting dime----what is it's market value as a space collectible?

 

 

Ballpark figure around $3,000. There are 100 known, Grissom carried two rolls with him. All the ones that I've seen are 1961-D.

 

[WoodenJefferson]

Now you made me feel really old sitting there behind my desk, folded hands on top so the teacher could see that there was no shenanigans going on, all in our places with bright shining faces, listening to the school PA system of the launch on radio. At the time, we knew history was being made but did not realize the magnitude it would have on history itself, a true American moment. (even though the Ruskies beat us into space, America finally had its day and set sight on a much larger target, the Moon)

[CaptHenway]

The used to bring TV's into our homerooms so we could watch the Mercury launches. History lessons at their finest!

[DWLange]

I remember the TV set being wheeled into my California classroom so we could watch the launches from distant Florida, where I now live. These were the Gemini flights, however. I'm not an old man like Tom.