National Air and Space Museum Archives

Mercury Project Dietary and Nutritional Guidelines [McKay]

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2017.0028
Creators:
McKay, Jean Kathleen Trainum, 1924-2016.
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Whirlpool Corporation
Dates:
bulk 1951-2004
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.05 Cubic feet
1 folder
Repository:
This collection consists of material relating to Captain Jean Kathleen Trainum McKay (1924-2016) and her work as the dietitian for the Mercury Project including news clippings, press releases, writings by McKay, photographs, and a detailed pre-flight feeding plan.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of approximately 0.05 cubic feet of material relating to Jean McKay and her work as the dietitian for the Mercury Project including news clippings, press releases, writings by McKay, photographs, and a detailed pre-flight feeding plan. The feeding plan consists of nutritional information, menus, and recipes, and is signed on the front by astronauts Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., John Herschel Glenn, Jr., Malcolm Scott Carpenter, Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., Walter Marty "Wally" Schirra, Jr., and Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton. The writings by McKay consist of papers on nutrition and feeding astronauts as well as the notes for a talk to a docent meeting at the San Diego Air and Space Museum recounting McKay's experiences with the Mercury Project. Press releases are from the office of Congressman Phillip Hart Weaver (R-Nebraska) and one from the Whirlpool Corporation on their Space Kitchen which includes two 8 by 10 inch black and white photographs. Also included is also a 4 by 6 inch color photograph of McKay with Shepard and Schirra taken in August 1995.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Captain Jean Kathleen Trainum McKay (1924-2016) was serving as the staff dietitian in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General when she was selected to serve as the dietitian for the Mercury Project and was sent to Cape Canaveral in April 1961. Although research and development for the pre-flight dietary guidelines had been done previously at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, McKay was responsible for planning specific menus from the basic guide, purchasing the food and supervising preparation and serving, and conducting nutritional analysis and reporting to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Prior to this assignment, McKay was a member of a unified team of women serving in various branches of the military put together to work with the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) to recruit more women to serve in the Armed Forces.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Laurel Barile, Gift, 2017, NASM.2017.0028.
Processing Information
Arranged and described by Jessamyn Lloyd, 2017; encoded by Melissa A. N. Keiser, 2019; revised by Amara Pugens, 2022.

Digital Content

More …

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
Mercury Project Dietary and Nutritional Guidelines [McKay], Acc. NASM.2017.0028, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Mercury Project Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dietetics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newspaper clippings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Press releases Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Papers, technical Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Menus Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Astronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manned space flight Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States Women in Aviation, 1940-1985 Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Food Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Project Apollo (U.S.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Apollo Lunar Module Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Astronauts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Glenn, John Herschel, Jr., 1921-2016 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Grissom, Virgil I. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shepard, Alan B. (Alan Bartlett), 1923-1998 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Carpenter, M. Scott (Malcolm Scott), 1925-2013 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schirra, Wally Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper, Leroy Gordan, 1927-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cochran, Jacqueline Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Webb, James E. (James Edwin), 1906-1992 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Von Braun, Wernher, 1912-1977 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gilruth, Robert Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Slayton, Donald K., 1924-1993 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
Business Number: Phone: 703-572-4045
NASMRefDesk@si.edu