Le tour du monde en 80 minutes

John H. Glenn, Malcolm Scott Carpenter (co-author), L. Gordon Cooper (co-author), Virgil I. Grissom (co-author), Walter M. Schirra (co-author), Alan B. Shepard (co-author), Donald K. Slayton (co-author)
French text by Lilian Pebrel-Pinguet and Sibylle de Miribel
Year1963
PublisherHachette
PlaceParis
LanguageFR
Rating★★★★☆ (4/5)
AudienceGeneral, Student
LevelBeginner
Keywords
astronauticsspace raceProject Mercuryspace biologytest pilot
ThemesHuman Spaceflight, Space Race

Written jointly by all seven Mercury astronauts (John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton), this volume traces the full arc of Project Mercury from the 1959 selection process to the orbital flights of 1962. Each astronaut authors his own chapters, recounting in the first person the training regimen, technical aspects of the capsule, and the missions in which he took part. An introduction by editor John Dille (Life Magazine) provides context and interleaves editorial notes within the flight narratives. The French translation, published in 1963 by Hachette, faithfully conveys the direct, personal style of the American original.

📖 Editorial Review

Published at the height of the Mercury programme's momentum, this book co-written by all seven astronauts is a first-hand document unmatched in the space literature of its era. Produced in partnership with TIME/Life, it bears the hallmarks of a time when American heroism was built as much on magazine pages as in space …