Mercury seven astronauts and Flight Director Chris Kraft. From left to right: Walter Schirra (1923-2007), Donald Slayton (1924-1993), Virgil Grissom (1926-1967), Christopher Kraft (born 1924), Leroy Cooper (1927-2004), Malcom Carpenter (born 1925), John Glenn (born 1921), and Alan Shepard (1923-1998). This group of astronauts, also known as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1, are the only group of astronauts to have flown on all of NASA's manned spacecraft in the 20th century.