Mercury Seven part-time student at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1956 to 1959. Both astronauts were ultimately awarded their bachelor's degrees after their 1962 space flights. NASA introduced the astronauts in Washington on April 9, 1959. Although the agency viewed Project Mercury's purpose as an experiment to determine whether humans could survive space travel, the seven men immediately became national heroes and were compared by "Time" magazine to "Columbus, Magellan, Daniel Boone, and the Wright brothers." Two hundred reporters overflowed the room used for the announcement and alarmed the astronauts, who were unused to such a large audience. Because they
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (musical) among them - and fans of the show chanted and held picket signs demanding Rich retract his review presumably in vain hopes of a resultant reprieve for "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers".) "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" would receive a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score. The musical premiered in the West End at the Old Vic, starting on July 2, 1985 and running for 41 performances. It starred Roni Page and Steve Devereaux and included Michaela Strachan as the bride Liza. The show also played at The Prince of Wales Theatre, Leicester Square produced by Michael Winter, and