F-106B Delta Dart #58-0158 48th FIS, 1961
Mercury Seven

Seven Original Mercury astronauts trained at NASA Langley Research Center. They are standing here in front of Convair F-106B Delta Dart s/n 59-0158 USAF, c/n 8-32-10 on 20 Jan 1961. It was the 305th F-106 produced by Convair at San Diego CA delivered to 329th FIS George AFB CA on 05 Oct 60 and reassigned to 48th FIS Langley AFB VA on 25 Oct 60. While familiarizing the astronauts with the Mercury set-up, Langley employees helped them to specialize in the technical areas crucial to the overall success of Project Mercury. Langley people also guided and monitored the astronauts activities through the many spaceflight simulators and other training devices built at the Center expressly for the manned space program.

Left to right, M. Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil I. Grissom, Walter M. Schirra Jr., Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Donald K. Slayton.