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Full-length portrait of Mercury Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. in spacesuit

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Full-length portrait of Mercury Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. in spacesuit

Full-length portrait of Mercury Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. in spacesuit

NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)
This is Gordon Cooper, one of NASA's original seven astronauts chosen in 1959, posing in his Mercury Flight Suit.

When NASA's Mercury program began, the spacesuits kept the designs of earlier pressurized flight suits used in high altitude aircraft. However, NASA added a material called Mylar which gave the suit strength, and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

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