Project Mercury: America in Space Series (America in Space Series, 1)

Fascinating book on the history of early spaceflight. This is a "just the facts, ma'am" type of book with fairly little discussion of the personalities involved; I would have been interested in the author's (and contemporaries) comments on such things as the Grissom and Carpenter flights and the various problems and issues that arose from them. Good technical descriptions of the spacecraft, it's systems and the various boosters that were used with Mercury including Little Joe (which I have never seen much information on).My biggest criticism of the book is confusion regarding units - in aviation, it's normally Feet (Altitude), Nautical Miles (Distance), Degrees Fahrenheit and Pounds/in^2 (PSI). In this book, there was a mix of units between the traditional, MKS and non-standard which I found distracting and had to convert to so that I could better understand what was being conveyed.

I was just a tot when the early days of the space race captured the attention of the nation. By the time Project Apollo was underway I was a full-fledged wannabe astronaut (never happened). “Project Mercury” gives readers a straightforward accounting of America’s entry into the quest for space exploration. Concisely written and filled with many superb diagrams and photos Mr. Reichl takes us through the trial and error approach that led to the first U.S. astronaut’s eventual success. For those who are younger and jaded with the seemingly routine space shuttle missions of their era NASA’s early efforts seem almost quaint and downright primitive in comparison. The translation from German is excellent except for all temperatures being in Celsius. The style may be a bit dry for some but it worked for me. Overall “Project Mercury” was an interesting read and I enjoyed learning of the numerous details behind America’s early endeavors to ultimately put a man on the moon. I’ve got “Project Gemini” on my book shelf already and am looking forward to Mr. Reichl’s next installment in his America in Space Series.

I have purchased and read all of Eugen Reichl's America in Space series from Mercury through Gemini and Apollo and found them an outstanding source on the space program. While only 130-140 pages in length, they are dense with information and details on each program's development and every mission. Nicely hard bound, each volume is beautifully illustrated on high-quality glossy paper. The print is a bit small for older readers, but a decent pair of glasses and a good light will be rewarded with well-written content with just enough technical detail to properly educate a non-expert. I highly recommend this series for anyone wanting to begin their journey into America's space program.

This is a good general review of the program with some deeper descriptions of some of the more not well-known aspects.

Great I Love It!!

Great for research

I really enjoyed the level of detail that was put into the development of this book. I have read and researched the US Space program and I was surprised to find a good level of detail about the primates used in the early program. There are a lot of books that just mention the primates. The water tests, and the "spacecraft" development. I loved this book, I am going on my third read, and I have it on my desk at work as a reference. I also like the fact that is was more on the program less on the astronauts. Don't get me wrong I love the boys everyone was a heroes in my eyes, but getting the behind the scenes look at a program that teetered on the brink of failure and greatness was simply a fun, informative read.

Too many typos and factual errors.

Cet ouvrage présente dans l'ordre chronologique l'origine et le développement du projet Mercury, depuis la genèse des lanceurs (Redstone et Atlas) jusqu'au dernier vol Mercury, celui de G. Cooper en mai 1963. Très complet et rédigé dans un style clair, il peut satisfaire à la fois les néophytes, désireux d'en savoir plus sur le programme qui a permis aux américains d'envoyer leurs premiers hommes dans l'espace, ainsi qu'un public déjà averti qui sera intéressé par des aspects parfois méconnus ou oubliés de cet important volet de la conquête de l'espace. En parallèle sont incidemment évoqués les propres avancées des soviétiques en la matière - projet Vostok - ce qui constitue une mise en perspective utile. Deux réserves néanmoins. L'iconographie est abondante mais sans surprise : peu de choses vraiment originales. Soulignons néanmoins la présence de très beaux diagrammes représentant les lanceurs et la capsule elle-même (avec une comparaison à l'échelle avec la Semiorka soviétique et le Vostok lui-même). Second regret : l'absence totale de sources et de références bibliographiques.

J'ai de nombreux livres sur la conquête de l'espace. J'apprécie particulièrement ce type d'ouvrage à la fois synthétique et bien illustré. Je n'ai pas constaté d'erreur, mais j'avoue ne pas être assez "calé" pour en détecter.La série sur les trois programmes des débuts de la conquête de l'espace américaine est vraiment excellente.

An amazing book.