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Lot 34
[Project Mercury] PIONEERING ASTRONAUT TRAINING: Walter Schirra entering the centrifuge trainer NASA, 1960
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue Hoche€400 - €600
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[Project Mercury] PIONEERING ASTRONAUT TRAINING: Walter Schirra entering the centrifuge trainer
NASA, 1960
Printed 1959.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image G-60-2451].
Blank on the reverse (issued by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This historic 1960 photograph captures Mercury astronaut Walter Schirra, dressed in his iconic silver pressure suit, preparing to enter the U.S. Navy Centrifuge Trainer, a massive device designed to simulate the intense G-forces astronauts would endure during launch and re-entry. The centrifuge worked by spinning the astronaut at high speeds, gradually increasing acceleration to several times the force of gravity (G-forces). This allowed NASA to study how astronauts would physically and mentally withstand extreme forces while also testing their ability to operate spacecraft controls under stress. The training was critical in preparing Mercury astronauts for the powerful Atlas rocket launches that would propel them into orbit.
This image represents the pioneering spirit of early spaceflight, where astronauts pushed the limits of human endurance in preparation for the unknown challenges of space.
Printed 1959.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image G-60-2451].
Blank on the reverse (issued by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This historic 1960 photograph captures Mercury astronaut Walter Schirra, dressed in his iconic silver pressure suit, preparing to enter the U.S. Navy Centrifuge Trainer, a massive device designed to simulate the intense G-forces astronauts would endure during launch and re-entry. The centrifuge worked by spinning the astronaut at high speeds, gradually increasing acceleration to several times the force of gravity (G-forces). This allowed NASA to study how astronauts would physically and mentally withstand extreme forces while also testing their ability to operate spacecraft controls under stress. The training was critical in preparing Mercury astronauts for the powerful Atlas rocket launches that would propel them into orbit.
This image represents the pioneering spirit of early spaceflight, where astronauts pushed the limits of human endurance in preparation for the unknown challenges of space.
Footnotes
Schirra, who later became the only astronaut to fly in Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, would go on to pilot Mercury-Atlas 8 (Sigma 7) in 1962, completing a nearly flawless six-orbit mission.
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