I am a huge space nerd so anything relating to outer space I am immediately here for. When Disney+ and National Geographic announced they’d be doing a show based on The Right Stuff, I was very excited. Premiering this fall, “The Right Stuff” tells the incredible story of America’s first astronauts, the Mercury Seven, during the early days of the U.S. Space Program. You can check out an exclusive clip from the show:
Based on the iconic bestseller by Tom Wolfe, “The Right Stuff” is an inspirational look at the early days of the U.S. Space Program and the incredible story of America’s first astronauts, the Mercury Seven. At the height of the Cold War in 1959, the Soviet Union dominates the space race, and America fears it is a nation in decline. Newly-formed NASA has the monumental task of sending a man into space, and its engineers estimate they need decades to accomplish the feat. They are given two years. Dubbed Project Mercury, the program recruits and trains just seven astronauts from a handful of the military’s best pilots. Within days of being presented to the world, the Mercury Seven become instant celebrities, forged into heroes before they achieve a single heroic act. At a time when many wondered if America’s glory days were behind it, The Right Stuff is an aspirational story about how ordinary human beings can achieve the extraordinary. As much about who we are today as it is about historic achievements, the series evokes the wonder of this singular era, when the free world looked towards a new horizon of hope as we first stepped off the bounds of our only home to venture into the vast unknown.
Check out the amazing panel moderated THE Mae Jemison.