The following is a list of fictional astronauts from the era of Project Mercury and the Vostok programme, the beginning of the "Golden Age" of space travel.
Project Mercury era
Name(s)Appeared inProgram / Mission / SpacecraftFictional date Mercury (1960–1963)"Doc" Adams, Dr. (Space medicine expert)EdPeteTom (no last names given for last three)Sea HuntDiving for the Moon (1959), TVOperation Moon DiveContemporaryCandidates for first spacecraft crew take part in underwater survival test.Terry (no last name given)"Star Mother" (1959), short storyUnited States:Explorer XIINear Future (April)Astronaut in one-man capsule struck by meteorite.Clegg Forbes, Col.Ed Harrington, Col.William Gart, Maj.The Twilight ZoneAnd When the Sky Was Opened (1959), TVUnited States Air Force:X-20Contemporary/Near FutureAstronauts return from first crewed space flight and begin to vanish from the world and people's memories.Adam Stepanic, Maj.Assignment - Mara Tirana (1960), novelMercury?Contemporary/Near Future (October)First American to make successful spaceflight. When his spacecraft malfunctions after 20 of 26 planned orbits he is forced to bring the craft down in Romania. Spacecraft launched by Atlas rocket with second-stage Thor-Able.Dave Armstrong (Australia)Peter Corbitt, Flt Lt (UK)Len Cassidy (US)Jeff Burrows (US)The Astronauts (1960), TV movieUnknownContemporary/Near FutureCandidates to be first human in space.William Allison, Maj.Beyond the Time Barrier (a.k.a. The Last Barrier) (1960), filmUnited States Air Force:X-801960 / 2024Test pilot on suborbital flight in experimental aircraft travels into the future.Norman Puckle, Ordinary SeamanThe Bulldog Breed (1960), filmRoyal Navy:BosunContemporaryRoyal Navy launches ordinary recruit into space.Roy Selby (Army Signal Corps)The Clear Horizon (1960–62), TVUnited StatesContemporarySoap opera about astronauts at Cape Canaveral.Three unnamed astronauts"Egocentric Orbit" (1960), short short storyUnknown (one-man capsules)Contemporary/Near FutureFirst three men in Earth orbit experience unexpected psychological effects.Thomas H. Morris"The Long Way Back" (1960), short storyN/ANear Future18 years after devastating nuclear war, historian Morris becomes the first man in space when he is launched aboard makeshift spacecraft to assemble solar power satellite and enable reconstruction of civilization.R. G. "Bob" Donlin, Col. (Commander)Corey (Flight Officer)Pierson (Flight Officer)Hudack (Navigator)The Twilight ZoneI Shot an Arrow into the Air (1960), TVProject XX 2:Arrow OneContemporary/Near FutureFour survivors of eight-man crew crash on what they think is an asteroid, but turns out to be Nevada.JoeUnnamed pilot"X-15" (1960), songX-151997Two X-15 pilots race their planes around Earth.Nicholai Soloviov, Dr.Armchair TheatreThe Man Out There (1961), TVSoviet Union:TroikaContemporaryCosmonaut trapped in orbit due to solar flare activity causing failure of escape tower to jettison. He assists Canadian family by radio.Jose JimenezJose Jimenez the Astronaut (1961), Jose Jimenez in Orbit (1962), LP recordsMercuryContemporaryAstronaut in the United States Interplanetary Expeditionary Force (USIEF). They were going to send a dog... but they thought that would be too cruel.Squarely StableN/A (Early 1960s)MercuryContemporaryHusband of Primly Stable, super-perfect astronaut wife in skits performed by Rene Carpenter and other Mercury wives.Michael Alfred Robert Samson ("Mike Mars")Johnny BluehawkJack LanniganRodney HargerJoseph StaceyOrin McMahanHart WilliamsTodd LarnerMike Mars series (1961–1966), novelsProject Quicksilver (X-15, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, S-IVB space station)Contemporary (1962–1969)Astronauts in a project paralleling the actual Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects.Margaret MacKenzie, Lt.Tarzan, King of the Jungle #51The Lost Astronaut (1961), comicOperation High BallContemporaryNASA launches a young female pilot into space on a Mercury test flight. The mission goes wrong and in an emergency re-entry, the astronaut narrowly escapes death when her capsule lands in a central African lake. Tarzan rescues her and helps her return to civilization and her home in Massachusetts.Campbell (First name not given)Dennis "Den" LyndsHarry Jackson, Capt.Forrest (First name not given)"What Need of Man?" (1961), short storyProject ArgusContemporary/Near FutureAstronauts involved in the testing of a fully automated winged orbital re-entry vehicle.Matt Powell (NASA)X-15 (a.k.a. Time of Departure, X-15, Time of Departure) (1961), filmX-15ContemporaryTest pilot (loosely based on Joseph A. Walker) flies X-15 to the edge of space.Four unnamed astronauts"Dead-Eye" Dick Williamson, Maj.Gabby Stark, Col.Pluto III/Pluto IV:Lucius L. "Lucky" Lucas, Col.Pluto V:Myron Philpot Phipps, Maj. (Ph.D.)The Astronaut (1962), novelUnited States Air ForceProject Pluto:Pluto IIIPluto IVPluto VContemporaryMilitary Earth-orbit project in competition with U.S. Army and Navy efforts. Lucas' death is falsely announced to cover up Pluto IV launch failure; Phipps becomes first American in orbit on Pluto V.Mike Sklorski, Maj. (US)The Big Pull (1962), TVUnknownContemporary/Near FutureFirst astronaut to pass through Van Allen radiation belt dies, then begins to merge with other people.Howard Judgen, Maj.First Through Time (aka The Time Factor) (1962), novelUnspecifiedContemporary/Near FutureAstronaut reassigned from the space program to take part in a time travel experiment.Caroline Baker, Maj.The Adventures of Little ArchieThe Missing Astronaut Mystery (1963), comicMercury-Atlas1963Major Caroline Baker prepares to become the first female astronaut by making a brief solo spaceflight on a late Mercury-Atlas mission. After being launched successfully, Baker's re-entry is far off course; Soviet agents kidnap her when she splashes down.(USAF) Matt CrispinDuke DalmeadGeorge Raccoli (USN) Bruce BlairRupert MeredithA Flight of Chariots (1963), novelMercuryColumbia 12ContemporaryFictional astronauts added to the original Mercury Seven four months after they were selected. Matt Crispin's flight in Columbia 12 ends with an emergency landing in the Gibson Desert when the oxygen system fails.Steve CrandonThe Outer Limits"The Man with the Power" (1963), TVUnknownContemporary/Near FutureAstronaut recruited for telekinetic asteroid mining project.Joseph Reardon, Capt.The Outer Limits"The Man Who Was Never Born" (1963), TVUnknown1963Astronaut who travels through "time convulsion" in Earth orbit and finds himself on post-apocalyptic Earth in 2148.Sid Stein (Commander)Mike Seaman, Dr. (Communications Corporation [COMCORP]) (Engineer)"The Trouble with Telstar" (1963), short storyDyna-SoarNelly BlyContemporary/Near FutureAstronauts launched to carry out the first in-space repair of a malfunctioning satellite.Robert Gaines, Maj./Robert Gaines, Col.Twilight Zone"The Parallel" (1963), TVMercury?MX Ten (Phoebus Ten)/Astro SevenContemporary/Near FutureAstronaut visits parallel universe where John F. Kennedy is not the U.S. President.John Jameson, Col.The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man 2 (1963–present), comics, TV, and filmMercury, ApolloContemporaryA NASA astronaut who was afflicted with lycanthropy after discovering the Godstone, a magical ruby, on the Moon.Andy (no last name given)Andy Astronaut (1968), picture bookUnknown (one-man capsule)ContemporaryProfile of typical astronaut's career and spaceflight.Hal Brennan, Col.Michael Barnes, Dr.Countdown (1970), novelNASA:Hermes programEarly 1960sAstronauts in follow-up program to Mercury, using one-man Hermes spacecraft launched by Titan rockets. Barnes is nearly killed on program's final mission due to oxygen system failure.Unnamed cosmonautTell Her About It (1983), music videoVostok?July 31, 1963Cosmonaut watches The Ed Sullivan Show from orbit.Unnamed cosmonautTop Secret"Codename: Cancer (The Crab)" (1987), role playing gameVostok1963Soviet cosmonaut launched aboard a modified Vostok designed to be used as a nuclear bomber. Dies of oxygen starvation when his spacecraft is launched into a higher than planned orbit.Maurice MinnifieldNorthern Exposure (1990–1995), TVMercuryContemporaryFormer NASA astronaut living in Alaska.Amerika Bomber/Silbervogel:Horst Reinhardt, Lt. (Luftwaffe)Lucky Linda:Rudy "Skid" Sloman, Lt. (Army Air Force) (Capt., USN, in short story) (Pilot)Joe McPherson (Backup pilot)U.S. Space Force:Gerry Mander"Goddard's People" (a.k.a. "Operation Blue Horizon") (1991), short storyV-S Day (2014), novelLuftwaffe:Silbervogel ("Silver Bird") (A-9 Amerika Bomber in short story)United States Army Air Force:Operation Blue HorizonX-1 (Lucky Linda)January 19, 1942 – May 26, 1944 (Alternate History) / 1991 (Alternate History) (short story)August 20, 1941 – June 1, 1943 (Alternate History) / June 1, 2013 (Alternate History) (novel)Alternate history in which Nazi Germany and the US launch first crewed spaceflights in 1943 (1944 in short story). Mander, one of the engineers who builds Lucky Linda, later becomes an astronaut, serves on space station and travels to Moon. Set in same timeline as Steele's short story "John Harper Wilson" and novel The Tranquillity Alternative (q.v.).AlexDanCarl (no last names given)Unnamed pilotsThe Blue Ball (1995), playUnknown1960sEarly space program of unspecified country. Alex is the first man in space, with Dan as his backup. Dan and Carl experience emergency on subsequent mission.Charles JonesVoyage (1996), novelMercuryEarly 1960s (Alternate History)Second American to orbit Earth (on mission similar to Mercury-Atlas 7) in alternate history in which President Kennedy is wounded, and Jacqueline Kennedy killed, in November 1963 shooting.Project Mercury:Wayne, Col. (no first name given)Aspire 7:Theodore Harris, Col.Daedalus:Sullivan, Maj. (Commander)Carlton Powers (Co-Pilot)Ted Harris, Col. (Host Lecturer)Martin Reese (Journalist)Lil Vaughn (Passenger)Ty Chafey (Passenger)Barbara Chafey (Passenger)The Outer Limits"Joyride" (1999), TVMercury:Aspire 7Powers Industries:XR-141 (Daedalus) (Single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane)September 16, 19632001Thirty-eight years after seeing strange lights in orbit on Mercury flight, Harris seizes chance to return to space aboard commercial spaceplane.Lloyd Macadam, Col. (AIT)Bricker (USSR)Astronauts in Trouble: Space: 1959 (2000), graphic novelAerospace Intelligence Taskforce (AIT) (part of USAF)1959When Soviet agent Bricker commandeers secret US Moon rocket, Col. Macadam climbs aboard as rocket takes off to make sure that first man on Moon is American.Zipp Codwin, Col. (USAF) (NASA Administrator)The DestroyerThe Wrong Stuff (2001), novelMercuryOctober 2001NASA Administrator is former astronaut who flew two Mercury missions.Katerina Vasiliyevna Taraskaya, Jr. Lt.Red Moon (2001), novelVostokc. 1963A supporting character is the young and powerful Col. Katerina Borazova. Four years earlier, when merely Jr. Lt. Taraskaya, she had been launched into orbit after the Soviet premier personally selected her to be the first woman in space. Character is loosely based on Valentina Tereshkova.Alkilina Mikhailovna Chirikova, Jr. Lt.Paragaea (2006), novelVostok1964This novel begins in 1964, with the Soviet Union's second female cosmonaut Jr. Lt. Akilina Chirikova, already aboard Vostok 7, waiting nervously to be blasted into Earth orbit. To her relief, she is launched successfully, but after a couple of uneventful orbits, her ship enters a wormhole, and subsequently she lands in another world, a parallel Earth, called Paragaea.Carl Bell, Capt. (USAF)Fallout 3 (2008), video gameUnited States Space Administration (USSA):Defiance 7 (Mercury-like)May 5, 1961 (Alternate History)In this video game taking place in 2277, exactly 200 years after a nuclear war, the player can visit the Museum of Technology in the ruins of Washington D.C. The game (and the rest of the series) takes place in an alternate timeline that diverges from reality after World War II. One aspect of this timeline is that the United States wa