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Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War
A riveting history of the epic orbital flight that put America back into the space race.
If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War—a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing.
On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."
If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War—a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing.
On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."
416 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2021
178 people are currently reading
1760 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Shesol
8 books37 followersJeff Shesol is the author of Supreme Power and of Mutual Contempt, a study of Lyndon Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy. He was a speechwriter in the Clinton administration and lives in Washington, DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
November 26, 2022
"Until [astronaut] John Glenn had been sent into space and had come back alive, [President John F.] Kennedy was not going to stand before the nation and declare himself gratified." -- on page 221
I am finding it difficult to assign an appropriate rating to Mercury Rising. While I think it's a sort of 'can't miss' tome for followers of mid-20th century U.S. history, President Kennedy's 'New Frontier' era, and/or the 'space race' of the 1960's (I'm all three), others may find it a bit slow or dry in its detailed focus on the build-up and the successful execution of astronaut John Glenn's spaceflight mission back in February 1962. (He was the first American to finally orbit our planet, arguably then evening the score somewhat with the Soviet Union's heralded efforts at that time.) At a phase when America's experimental rockets were exploding on the launchpad and/or shortly after liftoff those intrepid 'Mercury 7' astronauts were truly putting their lives on the line for NASA, just like they had during their earlier military piloting days in wartime air combat. The narrative is at its best when it drives home, although not any heavy-handed manner, just how much things could've or almost did go wrong for the Marine Corps veteran, as well as the political battles occurring behind the scenes.
I am finding it difficult to assign an appropriate rating to Mercury Rising. While I think it's a sort of 'can't miss' tome for followers of mid-20th century U.S. history, President Kennedy's 'New Frontier' era, and/or the 'space race' of the 1960's (I'm all three), others may find it a bit slow or dry in its detailed focus on the build-up and the successful execution of astronaut John Glenn's spaceflight mission back in February 1962. (He was the first American to finally orbit our planet, arguably then evening the score somewhat with the Soviet Union's heralded efforts at that time.) At a phase when America's experimental rockets were exploding on the launchpad and/or shortly after liftoff those intrepid 'Mercury 7' astronauts were truly putting their lives on the line for NASA, just like they had during their earlier military piloting days in wartime air combat. The narrative is at its best when it drives home, although not any heavy-handed manner, just how much things could've or almost did go wrong for the Marine Corps veteran, as well as the political battles occurring behind the scenes.
April 15, 2022
Upon picking this one up (after taking a moment to appreciate the fantastic cover), my initial thought was that this was going to overlap too much with "The Right Stuff'- and likely pale in comparison. In actuality, however, it serves as a perfect companion piece to Wolfe's work.
Whereas Wolfe focused on the careers of test pilots and the Mercury 7 astronauts, "Mercury Rising" focuses primarily on the career of John Glenn and the geopolitical impact of the space race during the darkest days of the Cold War. Shesol does all of this without losing the human aspect of the story: the relationships and competition between the seven astronauts, the game of politics that embroiled NASA during the Mercury program, and the emotional stress that was put on the families of the astronauts. It is a moving read. Even though we know the outcome before we open to the first page, Shesol creates an element of suspense that only an excellent historian can do. Easily a five star read.
Whereas Wolfe focused on the careers of test pilots and the Mercury 7 astronauts, "Mercury Rising" focuses primarily on the career of John Glenn and the geopolitical impact of the space race during the darkest days of the Cold War. Shesol does all of this without losing the human aspect of the story: the relationships and competition between the seven astronauts, the game of politics that embroiled NASA during the Mercury program, and the emotional stress that was put on the families of the astronauts. It is a moving read. Even though we know the outcome before we open to the first page, Shesol creates an element of suspense that only an excellent historian can do. Easily a five star read.
July 25, 2021
I've always been fascinated by the Mercury space program: I loved every page of THE RIGHT STUFF. So, I savored Jeff Shesol's focus on John Glenn and John Kennedy, and what the first orbital mission meant to them -- and, yes, to America. For a story in which we know the ending, there was a lot of tension. (Also? My apologies for only reviewing this now. I finished it weeks ago. So sorry!)
May 17, 2021
A unique look at a pivotal event in the United States, MERCURY RISING, by Jeff Shesol, looks at the men and the politics of John Glenn's historic first American space orbit on February 20th, 1962. Rather than considering this monumental accomplishment from a scientific and mechanical point of view, Shesol looks at the people and the climate first and the technical part second. That being said, Shesol thoroughly describes the technical aspects of space flight, the ships used, and everything else that comes with space travel and covers those topics in ways that unscientific minds can understand. The focus of the book is mostly on Glenn, Kennedy, and the space race itself. I enjoyed reading about all of the politics along with Glenn's personal journey, but there are times in the book that just felt a little redundant. The delays before Glenn's launch to space generated frustration throughout the country, from politicians, to reporters, to Glenn, and even the general public. The book spend a lot of time taking the reader through each delay and it felt like I was reading the same few pages over and over again for a while. At the end though, when Shesol walks the reader through that amazing voyage, he expertly and efficiently describes everything, from the ship, to Glenn's perceptions and feelings, to everyone on earth's reactions to such an astounding flight.
For someone who was not around in 1962, I feel like I can better appreciate everything that led up to that first flight and how it impacted the world now that I have read this book.
Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company, Jeff Shesol, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
For someone who was not around in 1962, I feel like I can better appreciate everything that led up to that first flight and how it impacted the world now that I have read this book.
Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company, Jeff Shesol, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
June 14, 2021
A Memory
As a witness to some of the events and opinions
presented in this book, I found myself completely
returned to my early teens when my dad, Walt
Williams, packed us up and moved east to work
on Project Mercury. We left our home in Lancaster,
California and he left the High Speed Flight Center, the NACA facility at Edwards Air Force Base where
he had been its founding Director and the NACA lead since 1946 to join Mercury which at the time had a dubious future. Late summer 1959 was interrupted by continuous pressure from NASA (NACA rechristened and endowed with a politically appointed administrator) through Abe Silverstein’s
endless phone calls that managed to interrupt family dinner nearly every night. When he finally
accepted the job to help get Mercury organized,
he knew he had to have the assurance that he had
the authority as well as the responsibility for
what he was taking on. He insisted on the title
of Associate Director to Bob Gilruth the Director,
and the additional specific title of Operations Director. The chain of command
was always clear from the start. Chris Kraft was
very well thought of by my dad, especially in the
early days which was to a large extent why Mr.
Kraft was the Flight Director. He saw him as talented and ambitious, a tiger. The move east meant returning to Langley Field after leaving
in 1946 to be the chief NACA engineer on the X-1
at age 27 and giving up his extensive roll
in the development of the X-15 just as the big
engine was being employed to eventually produce
the flights that exceeded 4000 mph and 50 mile
heights. He left lost friends like Howard Lilly and
Iven Kinchloe and living pilots like Joe Walker ,
Neil Armstrong, Jack Mckay, and Stan Butchart.
Kenny Kleinknecht, Gerry Truzinski, Marty Burns
and Dick Day came with him as a unit of engineers
and in the case of Mr. Burns, irreplaceable administrative officer.
One last point. I have cherished memories of a few
Sundays after we had moved to Silver Springs when we drove over to John Glenn’s home in Alexandria
to spend part of the afternoon and to drop my
dad off to drive down to Langley with Colonel Glenn. Whatever anyone else may think of John
Glenn he was to me very much the real deal. He
actually spoke to me and listened to what I had to
say. His kids especially Lynn who was closer to my
age were welcoming and fun, but my best memory
was of Annie Glenn who I will always regard as s magical person. Yes her stutter made it hard for her
but she was enchanting. Very dark eyes and features with a blinding smile and a radiant kindness. Later, on the day of President Kennedy’s
Inauguration my mother, my sister and I went to the
parade on that crystal cold day and sat with Lynn and Annie in rickety bleachers near the Treasury
building.
When my dad died in 1995, I called Senator Glenn
at his office and he immediately took the call and
very much knew just who I was and said he would
let the Mercury veterans know.
After a number of years working at Aerospace
Corporation my dad returned to NASA in 1974
as Chief Engineer, a new position, to help straighten
out the Shuttle which was stalled in development.
As a witness to some of the events and opinions
presented in this book, I found myself completely
returned to my early teens when my dad, Walt
Williams, packed us up and moved east to work
on Project Mercury. We left our home in Lancaster,
California and he left the High Speed Flight Center, the NACA facility at Edwards Air Force Base where
he had been its founding Director and the NACA lead since 1946 to join Mercury which at the time had a dubious future. Late summer 1959 was interrupted by continuous pressure from NASA (NACA rechristened and endowed with a politically appointed administrator) through Abe Silverstein’s
endless phone calls that managed to interrupt family dinner nearly every night. When he finally
accepted the job to help get Mercury organized,
he knew he had to have the assurance that he had
the authority as well as the responsibility for
what he was taking on. He insisted on the title
of Associate Director to Bob Gilruth the Director,
and the additional specific title of Operations Director. The chain of command
was always clear from the start. Chris Kraft was
very well thought of by my dad, especially in the
early days which was to a large extent why Mr.
Kraft was the Flight Director. He saw him as talented and ambitious, a tiger. The move east meant returning to Langley Field after leaving
in 1946 to be the chief NACA engineer on the X-1
at age 27 and giving up his extensive roll
in the development of the X-15 just as the big
engine was being employed to eventually produce
the flights that exceeded 4000 mph and 50 mile
heights. He left lost friends like Howard Lilly and
Iven Kinchloe and living pilots like Joe Walker ,
Neil Armstrong, Jack Mckay, and Stan Butchart.
Kenny Kleinknecht, Gerry Truzinski, Marty Burns
and Dick Day came with him as a unit of engineers
and in the case of Mr. Burns, irreplaceable administrative officer.
One last point. I have cherished memories of a few
Sundays after we had moved to Silver Springs when we drove over to John Glenn’s home in Alexandria
to spend part of the afternoon and to drop my
dad off to drive down to Langley with Colonel Glenn. Whatever anyone else may think of John
Glenn he was to me very much the real deal. He
actually spoke to me and listened to what I had to
say. His kids especially Lynn who was closer to my
age were welcoming and fun, but my best memory
was of Annie Glenn who I will always regard as s magical person. Yes her stutter made it hard for her
but she was enchanting. Very dark eyes and features with a blinding smile and a radiant kindness. Later, on the day of President Kennedy’s
Inauguration my mother, my sister and I went to the
parade on that crystal cold day and sat with Lynn and Annie in rickety bleachers near the Treasury
building.
When my dad died in 1995, I called Senator Glenn
at his office and he immediately took the call and
very much knew just who I was and said he would
let the Mercury veterans know.
After a number of years working at Aerospace
Corporation my dad returned to NASA in 1974
as Chief Engineer, a new position, to help straighten
out the Shuttle which was stalled in development.
June 4, 2021
“Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War”, by Jeff Shesol, is a pretty terrific account of the late 1950’s when the Us and USSR began the “space race”. The Soviets, led by Nikita Khrushchev, and the US, led first by Dwight Eisenhower and then by John Kennedy, began by sending up space “stuff” - first inanimate objects, then animals and, finally, men. The Soviets always seemed to be first; they didn’t seem to have the problems the US in orbital flight. But their program received government funding and support, whereas ours was always sort of haphazardly run.
But then, in the late 1950s, seven men were chosen in the new Mercury program. All seven were fighter jet pilots, along with having some scientific abilities. “First” among equals, though, was John Glenn. The Boy Scout son every mother would be proud of, Glenn, soon became the face of the chosen group.
Jeff Shesol’s book looks at those in the front of the Mercury program, as well as those behind the scenes. But John Glenn, space man and future Senator from Ohio, stands out. He really was the “Mercury Rising”. The book is extremely well written. It’s relatively short -300 or so pages - but he tells his story quite skillfully. It was a pleasure to read.
But then, in the late 1950s, seven men were chosen in the new Mercury program. All seven were fighter jet pilots, along with having some scientific abilities. “First” among equals, though, was John Glenn. The Boy Scout son every mother would be proud of, Glenn, soon became the face of the chosen group.
Jeff Shesol’s book looks at those in the front of the Mercury program, as well as those behind the scenes. But John Glenn, space man and future Senator from Ohio, stands out. He really was the “Mercury Rising”. The book is extremely well written. It’s relatively short -300 or so pages - but he tells his story quite skillfully. It was a pleasure to read.
September 22, 2022
This book is basically a detailed (and well footnoted) reporting of the space program, its politics, and John Glenn’s involvement in it up through John Glenn’s 1962 Mercury spaceflight where he orbits the earth. The author evidently had access to a lot of information that previous authors of the subject did not.
Halfway through this book I would’ve given it a three star rating because it was a bit tedious reading about the details of the space program, but I came to appreciate it much more by the ending. I loved the photos.
I also thought this book gave the reader a great appreciation of just how tenuous of a prospect was the idea of putting a person on top of a rocket and setting it up into space and that’s the reason that they used fighter pilots for the first astronauts. I also enjoyed the portions of the book that described John Glenn’s days as a fighter pilot for the United States Marines. All in all this book is a welcome respite from all the “Right Stuff“ media fluff. If you’re a United States history buff or Space buff, this book is required reading.
Halfway through this book I would’ve given it a three star rating because it was a bit tedious reading about the details of the space program, but I came to appreciate it much more by the ending. I loved the photos.
I also thought this book gave the reader a great appreciation of just how tenuous of a prospect was the idea of putting a person on top of a rocket and setting it up into space and that’s the reason that they used fighter pilots for the first astronauts. I also enjoyed the portions of the book that described John Glenn’s days as a fighter pilot for the United States Marines. All in all this book is a welcome respite from all the “Right Stuff“ media fluff. If you’re a United States history buff or Space buff, this book is required reading.
August 23, 2021
Mercury rising was a good book. Once I started reading it. I realized that I already knew a lot about the space race. A must read for anyone who likes history
April 3, 2022
Really enjoyed this as I lived thru it with my Dad who was a NASA engineer.
September 17, 2022
What a book! I loved hearing more about John Glenn and how he became the face of the space race. (I want to re-watch Apollo 13 and I'm in the middle of the Apple+ series, For All Mankind!)
October 20, 2021
I’m not actually that interested in space, though I have caught a bit of the bug by watching For All Mankind. What intrigued me about this book is learning that John F. Kennedy and many other politicians didn’t think it was that important, but they came to see how it was politically powerful tool for galvanizing the country. John Glenn, the main focus of this book, had that visionary power sooner and cared greatly about exploring space. But the space program is also one of many microcosms showing how science and engineers can forget the humanity of the people in these programs. What I will probably remember the most is that tension between the test pilots, fighting for agency, and the engineers, who saw the astronauts as interfering with the perfection of their scientific achievement.
June 17, 2021
I grew up watching Project Mercury unfold and followed every Gemini mission and all of the Apollo missions. I have a cousin who flew on the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station - twice. I went to the Kennedy Space Center for one of his launches. I thought I knew a lot about the U.S. space program - until I read this book. I was blown away by the level of insight and detail into all aspects of Project Mercury , NASA, and the politics and geo-politics associated with the Space program in this book. And to top-it-off, its extremely well written and a pleasure to read.
August 10, 2022
A good book with great pacing and a compelling narrative. Shesol doesn’t bog you down with the technical details of flight which is great for the novice space enthusiast. I wish there was more of an analysis in how Glenn’s flight changed (or reorientated) the American spirit in the Space Race than the brief 2 paragraphs that’s tacked on the end chapters.
Good book I highly recommended for those just getting into Spaceflight history.
Good book I highly recommended for those just getting into Spaceflight history.
June 29, 2021
Insightful but Not Inspirational
Very fact heavy narration of the early days of the USA space program. Lots of interesting, little known background information but it didn’t quite come across as captivating and exciting. More of a Cold War snapshot than space story.
Very fact heavy narration of the early days of the USA space program. Lots of interesting, little known background information but it didn’t quite come across as captivating and exciting. More of a Cold War snapshot than space story.
June 17, 2022
4.5 Stars - fascinating read about the first years of the space race with a focus on John Glenn and the first American orbits of the planet. I loved the story and especially the later chapters that read like a novel. Even knowing the end result, I couldn't help but turn pages to find out what happened next. I knew little about Glenn outside of his historic trip, but now I want to read more about him and the American space program.
June 21, 2021
The story of John Glenn in the lens of his personality and President Kennedy’s and how they influenced the spirit of Americans in their battle in the Cold War. It is interesting but didn’t catch me as other books about John Glenn have.
March 16, 2022
If you are a fan of the early 1960’s, the mercury project or the political climate of the time then this is an excellent book. Good flow with lots information about John Glenn, JFK, and the Soviet space program. It’s amazing how close the US government was to shutting the whole program down because leadership didn’t see how important it was to the country and scientific exploration.
Godspeed, John Glenn
Godspeed, John Glenn
August 7, 2022
(Audio) This was not all that interesting and I’m glad the overbearing shopkeeper’s general attitude dissuaded me from buying anything from her store, including this book
February 10, 2023
Very well written. Told like a story, but still included plenty of science and technology information. Still felt the apprehension, then relief, and then excitement during John Glenn's flight.
June 11, 2024
This is by far one of my new favorite books. It does what I would like a lot of books about scientific history to do more of, and really focuses on BOTH the technical aspects of the mission(s) and how people were affected by it from start to finish. The focus on John Glenn, his family, and the 7 Mercury astronauts put into perspective what it would be like to live through the trials of the Space Race. Shesol focuses on aspects of the Space Race and astronaut life that other books and documentaries fail to report on.
January 24, 2025
An excellent view into the early 1960s via the lens of the Mercury Program.
Shesol avoids the pitfall of many a space history writer, being solely focused on the Space Race, and not the other cold war events that happened simultaneously. While his account takes time to build up speed, it is well worth the time to read.
Shesol avoids the pitfall of many a space history writer, being solely focused on the Space Race, and not the other cold war events that happened simultaneously. While his account takes time to build up speed, it is well worth the time to read.
July 13, 2021
I was not one who was enamored of space as a child of the 50's. But John Glenn did stick in my mind as an important part of that time and as one of the original 7 astronauts. I have more memories of the Cold War fears of the time going through drills in school in basement learning to be ready for a nuclear attack by Russia. I remember Sputnik affecting my father and making him angry with the government. This book brings all those things into focus in a measured manner, bringing me back to that time without the fear of the Cold War. I am so glad that I read this, as it brings the period, and the development of NASA and science into much clearer focus. This was a wonderful book.
October 30, 2023
I listened to Mercury Rising on Audible with a dramatic narration by Jim Frangione. Main character is John Glenn, first American to orbit the earth. The Russians had beaten the Americans to Space first with Sputnik in 1957 and then again with the 1961 orbital flights of Gagarin and Titov. In those days American leaders were confronted with the Russians having a lead in manned space, and the fear that it would lead to military superiority in space—not to mention the huge propaganda advantage of Russia’s claim to world scientific leadership.
Then in February 1962 John Glenn orbited the earth three times in the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule—proving that the US was indeed in the manned space race. The launch was a big shot in the arm for American confidence and determination to win the race to the moon—a goal announced by JFK nine months earlier (May 25, 1961).
This book tells of Glenn’s journey from war ace and test pilot to earning the honor of piloting Freedom 7 to become the first American to earth orbit. The tough process to train and select the pilot for first launch slot was well told as seven competitive personalities had to work as team players while competing for a single top spot—much of the time in the public eye.
John F. Kennedy won the presidency in 1960, beating Nixon in a race in which the missile gap with Russia was a major issue. In office JFK was met with of barrage of challenges demanding decisive leadership: Cuban invasion, Khrushchev and Berlin, racial unrest, and how to shape America’s space future. He fought domestic squabbles such as the military quest to take over space—and gave the mission to NASA (formerly NACA) under James Webb.
Except for the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the important decisions Kennedy made during his three years in office proved mostly correct considering their historical outcomes. Perhaps his most lasting decision was the commitment to put a man on the moon within the decade—which NASA accomplished in 1969, clearly establishing America as world leader in Space and burnishing its scientific cred for decades to come.
In my working life I have been involved with missiles, space and test pilots, making Mercury Rising of real interest to me, and it brought back rich memories. I was at Vandenberg Air Force Base in March of 1962 when JFK was there to witness the launch of an Atlas ICBM. Having worked there from 1960 to 1963 I had witnessed many launches of Atlases, Titans, Thors, Minutemen, and other launch vehicles. Every time the explosive launch sound and sight of a silver rocket balanced on a column of fire many times its length and staccato roar and pulsations against my chest of the missile lifting off and then speeding up to its supersonic entry in space, I felt an emotional charge. It was a time of intense development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons and the US threw billions at their rapid development.
Failures occurred on the launch pads and in flight over the Pacific. The spectacular failure explosions were more pyrotechnic than the successes. Disappointing, but it seemed there was always another launch vehicle in the pipeline to replace those lost. The military leadership knew big operations take losses and planned accordingly. There were back-up programs: two ICBM programs (Atlas and Titan), two IRBM programs (Jupiter and Thor) and a SLBM program (Polaris). Truly a massive national effort when one considers that there were five concurrent nuclear missile programs going on at the same time—all with tight schedules and long work weeks. On the working level the continuous overtime put a lot of money in our pockets, making for high times in the free hours we had: poker games, parties, the Hitching Post restaurant for steaks and Pinot Noir on the way home from work, and trips to San Francisco and San Diego when we wrangled a free weekend.
But there was a grim realization that the specter of nuclear war loomed in the background. After Kennedy’s speech during the Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962, I drove home to Santa Barbara where we lived to find my new wife in tears, fearing war might begin soon. Didn’t help that I brought home a handout from the Air Force instructing that in the event on a nuclear attack on Los Angeles all freeway lanes would be one-way to the North to accommodate survivors from Los Angeles—and yes VAFB. No secret VAFB was a launch site and possible target. Khrushchev while in California in 1959 traveled on a train from LA to San Francisco that passed through VAFB. Reportedly there was an Atlas on a launch pad with a warhead mounted on top—within view of Khrushchev on the train.
What was I doing when John Glenn made his famous flight? And what did I think about it? I had gotten married in Topeka, Kansas ten days before the flight. I had just finished a job selling off all the ground system maintenance documentation for Atlas ICBMs that were scattered over a large area of the farmlands there. I was on the way to Cheyenne for a working honeymoon at another Atlas complex chugging through a blizzard with my bride in a Citroen ID-19 without a heater. I vaguely remember not being too impressed by Glenn’s Mercury flight because the Russians had already put men in orbit twice.
At this point I want to thank Ted and the book club for getting me to read this book; dredge memories back over 60 years; looking for relevant connections between what I experienced in the Aerospace world; and take a fresh look the legacy of Mercury 7. Besides being brain stimulating it helped put the competition between Russia and America in focus and helped me to consider whether the book is historical or just an exciting story. Some memory-dredged artifacts speak to a global competition: Sputnik in 1957 was the lightning bolt that made clear that Russia had the launch capability ability to lob warheads to the US. Congress responded a year later with the National Defense Education Act that pumped money at all levels of education institutions to improve science curricula. I remember the New Math our kids had in elementary school. Eisenhower’s team supercharged the development of missiles in the late 50s. I traveled to Germany in 1964 for a month to meet the in-laws and as I realize now, witness how the US was competing with Russia from closer range. I saw the Berlin Wall and indeed it was a grim adorned with its many mementos at places where desperate people lost their lives trying to escape Communism. Berliners appreciated the American resolve demonstrated by Truman’s Airlift and Kennedy’s Iche bin ein Berliner speech. A lot was going on in Europe to bolster military power against Russia. The US had several hundred thousand troops there and even atomic cannons. Germany drafted a large army to pump up NATO manpower.
The was also non-military resistance to Russia: Information war with VOA and RFE; political war (involving CIA supporting right and sometimes left parties in Germany, Greece, Italy, etc.); espionage war and cultural war. I remember German guys at my mother-in-law’s bar asking me what the New Math from America was all about—and griping that they couldn’t help the kid’s homework because they themselves couldn’t figure it out—admittedly a modest sample of US cultural influence sparked by Sputnik. I think of the Mercury mission as an important part of the non-military Cold War to influence heart and minds. Manned space turned out not to be the big contributor to the military tool chest that it was projected to become in the 1960s, but the Mercury program demonstrated that America was worthy of its leadership role in the Western World and determined to pressure Russian scientific stature every inch of the way to the Moon. Equally noteworthy was the US decision to conduct manned space work in the open—a manifestation of a free society that Western Democracies are all about.
Was there a technical payoff that affects our lives today from the furious investment in space technology of the Cold War times? The miniaturization of electronics to drive down weight of space systems might be the crowning achievement as exemplified by Apple watches and phones. And there is a myriad of other benefits. At the micro level it is hard to identify specific programs such as Mercury delivering specific payoffs to society. At the Macro level, however, I think it’s fair to say that the success of Mercury and the commitment to go to the moon got the new NASA off to a running start, quickly to become the robust organization that spawned Saturn, the Space Shuttle, and two magnificent Space Telescopes, as well as continuing to nurture American civilian and commercial aircraft technology. All these programs pushed the frontiers of technology just as the ICBM programs had—with fallouts beneficial to our lives.
As the book describes, John Glenn was the best man for the job, having the skills to fly in space and the personality to represent the US favorably to the world. John Kennedy was the right leader for that time, moving the country in the direction of progress away from Eisenhower and other top leaders who didn’t see any value in manned space flight. Mercury Rising does yeoman work in describing the Glenn and Kennedy contributions to a unique era of American history. The climatic chapter of the book describes minute-to-minute Glenn’s three-orbit flight, splashdown, and recovery. Author Shesol’s writing is crisp, the tension level is high, and I felt like I was there in the capsule with Glenn. This 432-page work is a good example of a work of popular history bringing the reader a focused view of the Mercury program’s success an important inflection point in building US confidence and determination to press on to the manned exploration of space.
Then in February 1962 John Glenn orbited the earth three times in the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule—proving that the US was indeed in the manned space race. The launch was a big shot in the arm for American confidence and determination to win the race to the moon—a goal announced by JFK nine months earlier (May 25, 1961).
This book tells of Glenn’s journey from war ace and test pilot to earning the honor of piloting Freedom 7 to become the first American to earth orbit. The tough process to train and select the pilot for first launch slot was well told as seven competitive personalities had to work as team players while competing for a single top spot—much of the time in the public eye.
John F. Kennedy won the presidency in 1960, beating Nixon in a race in which the missile gap with Russia was a major issue. In office JFK was met with of barrage of challenges demanding decisive leadership: Cuban invasion, Khrushchev and Berlin, racial unrest, and how to shape America’s space future. He fought domestic squabbles such as the military quest to take over space—and gave the mission to NASA (formerly NACA) under James Webb.
Except for the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the important decisions Kennedy made during his three years in office proved mostly correct considering their historical outcomes. Perhaps his most lasting decision was the commitment to put a man on the moon within the decade—which NASA accomplished in 1969, clearly establishing America as world leader in Space and burnishing its scientific cred for decades to come.
In my working life I have been involved with missiles, space and test pilots, making Mercury Rising of real interest to me, and it brought back rich memories. I was at Vandenberg Air Force Base in March of 1962 when JFK was there to witness the launch of an Atlas ICBM. Having worked there from 1960 to 1963 I had witnessed many launches of Atlases, Titans, Thors, Minutemen, and other launch vehicles. Every time the explosive launch sound and sight of a silver rocket balanced on a column of fire many times its length and staccato roar and pulsations against my chest of the missile lifting off and then speeding up to its supersonic entry in space, I felt an emotional charge. It was a time of intense development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons and the US threw billions at their rapid development.
Failures occurred on the launch pads and in flight over the Pacific. The spectacular failure explosions were more pyrotechnic than the successes. Disappointing, but it seemed there was always another launch vehicle in the pipeline to replace those lost. The military leadership knew big operations take losses and planned accordingly. There were back-up programs: two ICBM programs (Atlas and Titan), two IRBM programs (Jupiter and Thor) and a SLBM program (Polaris). Truly a massive national effort when one considers that there were five concurrent nuclear missile programs going on at the same time—all with tight schedules and long work weeks. On the working level the continuous overtime put a lot of money in our pockets, making for high times in the free hours we had: poker games, parties, the Hitching Post restaurant for steaks and Pinot Noir on the way home from work, and trips to San Francisco and San Diego when we wrangled a free weekend.
But there was a grim realization that the specter of nuclear war loomed in the background. After Kennedy’s speech during the Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962, I drove home to Santa Barbara where we lived to find my new wife in tears, fearing war might begin soon. Didn’t help that I brought home a handout from the Air Force instructing that in the event on a nuclear attack on Los Angeles all freeway lanes would be one-way to the North to accommodate survivors from Los Angeles—and yes VAFB. No secret VAFB was a launch site and possible target. Khrushchev while in California in 1959 traveled on a train from LA to San Francisco that passed through VAFB. Reportedly there was an Atlas on a launch pad with a warhead mounted on top—within view of Khrushchev on the train.
What was I doing when John Glenn made his famous flight? And what did I think about it? I had gotten married in Topeka, Kansas ten days before the flight. I had just finished a job selling off all the ground system maintenance documentation for Atlas ICBMs that were scattered over a large area of the farmlands there. I was on the way to Cheyenne for a working honeymoon at another Atlas complex chugging through a blizzard with my bride in a Citroen ID-19 without a heater. I vaguely remember not being too impressed by Glenn’s Mercury flight because the Russians had already put men in orbit twice.
At this point I want to thank Ted and the book club for getting me to read this book; dredge memories back over 60 years; looking for relevant connections between what I experienced in the Aerospace world; and take a fresh look the legacy of Mercury 7. Besides being brain stimulating it helped put the competition between Russia and America in focus and helped me to consider whether the book is historical or just an exciting story. Some memory-dredged artifacts speak to a global competition: Sputnik in 1957 was the lightning bolt that made clear that Russia had the launch capability ability to lob warheads to the US. Congress responded a year later with the National Defense Education Act that pumped money at all levels of education institutions to improve science curricula. I remember the New Math our kids had in elementary school. Eisenhower’s team supercharged the development of missiles in the late 50s. I traveled to Germany in 1964 for a month to meet the in-laws and as I realize now, witness how the US was competing with Russia from closer range. I saw the Berlin Wall and indeed it was a grim adorned with its many mementos at places where desperate people lost their lives trying to escape Communism. Berliners appreciated the American resolve demonstrated by Truman’s Airlift and Kennedy’s Iche bin ein Berliner speech. A lot was going on in Europe to bolster military power against Russia. The US had several hundred thousand troops there and even atomic cannons. Germany drafted a large army to pump up NATO manpower.
The was also non-military resistance to Russia: Information war with VOA and RFE; political war (involving CIA supporting right and sometimes left parties in Germany, Greece, Italy, etc.); espionage war and cultural war. I remember German guys at my mother-in-law’s bar asking me what the New Math from America was all about—and griping that they couldn’t help the kid’s homework because they themselves couldn’t figure it out—admittedly a modest sample of US cultural influence sparked by Sputnik. I think of the Mercury mission as an important part of the non-military Cold War to influence heart and minds. Manned space turned out not to be the big contributor to the military tool chest that it was projected to become in the 1960s, but the Mercury program demonstrated that America was worthy of its leadership role in the Western World and determined to pressure Russian scientific stature every inch of the way to the Moon. Equally noteworthy was the US decision to conduct manned space work in the open—a manifestation of a free society that Western Democracies are all about.
Was there a technical payoff that affects our lives today from the furious investment in space technology of the Cold War times? The miniaturization of electronics to drive down weight of space systems might be the crowning achievement as exemplified by Apple watches and phones. And there is a myriad of other benefits. At the micro level it is hard to identify specific programs such as Mercury delivering specific payoffs to society. At the Macro level, however, I think it’s fair to say that the success of Mercury and the commitment to go to the moon got the new NASA off to a running start, quickly to become the robust organization that spawned Saturn, the Space Shuttle, and two magnificent Space Telescopes, as well as continuing to nurture American civilian and commercial aircraft technology. All these programs pushed the frontiers of technology just as the ICBM programs had—with fallouts beneficial to our lives.
As the book describes, John Glenn was the best man for the job, having the skills to fly in space and the personality to represent the US favorably to the world. John Kennedy was the right leader for that time, moving the country in the direction of progress away from Eisenhower and other top leaders who didn’t see any value in manned space flight. Mercury Rising does yeoman work in describing the Glenn and Kennedy contributions to a unique era of American history. The climatic chapter of the book describes minute-to-minute Glenn’s three-orbit flight, splashdown, and recovery. Author Shesol’s writing is crisp, the tension level is high, and I felt like I was there in the capsule with Glenn. This 432-page work is a good example of a work of popular history bringing the reader a focused view of the Mercury program’s success an important inflection point in building US confidence and determination to press on to the manned exploration of space.
July 11, 2021
I have always been very interested in the early space flights of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. This book does a terrific job of describing the early Mercury years and is an outstanding portrait of the original seven astronauts with particular attention to John Glenn. In many ways the early flights of Mercury were a real crap shoot. Would the rocket boosters work? Would the capsule successfully reenter the atmosphere. Also of these questions and more were explored in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
July 10, 2021
A brilliant book. Even if you have read a lot on the topic you will enjoy Jeff Shesol’s take on this period.
June 29, 2021
Just loved it. I was only 10-12 years old at the time and can still remember the global tension.
Thanks Jeff
Thanks Jeff
September 22, 2021
(Audiobook) (3.5 stars) This work was filled with a lot of good back-story information about the first Americans into space, with emphasis on John Glenn and his seemingly inexorable march to being the first American to orbit the Earth. He was but the 3rd American in space, and America was behind the Soviets in getting men into space. However, the road to his flight in Friendship 7 was almost as fraught with dangers as the first Earth orbit for an American. The work focuses on the work the astronauts put in to getting into space, as well as the political maneuvering to get the space program funded and executed. Kennedy did not start off as an enthusiast for space, but he became its biggest champion.
The work is engaging, but it feels a little stunted. It really finishes with the end of Glenn's mission. However, the Mercury Program continued on for several more launches, and Glenn used his skills at publicity into becoming a future US Senator and potential presidential candidate. While not a bad read, and an engaging audiobook, you might be better offer reading an actual biography of Glenn as well as the Right Stuff and be better off, especially for hard-copy reading.
The work is engaging, but it feels a little stunted. It really finishes with the end of Glenn's mission. However, the Mercury Program continued on for several more launches, and Glenn used his skills at publicity into becoming a future US Senator and potential presidential candidate. While not a bad read, and an engaging audiobook, you might be better offer reading an actual biography of Glenn as well as the Right Stuff and be better off, especially for hard-copy reading.
February 3, 2022
A book that was ambitious in its goal falls a bit short on content and scope. Not necessarily a disappointing read, but not entirely satisfying either.
March 20, 2024
This is the story of Project Mercury, up to and including John Glenn's orbital flight of February 20, 1962. A Ken Burns blurb on the back of the book jacket aptly describes it as a "refreshing look at a familiar subject, now seen through an important geopolitical lens.........."
As the Burns quote suggests, this book puts John Glenn and Project Mercury into historical context. The American space program was off to a rough start in 1958, with rockets exploding on the ground and many other well-publicized problems and delays. Meanwhile the seven original Mercury astronauts were hailed as heroes and role models for the country as the Cold War continued. 1961 saw the Russian cosmonaut orbit the earth and a renewed Berlin crisis in the fall of that year. 1962 was to produce the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, but between those major international events came the flight of Friendship 7 and the outpouring of admiration for John Glenn.
Over all of this hung the constant possibility of death in attempting to travel in space. And this concern was paramount during the later part of Glenn's flight, as vividly recounted by the author. Apparently the heat shield was not about to come off after all (there was a false instrument reading), but no one could be sure if the capsule and its occupant would survive re-entry.
The author provides many details of the extra-curricular activities engaged in by the astronauts, all of whom had military test pilot backgrounds and adventurous spirits. A straight-laced John Glenn was appalled by the behavior of Alan Shepard, the first Mercury astronaut to fly in space in 1961, and others, and there were non-public confrontations between them. The bars and motels of Cocoa Beach, including the Holiday Inn, saw many escapades which went unreported at the time. Even Walter Cronkite was in on some of the antics.
In the "what if" category of history, one wonders what the space program would have become if Kennedy and Johnson had not been elected in 1960. Senate Majority Leader Johnson was an early booster for the country's efforts, partly for the political advantage he saw for himself and his party. Capitalizing on the fear produced by the 1957 flight of Sputnik, Johnson's Senate committees held numerous hearings and often captured headlines. In pushing for more funding and a greater commitment to manned space flights (some thought monkeys were sufficient), proponents encountered a degree of resistance from President Eisenhower. Nixon, who as President would reap the benefit of our moon landing in 1969, was more enthusiastic but cautious in his support. Even Kennedy as President had to be convinced before endorsing the idea of sending a human to the moon and bringing him "safely back to earth by the end of the decade," or words to that effect. Why do it, JFK asked an audience in Houston, after that goal was set, and only somewhat rhetorically - "Why does Rice play Texas?"
Endnotes are concise and organized for easy reference. There are a number of citations to Tom Wolfe's book, "The Right Stuff," including a description of John Glenn's telling his wife not to let the Vice-President of United States into their house during a news media siege of their home.
During a family trip to the Kennedy Space Center while reading this book, we got to see some of the actual equipment which had been sent into space, greatly adding to my appreciation of the book's descriptions of these items. While a Saturn rocket appeared huge, the Mercury capsule and other objects occupied by the astronauts looked precariously small.
As the Burns quote suggests, this book puts John Glenn and Project Mercury into historical context. The American space program was off to a rough start in 1958, with rockets exploding on the ground and many other well-publicized problems and delays. Meanwhile the seven original Mercury astronauts were hailed as heroes and role models for the country as the Cold War continued. 1961 saw the Russian cosmonaut orbit the earth and a renewed Berlin crisis in the fall of that year. 1962 was to produce the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, but between those major international events came the flight of Friendship 7 and the outpouring of admiration for John Glenn.
Over all of this hung the constant possibility of death in attempting to travel in space. And this concern was paramount during the later part of Glenn's flight, as vividly recounted by the author. Apparently the heat shield was not about to come off after all (there was a false instrument reading), but no one could be sure if the capsule and its occupant would survive re-entry.
The author provides many details of the extra-curricular activities engaged in by the astronauts, all of whom had military test pilot backgrounds and adventurous spirits. A straight-laced John Glenn was appalled by the behavior of Alan Shepard, the first Mercury astronaut to fly in space in 1961, and others, and there were non-public confrontations between them. The bars and motels of Cocoa Beach, including the Holiday Inn, saw many escapades which went unreported at the time. Even Walter Cronkite was in on some of the antics.
In the "what if" category of history, one wonders what the space program would have become if Kennedy and Johnson had not been elected in 1960. Senate Majority Leader Johnson was an early booster for the country's efforts, partly for the political advantage he saw for himself and his party. Capitalizing on the fear produced by the 1957 flight of Sputnik, Johnson's Senate committees held numerous hearings and often captured headlines. In pushing for more funding and a greater commitment to manned space flights (some thought monkeys were sufficient), proponents encountered a degree of resistance from President Eisenhower. Nixon, who as President would reap the benefit of our moon landing in 1969, was more enthusiastic but cautious in his support. Even Kennedy as President had to be convinced before endorsing the idea of sending a human to the moon and bringing him "safely back to earth by the end of the decade," or words to that effect. Why do it, JFK asked an audience in Houston, after that goal was set, and only somewhat rhetorically - "Why does Rice play Texas?"
Endnotes are concise and organized for easy reference. There are a number of citations to Tom Wolfe's book, "The Right Stuff," including a description of John Glenn's telling his wife not to let the Vice-President of United States into their house during a news media siege of their home.
During a family trip to the Kennedy Space Center while reading this book, we got to see some of the actual equipment which had been sent into space, greatly adding to my appreciation of the book's descriptions of these items. While a Saturn rocket appeared huge, the Mercury capsule and other objects occupied by the astronauts looked precariously small.
October 28, 2025
When almost the entire country is enraptured—focused absolutely on one and only one thing: getting even with the Soviets for getting there first, amazing things can happen. No, this is not a book about getting to the moon as we’ve others on that. In Mercury Rising we go back a few years and zero in on a tale of revenge. As the Soviets did get there first—outer space. First with a dog, then a man. The US skipping the K9 route and jumping ahead to homo sapiens was a wise choice offending only Komondors full of hopes and dreams and now the tale is told of just how an almost impossible feat given the time allotted came into being.
In a way, this book also functions as a partial biography of John Glenn, the de facto star of Project Mercury, the birthplace of USA’s first “astronaut volunteers” (glad the latter part was later dropped!). One of the keenest insights into his thought processes I found was during the stress testing portion and should be seen as great life advice for anyone who needs constant distraction: when placed in a totally dark room with nothing but a desk with a notebook in it, Glenn instead of taking the ‘easy way out’ by sleeping, began writing: poetry, math equations, random thoughts, counting time, and even later on realized if he yanked out a page fast enough, he could cause a static electricity spark giving him temporary respite from the darkness. I believe modern society has learned from this example given the scene’s almost but not quite recreation in the first “Men in Black” movie when...well, if you’ve seen it, you’ll know it.
Looking back at it now, one may wonder “yea, man got into space, so what?” It was, in fact, a very big deal. Perhaps even until July 1969, this was one of the most important events in human history and it had a bite as until John Glenn made it up there, the Soviets, not what one could call frenemies at the time when they hinted that (paraphrasing from the audiobook) “it’s not like we had nuclear weapons up with Gagarin!”), got there first and were rubbing it in. Yes, the Americans may not have been the first for simply getting someone into space, but our story featured both a ‘first for the free world’ and even more poignantly, a redemption arc that literally circled (several times!) the globe.
Even though as we learn in the book’s epilogue that John Glenn did have more gas in the tank, that he did in his twilight years make one more mission to space (inspiration surely for a certain movie released not too long after!), his star was mostly overshadowed by another’s only a handful of years later. But between that and Glenn, between Apollo and Mercury, saw the US not only enter the race to explore perhaps the last uncharted ocean, the largest of its kind, but also saw the supposed star—more of a burned out comet really—knock itself out of alignment and sink further and further towards the earth’s atmosphere. You will learn from this book, you will enhance your knowledge of important yet overlooked 20th century history; you, like Glenn, will see the cosmos in a new light.
In a way, this book also functions as a partial biography of John Glenn, the de facto star of Project Mercury, the birthplace of USA’s first “astronaut volunteers” (glad the latter part was later dropped!). One of the keenest insights into his thought processes I found was during the stress testing portion and should be seen as great life advice for anyone who needs constant distraction: when placed in a totally dark room with nothing but a desk with a notebook in it, Glenn instead of taking the ‘easy way out’ by sleeping, began writing: poetry, math equations, random thoughts, counting time, and even later on realized if he yanked out a page fast enough, he could cause a static electricity spark giving him temporary respite from the darkness. I believe modern society has learned from this example given the scene’s almost but not quite recreation in the first “Men in Black” movie when...well, if you’ve seen it, you’ll know it.
Looking back at it now, one may wonder “yea, man got into space, so what?” It was, in fact, a very big deal. Perhaps even until July 1969, this was one of the most important events in human history and it had a bite as until John Glenn made it up there, the Soviets, not what one could call frenemies at the time when they hinted that (paraphrasing from the audiobook) “it’s not like we had nuclear weapons up with Gagarin!”), got there first and were rubbing it in. Yes, the Americans may not have been the first for simply getting someone into space, but our story featured both a ‘first for the free world’ and even more poignantly, a redemption arc that literally circled (several times!) the globe.
Even though as we learn in the book’s epilogue that John Glenn did have more gas in the tank, that he did in his twilight years make one more mission to space (inspiration surely for a certain movie released not too long after!), his star was mostly overshadowed by another’s only a handful of years later. But between that and Glenn, between Apollo and Mercury, saw the US not only enter the race to explore perhaps the last uncharted ocean, the largest of its kind, but also saw the supposed star—more of a burned out comet really—knock itself out of alignment and sink further and further towards the earth’s atmosphere. You will learn from this book, you will enhance your knowledge of important yet overlooked 20th century history; you, like Glenn, will see the cosmos in a new light.
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