31. [Project Mercury] THE MERCURY SEVEN'S ICONIC PORTRAIT AT LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE: from test pilots to space pioneers Bill Taub, 20 January 1961 Printed 1961-1963. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA S-61-1250" in red in the top margin, with a later-added NASA caption on the reverse indicating the situation of the astronauts in 1970 (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context Taken early in the U.S. human spaceflight program, this image symbolizes the pioneering spirit of NASA's first astronauts, who were tasked with taking America's first steps into space during the intense Space Race of the Cold War era. The presence of the F-102 aircraft underscores their backgrounds as elite military test pilots, a key qualification for selection into NASA's fledgling astronaut program. The Mercury Seven—Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton—are shown in their flight suits, holding their helmets, embodying the bravery and technical expertise required for such groundbreaking missions. NASA's head photographer Bill Taub took this shot at Langley Air Force Base the day Alan Shepard was selected by Space Task Group Director Robert Gilruth as the first astronaut to ride through space. *"I had the privilege to be there to record it. I made sure I recorded it to the best of my ability, because I have a sense of history. But you've got to remember I was an artist, and I was an amateur photographer, more than that, and I loved to take pictures, so I was looking to take pictures that were different, and that's how that came about, you know, to have a sense of the artistry to them."* Bill Taub (NASA HQ oral history project)