Potential Astronauts

We were accomplished pilots who, the early 1960s, trained to become astronauts. We underwent the same rigorous physical testing that Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and Wally Schirra underwent.

After passing those tests, we prepared to report to Pensacola, Florida, to undergo advanced aeromedical examinations using military equipment and jet aircraft. A few days before we were due to report, however, the testing was cancelled because the Navy would not allow the use of their facilities for an unofficial project without an official NASA request to run the tests.

In 1962 public hearings commenced before a special Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics regarding our case. A NASA representative, along with astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter, testified that we could not qualify as astronaut candidates, claiming that NASA required all astronauts to be graduates of military jet test piloting programs and have engineering degrees, even though John Glenn himself did not have an engineering degree when he was selected. None of us were graduates of military piloting progams, however, several of us had been employed as civilian test pilots, at least one had jet flying time, one was an engineer, and most had considerably more flying time than the astronauts that had been selected for the Mercury 7 mission.

Who are we?