Imagine riding a converted missile into space in a capsule so small you wear it, with no onboard computer, while every calculation keeping you alive runs on mainframes in Maryland. This episode explores Project Mercury, 1958 to 1963, from the Sputnik shock and the missile gap fear that created NASA, through the decision to use ballistic missiles instead of a space plane, to Maxime Faget's 10.8 foot capsule with 120 manual controls. The hosts explain the physics of the design: astronauts lying on their backs to survive 11 Gs, the blunt body that pushes a protective shock wave ahead of the heat shield, ablative resin that chars away, and a pure oxygen cabin at 5.5 psi to avoid the bends and save weight.

The episode covers the very human oversights, including the missing urine collection device that led Alan Shepard to wet his suit on the pad, ...