Call for Astronauts, December 1958

From the Archives

“Call for Astronauts, December 1958”
Published in Quest Volume: 32 #2 (2025)

Abstract

In late December 1958, NASA posted an invitation for people to apply for the position of Research-Astronaut-Candidate. Although carefully drawn up by aeromedical consultants working for the Space Task Group at Langley, this plan was abandoned when President Eisenhower decided that only military test pilots should be allowed to apply. This eliminated the option of including civilians in the civilian manned space program, but greatly simplified the selection process. This document predates the 5 January 1959 announcement that NASA had established the qualifications for the astronauts: less than 40 years of age; less than 5 feet 11 inches tall; excellent physical condition; bachelor’s degree or equivalent; graduate of test pilot school; and 1,500 hours of jet flight time. The latter, screened in January 1959, the files of 508 graduates of the Navy and Air Force test pilot schools and resulted in 110 candidates, and eventually to the Mercury 7.

Citation

NASA. “Call for Astronauts, December 1958.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 32, no. 2 (2025): 56-59.