“Seven Men Emerged From This Competitive Purgatory As The As The Project Mercury Astronauts… This

Antics aboard Skylab, 1973

(credit to the owners)

Jim Lovell describes the wonders of having to go the bathroom in space (x)

(credit to the owners)

Here's my entry to They Draw & Travel's "Out of This World" competition

The new Nine (credit to NASA)

(Credit to NASA/Life/owners)

(Credit to the owners)

“Gus helped me, to no end, backing me up in Gemini as I backed him up in Gemini. We worked very closely on the Apollo flight. I was his next door neighbor and then I had to be the executor of his will. He was a very close friend to all of us.” -Wally Schirra

“I remember being impressed with Gus as an individual and as a pilot… Gus was willing to join the group and he pulled his weight in the boat. He was considered a great pilot, enthusiastic and competitive like the rest of us. I guess the thing I’ll remember the most about Gus was the sacrifice he made for the program… The human element and frailties come to the surface and we have a tragic combination of things, which took the life of our buddy.” -Alan Shepard

“I agree with everything everybody said about Gus. He was a good friend to all of us… Gus unfortunately had to sacrifice his life for one of those human errors that let us then step ahead to another level.” -John Glenn

“We’re kind of like a bunch of brothers. We’re quite close.” -Gordo Cooper

“Gus didn’t say a lot, but when he did speak, it was worth listening to… I think we all take the same chances. But we’re all subject to human frailty, if not our own, that of others… It was dangerous but it hadn’t hurt us so we kept doing it. That was dead wrong and it took that tragedy to make it safe. So complacency causes great difficulty, but the end result is that it leads to progress.” -Scott Carpenter

“We miss him.” -Deke Slayton

Revisiting those super-awkward, semi-escandaloso photos of John and his wife, in bed, from LIFE in 1963. I sort of can’t believe these were taken, because that seems racy for the time, even though John apparently wore all of his clothes to bed. 

Barbara Young: Hon, what are you reading?

John Young: Now don’t you worry that purty l’il head of yours. Go put on some lipstick or somethin’. Heh heh heh!