New Tvshow upcoming for NASA nerds like me

"The Right Stuff," National Geographic's Mercury 7 series based on the book by Tom Wolfe, will premiere this fall on the Disney+ streaming service. On Tuesday (May 5), NatGeo released a first look at "The Right Stuff", including its recreation of the first U.S. human spaceflight, 59 years after Alan Shepard's historic launch.

The Right Stuff takes a "gritty, anti-nostalgic look at what would become America's first reality show as the obsessive original Mercury Seven astronauts and their families become instant celebrities in a competition that will either kill them or make them immortal. The one-hour drama will follow the protagonists from the Mojave Desert to the edges of space, with future seasons carrying through to humankind’s greatest achievement: the moon landing."

 

Thanks for the heads up. Get my nerd on!

 

Looks interesting. I still think the movie holds up fantastically well so it will be interesting to see a more drawn out story.

 

And it's nice as it's a TVshow they will have way more time to go deeper into the story and each mission ! Not that the 3h12 movie was any short but there is so much to talk about

 

Time to share my large collection on the NASA astronauts... as test pilots before they were selected ?
The real Right Stuff (e.g. David Scott in a F-104 at the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS)
Don't know if such a topic would be welcome as not every photo shows a wristwatch
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More than welcome we are in the open discussion Subforum and I'm sure there is many people interested here (me included)

 

Thanks for the heads up, added this to my SickChill.

In case anyone hasn't already watched 'For All Mankind' -- DON'T. It's so bad that I feel personally offended they made it.

 

O.K. don't shoot at the pianist... MoonwatchUniverse in this case... very long story short;
In 1985 I started officer-training as a candidate pilot but during flight-training was dismissed on medical reasons (night-vision).
However I later got my PPL via a civilian school promoting practical aviation training... before the rest of my Mil class got their wings.
During my Mil Academy years I collected the USAF TPS Test Pilot School year books as my thesis was going to be on VTOL aircraft applications for the different forces. Late 1980s the V-22 Osprey was up & coming... That's how I got most of these photographs
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In October 1961 the USAF Flight Test Pilot School was redesignated ARPS - Aerospace Research Pilot School
Among the earliest pilots to end up in the space program were:
Donald Slayton (class 55-C), Virgil Grissom (class 56-D), Thomas Stafford (class 58-C), Edward White & James McDivitt (class 59-C), followed by Frank Borman, Michael Collins and James Irwin (class 60-C).
Here's a 1960 USAF photo showing James Irwin in a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter...
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That's some cool story @SpeedyPhill Keep the pictures coming it's not that often we see the pre NASA life of those Astronauts (I already follow your MoonWatchUniverse of course)

 

Here' another F-104 Starfighter supersonic interceptor photo showing astronaut-candidate Neil Armstrong in the cockpit, Neil was selected in NASA group 2 " The New Nine " in September 1962... Armstrong had served as project pilot on century-series jets like F-100, F-105 and F-104
In fact, this was the Lockheed demonstrator TF-104G, a two-seater nicknamed " Free World Defender " with American civil registration N104L, which was used in 1963 by female testpilot Jacqueline Cochran to set two women's high speed records in 1963 !
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Introduced in June 1959, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptor jet became availalble to aspirant-astronauts and the "Mercury Seven" would still use it for sufficiency flight training... We all know the January 1961 photo of the Mercury Seven astronauts standing next to F-106B
This aircraft is now the gate keeper at Edwards Air Force Base, on display in the Century Circle, together with F-100 Super Sabre
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Here are photos of Frank Borman (60-C) and James McDivitt (59-C) in the cockpit of a Convair F-106 Delta Dart (Photos: USAF)
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A preview for next month as we'll celebrate "" 55 years Gemini IV spacewalk "" and the first 4 Omega Speedmasters exposed to outer space.
It's interesting to see that Gemini IV astronauts Edward White and James McDivitt sat together in USAF Test Pilot School class 59-C
There standing 3rd & 4th from the left... (Photo: USAF)
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@SpeedyPhill, since you mentioned the V22 you might like the VTOL connection to these guys, especially Neil Armstrong in the Bell X-14A/B which was used to evaluate the Lunar Excursion Module flying qualities.

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/neil-armstrong-in-nasa-ames-bell-x-14-aircraft

Of course the world didn‘t stop for these guys after Apollo 11. There’s all sorts of interesting stuff to discover about Neil Armstrong, for example his involvement as a guest test pilot on the British Percival Aircraft Pembroke YA 558; which made the world’s first digital fly by wire landing in 1968.

 

As VTOL was my thesis to become a 2nd Lt those stories are familiar to me, however in 1985 I had never heard of the vertical hanging or standing Tail Sitters like the Convair XFy-1 Pogo and the Ryan X-13 VertiJet...
Talking about Neil Armstrong, note the silver medaillon hanging at his left knee... the watch he wore was probably a Bulova 3818
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As fighter jets got well-established & operational, the 1950s is for me the most interesting & exciting period... (Photo: USAF)
The USAF-pilots, enlisted by the CIA to fly the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft really had balls as an overflight of the USSR was planned on July 4, 1956 while Soviet-Russian leader Khrushchev & top Soviet-Party leaders attended the 4th July reception at the American Embassy in Moscow...
Pilot Hervey Stockman departed Wiesbaden - Germany for a successful overflight of the USSR and returned after a nine hours flight.
Moreover, the next day, pilot Carmine Vito overflew the Soviet capital Moscow while his U-2 was detected by ground radar stations... another successful mission but Vito remained the only pilot to overfly Moscow !
More on " Balls & fighter pilots " in this topic:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/moonwalker-signed-baseballs.98423/

 

Since he was already wearing a wristwatch what was the purpose of the extra timepiece in this location?

 

Well I know what I’m watching tonight.

 

It was a medaillon, a good luck charm, not a timepiece !

 

As mentioned before I have a weak spot for the sleek Lockheed F-104 "flying pencil", which fuselage was also used for the Lockheed U-2...
Here's a 1961 USAF photograph showing Frank Borman and his IP - instructor pilot putting on " Ejection seat spurs " before a flight...
It looks like Borman was already wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch
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I guess interest is fading and I realize no watches are being shown in these photos... so Forum Admins feel free to stop me here !
Here's a Lockheed T-33 jet trainer used by the Gemini III backup astronauts Thomas Stafford and Walter Schirra... USAF TR-671
We know Wally Schirra was still using his personal Omega CK-2998 while Stafford received NASA-issued Omega Speedmasters #20 and #27
Our Australian viewers will notice the red/burgundy QANTAS airline bag in the hands of Wally Schirra ( Photo: NASA)
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