Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Project Mercury Astronaut Photograph [Burchfield]
Summary
![Project Mercury Astronaut Photograph [Burchfield]](/img/loading-large.gif)
- Collection ID:
- NASM.2022.0015
- Creators:
-
Burchfield, Delmas D. "Del", 1926-2016
- Dates:
-
1960s and undated
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.01 Cubic feet1 folder
- Repository:
Project Mercury was the United States' first human spaceflight program. Delmas D. "Del" Burchfield (1926-2016) was an engineer at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation who in 1959 was put in charge of the Outside Production Quality Program monitoring all vendors and subcontractors working on Project Mercury. This collection consists of a signed 11 by 8.5 inch black and white photograph of the seven Project Mercury astronauts, two smaller black and white photographs of Delmas D. "Del" Burchfield taken in the 1960s, and several pages from a handwritten memoir by Burchfield in which he describes his experiences working on Project Mercury and with the astronauts.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of an 11 by 8.5 inch black and white photograph of the seven Project Mercury astronauts, Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom; John Herschel Glenn, Jr.; Malcolm Scott Carpenter; Walter Marty "Wally" Schirra, Jr.; Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton; and Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., each of whom has signed the photograph. The collection also includes two smaller black and white photographs of Delmas D. "Del" Burchfield taken in the 1960s as well as several pages from a handwritten memoir by Burchfield in which he describes his experiences working on Project Mercury and with the astronauts.
Note: Images of pages 1 and 6 of the handwritten memoir excerpt have been redacted to remove personal information. The redacted portions do not pertain to Burchfield's work on Project Mercury.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Soon after the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), that agency selected Project Mercury as the United States' first human spaceflight program. From 1958 to 1963 Project Mercury included numerous uncrewed missions and six crewed flights in which the Mercury astronauts Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom; John Herschel Glenn, Jr.; Malcolm Scott Carpenter; Walter Marty "Wally" Schirra, Jr.; Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton; and Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. accomplished many objectives including putting the first American in space and the first American into orbit.
Delmas D. "Del" Burchfield (1926-2016) was an engineer at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation who in 1959 was put in charge of the Outside Production Quality Program monitoring all vendors and subcontractors working on Project Mercury. In this position, Burchfield worked closely with the Mercury astronauts, particularly John Glenn.
Administration
Author
Jessamyn Lloyd
Immediate Source of Acquisition
David Burchfield, Gift, 2022, NASM.2022.0015.
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd, 2022.
Digital Content
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
Project Mercury Astronaut Photograph [Burchfield], NASM.2022.0015, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Astronauts | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Mercury Project | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Photographic prints | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Manuscripts | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Glenn, John Herschel, Jr., 1921-2016 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Shepard, Alan B. (Alan Bartlett), 1923-1998 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
NASMRefDesk@si.edu
