As the year 1962 unfolded, NASA was beginning its series of crewed orbital spaceflights as part of the Mercury program. But with the crewed Gemini and Apollo programs now approved, a new group of astronauts was required to supplement the original seven chosen three years earlier, dubbed the “Mercury 7” (see “Project Mercury: Choosing the Astronauts and Their Machine”). On April 18, 1962, NASA formally announced that it was accepting applications for a new group of astronauts. Unlike the secret selection process for the Mercury 7, this selection was widely advertised with public announcements and the minimum standards communicated to aircraft companies, government agencies and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
An early concept drawing comparing NASA’s manned spacecraft: Apollo (top), Gemini (middle) and Mercury (bottom). In the lower left is a comparison of these programs’ launch vehicles: (left to right) The Saturn V, Titan II and Atlas. (NASA)
The criteria for the selection process were broadly similar to those three years earlier: High-performance jet pilots with a minimum of 1,500 hours of test pilot flight experience who had earned degrees in engineering or science. The maximum age was lowered from 40 to 35 years old since the selected candidates could be flying through the decade during the Apollo program. Because the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft would be less cramped than the small Mercury capsule, the height limit was relaxed somewhat to six feet (1.83 meters).
In total, 253 applications were received by the June 1, 1962 deadline plus that of Neil Armstrong which arrived a week late but was added at the insistence of the associate director of the Space Task Group, Walter C. Williams, who wanted a NASA test pilot included. After a series of examinations and tests during the summer of 1962, a total of nine candidates were eventually selected. Deke Slayton, who was one of the Mercury 7 and about to become the assistant director of Flight Crew Operations, telephoned the pilots on September 14. On September 17, 1962, NASA’s newest astronauts were revealed during an official announcement at the Cullen Auditorium at the University of Houston and dubbed “The New Nine” by the press.
Neil A. Armstrong (NASA)
Neil A. Armstrong, who was 32 years old at the time, was a civilian test pilot for NASA before being selected as part of NASA’s second group of astronauts. Originally, Armstrong had been selected in June 1958 as an astronaut for the USAF Man In Space Soonest (MISS) program which was cancelled a couple of months later in favor of NASA’s Project Mercury. During his career as a NASA test pilot, Armstrong flew the X-15 rocket plane a total of seven times between December 1960 and July 1962 but never flew high enough to qualify for astronaut wings. Armstrong was once again named part of an astronaut team in March 1962 this time for the USAF X-20 Dyna Soar program before opting to join the NASA astronaut corps six months later. Armstrong’s first space mission was as the command pilot of the Gemini 8 mission in March 1966. He would later go on to command the Apollo 11 mission to become the first person to step foot on the Moon in July 1969.
Frank F. Borman II (NASA)
USAF Major Frank F. Borman II, 34 years old, was a West Point graduate with extensive experience as a pilot and instructor in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics as well as flight and spacecraft testing before becoming part of NASA’s astronaut corps. Borman’s first space mission was as the command pilot of the Gemini 7 long-duration mission flown in December 1965. He would go on to be the Commander of the historic Apollo 8 mission to orbit the Moon in December 1968.
Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr. (NASA)
USN Lieutenant Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr., 32 years old, had been a Navy test pilot before being selected as part of NASA’s second group of astronauts. Back in 1959, Conrad had been in the group of pilots being considered for NASA’s first group of astronauts but did not make the final cut. He flew as the pilot on the Gemini 5 long-duration mission in August 1965 then went on to be the command pilot for the Gemini 11 mission 13 months later. During the Apollo program, he was the Commander of the Apollo 12 mission in November 1969, becoming the third person to walk on the Moon, then reprised his role as Commander for NASA’s Skylab 2 mission launched in May 1973.
James A. Lovell, Jr. (NASA)
USN Lt. Commander James A. Lovell, Jr., 34 years old, was an Annapolis graduate with an impressive military career as a pilot and instructor before joining NASA’s new group of astronauts. Like Conrad, he had been part of the group competing for a slot in NASA’s first group of astronauts but was not selected. His first assignment was as the pilot on the Gemini 7 long-duration mission in December 1965. He then went on to be the command pilot of the Gemini 12 mission nine months later. During the Apollo program, he served as the Command Module Pilot of the historic Apollo 8 mission in December 1968 and then went on to be the Commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission in April 1970.
James A. McDivitt (NASA)
USAF Major James A. McDivitt, 33 years old, was a veteran of the Korean War, flying 145 combat missions, and had extensive experience flying experimental aircraft before joining NASA. His first spaceflight was as the command pilot on the Gemini 4 mission in June 1965 which included the first American EVA. He was subsequently the Commander of the Apollo 9 mission in March 1969 to test the Lunar Module in Earth orbit. He later became Manager of Lunar Landing Operations and was the Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager from 1969 to 1972.
Elliott M. See, Jr. (NASA)
Elliot M. See, Jr., 35 years old, was a civilian test pilot for General Electric where he was involved in flight testing of jet engines for various high-performance aircraft before joining NASA. He had been assigned to be the command pilot for the Gemini 9 mission but was killed, along with his crew mate Charles Bassett, on February 28, 1966 when the T-38 aircraft they were flying crashed in bad weather in St. Louis as they were on their way to McDonnell to inspect their spacecraft.
Thomas P. Stafford (NASA)
USAF Major Thomas P. Stafford, who turned 32 the day when his selection was publicly announced, was a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a pilot who served as the chief of the Performance Branch of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base before he was selected as an astronaut. Stafford’s first assignment was as the pilot for the Gemini 6 mission launched in December 1965. After See’s death, Stafford became the command pilot of the Gemini 9 mission launched in June 1966 – the first person to fly into orbit twice in less than six months. During the Apollo program, Stafford was the Commander of the Apollo 10 mission in May 1969 which performed a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Stafford then went on to be the Commander of the Apollo component of the cooperative Apollo-Soyuz Test Project flown in July 1975.
Edward H. White II (NASA)
USAF Major Edward H. White II, 31 years old, was an experienced pilot who earned his credentials as a USAF test pilot in 1959 specifically to improve his chances of becoming an astronaut. He served as the pilot on the Gemini 4 mission to become the first American to perform an EVA in June 1965. His life was tragically cut short on January 27, 1967 during the Apollo 1 fire during what was suppose to be a routine dress rehearsal for the upcoming launch of that mission.
John W. Young (NASA)
USN Lt. Commander John W. Young, who was about to turn 32 when selected, was a naval aviator who had previously done work to support the development of weapons systems for the F-4 Phantom II jet fighter before starting his long career as a NASA astronaut. His first assignment was as the pilot on the Gemini 3 mission in March 1965. He then went on to be the command pilot for the Gemini 10 mission in July 1966. During the Apollo program, Young served as the Command Module Pilot of the Apollo 10 mission in May 1969 to rehearse the first Moon landing attempt and then went on to command the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission in April 1972. After Apollo, he served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1974 to 1987 as well as commanded the STS-1 and STS-9 missions in the Space Shuttle program launched in April 1981 and November 1983, respectively.
A portrait of NASA’s astronaut corps after the addition of The New Nine. (NASA)
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Here is an excerpt from the NASA press conference introducing the New Nine: