We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves

by Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John Glenn

The pioneer astronauts who took America into space tell their personal stories about the challenges they faced, their fears, joys, friendships & successes. Chosen from hundreds of crackerjack pilots for their fitness, intelligence & courage, the original Mercury Seven astronauts risked their lives to cross the space frontier. In We Seven they take readers behind the scenes to show them their training, technology & teamwork, & to share personal stories, including the lighter moments of their mission. They bring readers inside the Mercury program, even into the space capsules themselves. We Seven straps you in with the astronauts & rockets you along for the ride. Share Alan Shepard's exhilaration as he breaks thru the earth's atmosphere. Endure moments of panic with Gus Grissom when his hatch blows, stranding him in the open sea. Race with John Glenn as he makes split-second life-or-death maneuvers during reentry, & feel his relief when he emerges safe but drenched with sweat. Despite such heroism, Project Mercury was more than the story of individual missions. It defined the manned space flight program to come, from Gemini thru Apollo. In We Seven America's original astronauts tell us 1sthand about the space program they pioneered, & share with us the hopes of the USA at the dawn of a new era.

Genres: Space, Nonfiction, Biography, Science, History, Memoir, Autobiography

471 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013) was an American test pilot, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959. Carpenter was the second American to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space, following Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and John Glenn.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave to his book 4 stars not because it was all great writing but it was honest or as honest as a bunch of military test pilots turned pioneer astronauts could be. They were asked to do something, go somewhere that no one had ever gone. it was the ground floor of the space program, a time of adventure, risk, challenge, national pride, innocents. it was before tragedy, financial debate, cultural strife, age. All but one of these men is now gone and why they were not perfect they had guts and they challenged a nation to look up at the stars and wonder. might be good for us to do that again.

[Luke Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Had astronauts and space and lots of technical talk, big fan!!

[Nick Penzenstadler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learned the rich details behind the Mercury missions. John Glenn was a complete badass, but the other six were carbon copy explorers that pushed into a new frontier. Book is printed just after the missions, so comes with a 1961 perspective. I've been on a space kick recently with Hidden Figures and re-watching Apollo 13.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It might be fair to say that I grew up with the Vietnam War and the space race, both of them substantially consequences of the Cold War. The space race came first, with the launching of Sputnik by the USSR in 1957 and of Yuri Gagarin in 1961. Both were much discussed, in the media and in school. Indeed, the school curriculum changed as the result of these and other Soviet firsts. Science and mathematics got more attention. Textbooks were supplemented by hastily printed materials about things like rocketry. I personally became much involved with reading what I could acquire about space and aeronautics and developed the habit of voraciously reading science fiction books.

By 1964, when I actually read this 1962 book, I knew, in order, every manned space flight, Soviet or American. I had seen most of the U.S. countdowns, Mother letting me be late to school on several occasions as they dragged on and on. I'd even seen the Vostok 3 and 4 launchings in 1962 as I was in Norway at the time and Oslo television covered the Soviet program with as much attention as they did the American. Thus, when somehow a paperback copy of 'We Seven' appeared at grandmother's cottage in SW Michigan, I read it with patriotic avidity.

Within a year, in April of 1965, my patriotism was quelled by the U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic. I had just written a glowing paper about our efforts in Vietnam, my research being primarily based on reading memoirs of Americans who had "served" there, but what I read about our support for the military dictatorship in the D.R. in the mainstream press got me to start thinking that maybe the activities of the government of the U.S.A. weren't always benign. Arguments with Dad and my grandfather, arguments in which I took the side of the State Department, led me to rethink a lot of things.

After that the space program lost its luster. I still followed it, but with much less enthusiasm, much more concern about the geopolitical and military aspects. Science, too, became of less concern as my interests grew in the direction of history and political science. Science fiction, a broad genre representing diverse viewpoints, many of them quite critical of the status quo, continued, however, to occupy much of my free time.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But we figured that since we had to fly to the capsule, it ought to be something that we wanted, not just something that satisfied the slide-rule pilots. We had all been working test pilots long enough to know that the engineering fraternity was capable of designing an aircraft which was perfect so far as the theories involved were concerned, but which no pilot could possibly fly."

"Now that we have it, the capsule has proven to be such an uncanny gadget that there are literally thousands of people- including the seven of us- who are huddling over each new model and tracing back through all of the seven miles of wire and all the tubes and circuits trying to find out exactly what it is that we have created."

"We set the hurdles and knocked over a few again. We knocked over fewer hurdles with each new test, however. We were learning how to do it, and considering the timetable we had set ourselves, we were not doing too badly at all."

"The very fact that John had serious trouble on his flight but went on to overcome it nailed down two extremely important points for us. First, it proved that man does belong in space and that a human being who has stamina, intelligence and curiosity is the best of all possible instruments for bringing back knowledge of our environment. The flight also proved that the systems we were considering to help conquer space were reliable and sound- provided there was a man aboard to make them work."

"I was amazed at my own calm. I felt a certain detachment, as if I could stand a little to one side and watch myself get ready. ...Perhaps this detachment is a defense against fear, much the way shock is a defense against pain."

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was walking through the library at the high school and ran across this book while I was putting others back. I had recently finished watching a series on National Geographic about the Mercury 7 and really enjoyed it. Then when I saw the book, I knew that I had to read it.

It was an enjoyable read if you like history and the accounts of how things went down. It is full of technical terms and scientific information that the 7 astronauts gained from their experiences throughout that process of sending a man into space. It was great to read their perspectives and how it changed their lives and how they worked together as a team to start this scary unknown process.

I highly recommend if you are into space and/or history. I enjoyed it.

[Mitchell Weiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book about the birth of the American space program and the seven men eventually chosen for the first American manned space flight which would be known as the Apollo program. Each astronaut has written a biographical chapter that does include a lot of technical jargon but is ultimately heartwarming, terrifying and thrilling in the end.

Despite the technical language and age of the book, it was written in 1962, it is a very easy and quick read and as compelling as any modern nonfiction book you will read !

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was originally published in 1962, when I was seven. These seven men were real life superheroes to me then (and still are even though none of them are still with us). The experiences of being thrown into space in the astronauts’ own words is awesome. The descriptions of early 60’s technology from today’s perspective will sometimes bring a smile to your face, but it becomes one of the demonstrations as to how NASA pushed technology forward. A fascinating read that I should have taken on years ago.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been born about two months before the moon landing, I have always been intrigued by the space program and especially the Mercury astronauts who started it all. This is a wonderful book written in the early 60's by the astronauts themselves and does a great job of explaining how they were all chosen and how working as a team they accomplished so much together in so little time... Recommend to anyone who is interested in NASA and the astronauts !!!

[The Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Godspeed John Glenn. Before they could fly in space, they had to invent the way to get there safely. This book focuses on the challenge, the celebrity and the ingenuity of the Mercury Seven. An awesome read for all space buffs.

[Bharat Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good book and provides an amazing insight of the time and who the astronauts truly were and how they felt: highly recommended

[Dave Ciskowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the original seven Mercury astronauts. Published in 1962, shortly after Scott Carpenter’s flight, the second orbital Mercury flight, the book was written by the astronauts themselves, but was put together by Life magazine. Focused on the Mercury program, it includes only a short autobiographical summary of each astronaut, and instead focuses on the development of the Mercury program and the activities the astronauts carried out to prepare for space flight. It’s quite interesting to see the space program from an intimate perspective so early in its development, and the book is at its best when exploring the decisions and details at the beginnings of manned space flight. It is however mixed at how open it can be about such things; the astronauts of course want to put the most positive spin on everything, and the reader feels the presence of public relations participation behind their words. Definitely interesting for readers with a fascination for the early days of spaceflight.

[Kyle Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Seven points out the perspective of project Mercury from 7 ordinary military personnel. Scott Carpenter writes in a way that steadily keeps the reader involved with the literature with the enticement of how extraordinary the event was in the eyes of people everywhere in 1961. The typical person to a full blown astronaut creates a relativity to the reader that depicts the astronauts as deities for their accomplishments, but also as your everyday Joe. The book was well written through experience from their perspectives as well as quite informational about modern day technological developments in the twentieth century. The space race with the USSR at the time was also implemented with the hardships that were encountered by everyone involved in the astronomical journey. Carpenter does a superb job with historical accuracy as well as keeping the reader involved because of being able to tell the experience from a personal perspective making the read a worthwhile opportunity.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1962 by the first astronauts to enter space, to orbit. Test pilots, engineers, physicians, coders, name it- a literal cast of thousands all over the world made rocket tests and manned orbital missions happen. Blow by blow by an extraordinarily unified team of the best of the best with a dedication to complete success and safety I never realized existed. Being brought back, as a reader, to 1962 alone was worth the read. And the narratives are glib, eloquent, technical and human all at once. -probably because the astronauts chosen were chosen for those very qualities as a survival and success measure for the missions themselves. Picked up at a thrift shop, in original hard cover. What a delight.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) These are the portraits of the Mercury astronauts primarily from their own perspectives, detailing the selection, training, and selection process for the early missions of the Mercury program. Each provides a unique perspective on the program and their thoughts about becoming astronauts and the impact on their lives and families. The book includes photos over the course of the time of the program. It provides an intriguing historical view of the times and culture of the United States.

[Ryan Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Seven is a book telling the stories of the seven astronauts launched in the mission Project Mercury. It tells several stories from all seven astronauts perspectives, all their struggles, and successes. It immediately attaches you to the people talked about through the book and keeps you attached. If you want a good, factual, and interesting read, I definitely recommend this book. I give this 4/5 stars.

[John Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book accounts for Mercury's first two sub-orbital missions and the first two orbital flights. The accounts are by all seven, but mostly from those directly involved in the missions, therefore the pilot and the back-up pilot. It is a nice account of each flight and the presence behind the wheel so to speak. It definitely shows how much there was to know and the heights to which many of us will never achieve, let alone whiff.

[Hannah Pitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful educational read of the pioneers of space. I learnt a lot from this book and am looking forward to reading more about the space race.
Amazing to think of the scientific and technological advances that we could achieve then and now.
Accompany this with Hidden Figures and you’ll get a real sense of the success that mankind achieved!

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are parts that can be difficult to read for the common folk like me. After all, it is written by astronauts! However, the majority (and of course, the subject) is so fascinating. I also really enjoyed that it was written in then, before Apollo. It's interesting to read their thoughts before they knew the future of space travel.

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting to read the astronaut's own thoughts and feelings about heading into space when no Americans had previously done that, and all the preparations they had to make to do it were amazing. I enjoyed the first half in particular. The second included a great deal of very technical material that I confess I ended up skimming though. But it also included the first-hand narratives of Shepherd, Glenn, Grissom, and Carpenter's flights, which were excellent reads.

[Ali Kutner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Didn't want to put it down! Great intro book into the genre of space travel- can't wait to read more! I thought the book taught just enough about each of the seven astronauts to bring an element of humanity to what they were doing.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this one up a long time ago and have been reading it on and off ever since. It is a wonderful read for space program fans. I thoroughly enjoyed reading what amounts to a behind the scenes look at an incredible group of men written in their own words.

[Gulo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A plethora of details on the Mercury missions, including the first-hand accounts about how each of the astronauts were picked from the U.S. military for NASA; a truly special and worthwhile book in that right. John Glenn; a combat-experienced Marine aviator, all-around juggernaut, the oldest of the group and (not covered in the book) the longest-lived; was the most interesting to me by far. While not very challenging on its own, will serve as a springboard for many other personal research ‘trails.’

[Mark Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Project Mercury by the Astronauts themselves. In depth history that is fascinating to fans of the space programs. All of them had a hand in some aspect of Project Mercury. A must read to fans of the early missions to space.

[Jeff G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gift from my grandfather years ago. I finally read it after many, many years. It’s a first hand account of the mercury missions from the astronauts themselves. A classic American account from real American heros.

Highly recommend it to any space or history buffs.

[James Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book about the Mercury program by the 7 astronauts themselves.

[Bryan Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts. These were extraordinary men doing amazing things. Written by the astronauts themselves.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by the Mercury astronauts themselves during the time between the Mercury and Gemini missions. Very interesting to read today with the benefit of hindsight.

[Scott Umphrey]

Very awesome book. Well edited.

[Bruce Chestnutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book. I especially enjoyed the John Glen and Scott Carpenter chapters where they described in detail their space orbits.