Project Mercury [4K] 

I hope all of you enjoyed the video! I’ll be addressing minor mistakes, errors, and overall critiques here. This is the first time that this channel has even attempted a subject of such scale, so to see how many of you enjoyed it is very wonderful. I do not claim that the entirety of the Wehrmacht was mechanized in the video, but rather that they had “fully embraced” it. German panzer groups would attack as concentrated units and would leave foot soldiers behind in many, many cases. The difficulties involved in mechanization regarding the Heer was not in doctrine or thought, but in economy and capability. Germany certainly loved and highlighted its mechanized units...it just didn’t have nearly enough of them. Foot soldiers of the Heer and horse-drawn artillery arrived into the theatre of action after Panzer units had swept through. ------- A couple caption typos, and I see them! That’s 100% on me. Tried to bang out this video a day early, and that’s what I get The R-7 "Semyorka" was not deployed to Cuba, but rather the closely related "R-12" was, which was a successor vehicle that used storable propellants, not unlike what the Titan-II did to succeed the Atlas.

Just one question: How come the owner of this RU-vid channel, who from what I can tell is an amateur, makes far better documentaries than most of those who would be called professionals? Very well done sir and please keep up the outstanding work.

The montage of rockets exploding set to "Kokomo" is true poetry

My Dad was the pilot of the helicopter that retrieved Mercury-Atlas 3, one of the unmanned flights. He designed 'the pulpit,' the 'squirrel cage,' used for SSgt Ralph Cochran to stand in and use the shepherds crook to attach the cargo hook to the capsule to bring it home! He was a memeber of the Marine Recovery Force when Alan Shepard, Jr. completed his flIght. Ref: Leatheneck Feb. 1961 Magazine of the Marines p. 20, 23. Leatherneck May 1962 Magazine of the Marines pp. 53-54

This channel is like going to the museum and reading every tag, every plaque every description. It's Amazing. And how he ties all of history, the good bad and unwanted, Amazing

This is better done than anything the History Channel has done in the last 20 years.

I spent most of my life watching all sorts of documentaries. This is absolutely the best of the best. Your choice of music, the narration, the footage is beyond anything I have seen. I cannot stress enough how well this is put together. This is the standard by which documentaries should be made. It actually makes me feel like I'm witnessing these events as if I had lived in those times. I tip my hat sir. Well done....very well done.

What a brilliant effort !! As an engineer, it was a genuinely complete doco without all the overdone flag-waving that usually accompanies such historic overviews. First rate to the team behind it

I was born in 1956 and a very small boy during the Mercury Program. I’ve never seen such a detailed documentary about this program. I’ve been a fan of the Apollo program which is obvious. I was only seven when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. During the landing I was in the hospital for appendicitis. My father had smuggled a small radio into the hospital and at the time they landed the head nurse came, lifted the blankets under which I hid, and asked me: “Have they landed yet”. I’ll never forget that moment. This documentary has given me all these memories back. Thank you very much indeed.

I love the juxtaposition of The Beach Boys music and rockets blowing up. I love that part.

It is hard to believe this is not professionally made. In 57 years, I have NEVER seen such a detailed account of the Mercury program!!! I sure hope you cover Gemini and Apollo. Those would be incredible and well worth purchasing!

Folks, these Documentaries ought to be on TV, if they aren't already! Very, very good!! Thanks!!

Why didn't THE ALGORITHM send me this sooner??? The best space documentary I've ever seen in 30 years! Completely thorough, perfectly illustrated, captivating narration.

I just wasted 6 hours of my life watching Disney / Nat Geo 2020 'The Right Stuff' (aka. Real Housewives of NASA) and then I discovered this masterpiece !!! You've managed to capture and present everything I've ever wanted to know about Mercury in a way no other documentary I've seen ever has - BRAVO !!!!

This is possibly the best documentary Ive seen on RU-vid. 10/10

I saw a Mercury capsule in Boston once . It wasn't much bigger than a refrigerator. Those guys had balls of steel!! I love this time period. From the 50's to the 70's was a fantastic time for aviation and space discovery!

This is brilliant. Absolutely thee finest piece on USA's early space program years I have ever seen, and at 68yrs old, not only have I seen them all, I lived through them all. I am simply stunned by your demonstrated skill set. You have done yourself, and the men and women of Project Mercury proud! You've also earned my subscription , like and notification que as a small gesture of gratitude for your obvious dedication to the perfection of your craft. Bravo! All your systems are GO!!!

Having been a child during the Mercury launches and having been pulled out of class in elementary school so that we could all go down to the auditorium and watch on a television as these flights progressed, it is nothing short of amazing to see what went on behind the scenes. This was an excellent production! Everything from the narration to the music played to the events and how they were portrayed was nothing less than stellar. I enjoyed every minute of watching this and I have to admit there were times when it brought me back into that schoolroom auditorium and watching this unfold on a black-and-white television screen. Thank you for all the work and effort you put into this.

This is an excellent viddy, especially so because it’s “homemade”. I’m a retired USAF videographer/editor and I must say that the quality, script, editing, audio - all of it is just outstanding. Now ya gotta make one for the Gemini and Apollo programs! Thank you for a great show. 🤙🏼😊

As a critical video producer myself, I'm only 21 minutes into this AWESOME production & am FULLY engrossed. Since this is the first presentation of yours that I am seeing, I will most definitely be looking to enjoy all of your productions. I would categorize your content & quality at a much higher caliber than most professional documentaries.

As a space enthusiast, I've seen a lot of documentaries and read a lot about these events, but still you presented one of the best docus I've ever encountered. Truly impressed!

I can still remember my elementary school class watching Freedom 7’s launch like yesterday. The journey of NASA through Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the Shuttle flights and the Mars landers has been an absolutely awesome experience of my life and I consider myself so fortunate to have lived during these times. I can only hope our civilization survives long enough to break out from Earth and find our way into the solar system and beyond…

I agree with comments below that this is a superior documentary. I was 5. years old and remember when Sputnik shocked the US . With total attention I followed our space journey from then through the end of the Apollo missions. I rarely let a documentary go by without viewing, and so much of the footage & comms provided here I have never seen! How access to these records was obtained must have been a promethean journey. I want my grown kids to see this. Thank you, Homemade Documentaries, whoever you are for preserving this important step in space history and bringing it back to life!

I am 68 years old and this is the best documentary on early human space flight I have seen. Thank you.

"Homemade" ??? Your work is better than many professionals!!! This video is a jewel. Two hours well spent watching.

This is incredible documentary standard - should win awards. The whole way the images and footage - some that seems a very rare find - is marvellous. The script is wonderful storytelling and your voice is perfect. I am working my way through all of your videos. Thank you for your amazing work.

At 1:46:40, I can already tell you that you have done a marvelous job on this project. I have been a Project Mercury fan since I was a child. Gordo is a personal hero. I will finish the video and surely watch it a second time within a few days. I have already noted several tidbits of info in your documentary that I have not seen before. Best example is the final explanation for Liberty Bell 7's blown escape hatch. I had never heard that the investigations eventually proved that Gus did not fire the bolts and in fact provided a very plausible explanation of what happened and what would have happened if Gus had blown the hatch manually. Very well done sir! Liked and subscribed. I would share as well, but I read, study and work, so I have no friends.

Absolute “Dittos” to all the positive comments about this wonderful production. It will be studied for generations to come. Preserved and revered by all historians. On behalf of future humanity…many, many thanks!

I’ll also chime in and say that I also can’t believe this was not professionally developed. One of the best documentaries I have seen!

They were heroes to boys my age back then. All of us thought one day we could be astronauts. One of my prize possessions as a boy was my GI Joe with a space suit and Mercury capsule. I wish I had that today. I'm sad at what constitutes heroes today. Whatever else the space program was for real, it sparked the imagination of kids all over. It was a HUGE part of life back then.

Von Braun, despite being initially overlooked - had the last laugh. He earned it, and good on him!!

"The Beach Boys" singing in the background while watching explding rockets. Now that is something, LOL.

Thank you for 2 1/2 hours of possibly the best original "content" (a word I have been learning to hate) I have experienced on RU-vid. At a time when I'm close to giving up on RU-vid, I came across this. I thought - am I really going to watch this for 2/12 hours? Well, I was riveted and deeply emotionally involved for the entire time - and actually learned so much that I never knew - I was 7 at John Glenn's flight and was deeply involved emotionally with the space race of the 60's. And if you are the narrator (I am assuming), you must have been born decades after these events took place. This is how it should be done - extremely informative, yet with amazing technical prowess and style that supports but doesn't distract - including your remarkable narration which displayed what must have required both extensive research plus the ability to put it together into an effective story. I sensed deep emotional involvement on your part but without any affectation. And you took your time and trusted us to be able to be able to come along with you for the ride - something, sadly, not frequently found on original RU-vid documentaries. Thank you.

The sequence starting @ 36:26 is one of the best editing in the history of documentaries! Of course, it presents history not as pure facts, it conveys an emotional story, but in such a compelling and interesting way: The contradiction between sandy beaches and fuel-soaked launchpads accompanied by lyrics like "we'll perfect our chemistry and we'll defy some gravity" - it fits so well!

Great work, thank you! I've watched so many space documentaries over the years and this one is among the best! Well done!

Wow... While watching this 2.5 hour documentary, I've learned more about the Mercury Program than I have for the past 25 years. Great job! Tons of thanks!!!

Absolute masterpiece. I used to watch the "From Earth to the Moon" Serie. I never thought anything could beat that. I was wrong. When approx at 2 hours in the movie I start to hear the Interstellar Background Music my mind blown!

Okay, I know this is a year old, but damn!!!!! This is the SINGLE. BEST. DOCUMENTARY. EVER. The story is so good and the commentary is just incredible. I doubt that I can express the awe that went thru my mind while watching this. Great job man. Also, please do Gemini part two because you have not posted is a while. I know they are long to make, but they are just incredible. Good job, keep up the good work.

I have watched this many times and can honestly say you have blown anything else I’ve seen on this topic, completely and utterly out of the water. I cannot begin to imagine the effort involved in producing this doco and series, but you deserve the very highest praise. I’m enthralled.

These are by far the best space documentaries made! Most documentaries only give us the general generic information, you give us the details we want to know that's what makes these special! Keep up the good work

I met both Alan Shepard in 1991 and Eugene Kranz back in 1995. Both guys were super polite to me. Great Americans.

This is brilliant and highly professional in content and production. Want to thank you for mentioning the contributions of Mary Sherman Morgan. She was the mother of my first girlfriend. Despite a subsequent engineering career, I had no idea until she was long gone of the important role she played in rocket fuel development. I just knew she made GREAT pumpkin pie!😂 I only learned the details when her son George came out with his excellent book "Rocket Girl".

I wanted to say I actually got into an intense convo with a friend about the space race which lead to me linking these videos. And essentially explaining it like it's "better than any series on HBO because it's all real, start at mercury and follow the program all the way until the last Apollo mission and tell me you don't feel proud of not only America, but mankind".

The 1957 International Geophysical Year was promoted and followed by small boys like me across the United States. It was an exciting time and I still remember it today. The unexpected success of the Soviet Sputnik during the International Geophysical Year captured everyone's imagination and launched the space race.

This was a fantastic watch. Possibly one of the best Mercury docs I think ive seen. Slowly making my way through all of your other videos and hoping for more. Keep up the great work!

The production value of your videos are incredible! The world needs more people of your caliber sir, well done!

What a treat!...I was in Jr. High School when the Mercury program operated...I can remember that every lift-off was shown in class, during 1961 and 62...there was no cynicism, no "so what" attitude among my classmates..It was an exciting time to be a part of a country that was going to the moon!...And being in Seattle, we were experiencing a fantastic civic event--the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, also known as Century 21...the theme of the fair was future space exploration, and scientific advancement....as a 15 yo, I was thrilled by all of this!...and this fine documentary had me spellbound, 60 years later, filling me in on just what the Mercury program was doing, while I was a star-struck teenager..only now, at age 76, do I have a more intelligent perspective of what helped make my younger life so stimulating.

Thanks Gary, the pacing and quality of the voice over is perfect, and very comfortable to listen to.

Fun Fact: The voice you hear talking about the various experiments during Gordon Cooper's flight is Winston Hibler, the gentleman who did the majority of narration duties for Walt Disney's True Life Documentaries, and also did the main narration for most of the trailers for various Disney movies.

I was a kid in school when this happened. I was watching on TV (black and white) the entire time. My interest, even back then, was intense for space travel. Your historical film was dead on accurate and reminded me of my childhood. Those were amazing days in space travel but we did not have the TV coverage that we do have today. Project Mercury was the beginning of it all. It showed that we could survive in space. No one knew that back then. I hope that you will cover Project Gemini next. So much more was accomplished in Gemini. Nice work!

I've got a lot of documention about Mercury & Gemini, yet I did learn new things... and couldn't stop watching... really well done and very, very interesting ! Thanks for the nice work !

I've watched many documentaries and films on the space program but this is by far one of the best. Just amazing work, nothing home made about it all. Great work.

This is undoubtedly one of the best documentaries I've ever watched! Thanks for the enormous effort in research, production etc!

A truly outstanding documentary. There were many facts that I had not heard of or forgotten. Those were remarkable times that need to be remembered. Thank you very much for the production.

Man, this is not a documentary, this is poetry! such a wonderful craftmanship you show during the entire piece. BRA-VO, ssimply Bravo!

Thank you for this documentary....I just visited the NASA Space Center last week and learned much. Your documentary has filled in even more for a kid who got to watch the Mercury launches on a television at elementary school, sitting on the floor of the gymnasium with the whole school...2nd through 5th grade.

By far the best Project Mercury documentary I've ever seen. Thank you, sir.

My father was a tech who had a minor role in the later Gemini Program. I remember how thrilled I was when, years later when I was in elementary school, he would come in and give a really cool slide show to the class. I really think his time as a commo tech for the program was something he was immensely proud of. Your documentary was grand. I hope you keep making these and cover Gemini and Apollo.

A telling sign of a great documentary concerning a technical subject: A script and narration that permits to follow along without requiring to see the visuals. This excellent production meets that high standard!

After "The Right Stuff" in 1983 (Maybe one of the best film in history) "The Right Documentary" (probably one of the best documentary on this subject). Well done.

These documentaries are without a doubt the best I've ever seen on the subject. So much insight into events, so well written. Superb!

Just finished the documentary and was truly blown away by the detail and hard work you put into this. My knowledge about the pioneering Mercury 7 missions was sadly lacking until I watched this. The bravery and comradeship, not to mention the true hard work by thousands at the time really shone through in this video, I was awestruck! Thank you so much Jackson, great to see the credit to LM5 !

History channel should hire you. I’ve seen this maybe six times and it still amazes me how well this is done.

Thank you for this amazing documentary. Out of everything I've read and watched since the 1970s, this is the most comprehensive, easily consumable, and enjoyable work on Project Mercury that I've ever seen.

I have seen countless documentaries on the USA space program however I have learned much more here than ever before. Amazing work, keep it coming!

This is a masterpiece! Best documentary I’ve seen on Mercury. Congratulations!

The recovery of LT. Col. John H. Glenn, U.S.M.C, Naval Aviator and Astronaut pilot of Friendship-7 by the U.S.S. Noa DD-841 was the highest point of my 4 years of service aboard the NOA as a Shipfitter. It was a day I will never forget, it was a great day for all America,Carroll J. Gauthier

my grandfather worked on project Mercury at the Cape and he would be damn proud to see this fantastic documentary.

I really enjoyed this, especially the extended and coordinated audio feeds from the missions. I really appreciate all the homework you did on the technical details and the patience to transcribe the conversations. This documentary finally satiated my hunger for the historical and social perspective combined with the technical. I hope you continue with Gemini and beyond. Great job. I also like the use of the some of the same score as “The Right Stuff” :)

As a new comer to your channel I can only say how impressed I am at your work. Reading all the comments written isn't necessary to see just how well you are respected by your viewers. You can see you truly love taking something to a new level. I would vote this "The best" document. I was a kid growing up in the 60's and everyone gathered in front of the T.V. to watch each and every space shot, it was the future unfolding before your eyes. Thanks for refreshing those memories.

The depth and amount of information that is within this amazing piece of history documentation is astounding. Only seen such detail of the craft in the works of Ken Burns. Excellent work. Thx for posting!

Truly excellent. At age 71 I remember all of this so well. You did it justice.

My grandfather took and set up the Gemini capsule to the wind tunnel when he worked for McDonnell Aircraft. His name was H.T. Mickel. I believe they had to travel to San Francisco since St. Louis did not have a wind tunnel at that time.

Im watching every few days one by one all your documentaries, all of them are exceptionally good but project’s Mercury I find a masterpiece. Even to use of the Right Stuff movie score is so brilliant. Congratulations and thank you so much. Muchas gracias querido amigo.

I just discovered your channel, Holy cow! This film is incredible! Eons better than the so-called "professional" documentaries. Incredible! Well done sir!!

Your documentaries are exceptional, simply excellent work! Thank you so much for sharing them! 💎💎💎💎💎

shockingly high quality documentary. loved learning about the mercury program and especially the long sequences of radio communication during missions.

This is one of the best space documentaries I've ever seen, there was so much stuff I didn't know, fantastic job!

Is no one gonna talk about the absolutely golden montage of early rocket failures to the sound of Kokomo at 37:37? I need a full version of this. This is amazing. The entirety of the documentary is awesome, but that part specifically is precious

Very impressive. Thanks very much for your thoroughness, and commitment to revise when new info comes to light!

Just gone through many of the comments: maybe the most important achievement of your excellent work is that you're greatly contributing to preserve the original reels and tapes of that distant years through a sapient work of editing, blending many sources into an excellent mix. Truly, a legacy for future generations. Works like this one are a fantastic example of how RU-vid can be used to share knowledge and teach everybody what talented people can achieve!

Seriously impressed with this smooth and confident documentary. Both as a space fan since seeing these events in the 60s and a one time program maker myself, THIS is how such material should feel. I will follow everything you make with great interest. Gordo would be proud.

top notch! enjoying all your space documentaries :) thanks for making them

One of the greatest documentaries ever made. Not just for a small RU-vidr, but in general. Absolutely top notch work.

As a rocket scientist supporting our USSF and having grown up with these missions and astronauts I want to thank you for a wonderful documentary. Bravo 👏

Homemade, but better than 99% of the documentaries that I've seen in my lifetime, and I've seen hundreds of 'em, at least! Very nicely done!!

I want to join the standing ovations for the creator of this documentary! It is THE BEST documentary on this topic I have ever seen. Nor Discovery channel, nor others came close to the authenticity of real events pictured here. I felt like being with them in space because of the real-time footage and audio, unfolding in my imagination and on the screen. I felt speechless and amazed. Now Im getting myself ready for other amazing videos on this channel, and I have no doubt they will blow my mind the same way. Thank you for putting so much effort into making this!!!

Absolutely riveted to this all the way through the two and a half hours! Great pacing and a great way to tell the story. Thoroughly brilliant. A most sincere and huge thank you for this gargantuan work. Well done!

Man I’m speechless, your job is outstanding, thank you !

Marvelous work on the history, science, and humanity surrounding the Mercury project. Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

I heartily agree with so many other comments, these documentaries are the best! I’m 67 and have vivid memories of watching John Glenn in “Friendship 7” blast off on television before I rushed off to school. My dad and I always did the yard work on saturday mornings, and I would remind him, “Dad, let’s try to finish up before the astronauts blast off at 12:30”! Those were the Gemini missions. It is indeed a bitter memory for me, on my 11th birthday, January 27th 1967 we lost the Apollo 1 astronauts. The space program was a BIG part of my younger years, and I still view all these people as heroes! Thanks again for these wonderful documentaries!

Can't really add anything to the many comments here except to congratulate you on one of the finest documentaries I have seen on Mercury, space exploration generally or any other subject!

Enjoyed every minute of that. Yes, I'm working my way through your entire catalogue. Stunning work, immensely watchable!

This is breathtaking. Thank you! I am enjoying this so much. I have paused the video to comment after seeing John Glenn go up. A wealth of details in here I never knew about. I consider myself an enthusiast, my childhood filled with Project Apollo, inspiring me to take an interest in engineering from an early age. You really do keep the interest going with one thing after another after another and you do it in such a way that I do not notice time passing. A fascinating story told wonderfully, and as others have already said in so many words, you do it better. Back to the video now!

Best documentary on the Mercury program by far… Thank you for taking me back to my childhood, Reminding me of how I would dream while listening to the broadcast on these flights, so much so that my big brother bought me a transistor radio to listen to them. Loved it so much it lead me to becoming a pilot at a young age. A time we would use our imagination to pretend we were there in the capsule with them. A privilege unfortunately that children no longer have as the are bombarded by the electronic age of games and such. (Wow, I sound just like my Dad back when I got that transistor radio - LOL) Thank you for putting your time into this and transporting back to my past.

Thank you so much for this. Fascinating and skillfully made. It gives the film 'The Right Stuff' meat on its bones.

Loved this. Best thing about it is how you break down all the flights separately. You rarely hear about the Carpenter, Schirra and Cooper flights in such detail. Thank you.

Stirred up my memories of Project Mercury, especially, Grissom's, Glenn's and Schirra's flights!Thank you!

This is probably the best documentary I have ever seen in my life I have watched it like 30 times already and every time I find more details that I did it inspect I love your videos keep doing what you're doing

This is the best documentary on the Mercury space program I have ever seen. Excellent production. Thank you for posting.