Mercury Seven Col. John "Shorty" Powers, who as a result became known in the press as the "eighth astronaut". They wrote first-hand accounts of their selection and preparation for the Mercury missions in the 1962 book "We Seven". Additionally, each of them separately wrote at least one book describing their astronaut experiences. In 1979, Tom Wolfe published a less sanitized version of their story in "The Right Stuff". Wolfe's book was the basis for the film of the same name directed by Philip Kaufman. The five Tracy brothers from the TV series "Thunderbirds" were named after five of the Mercury Seven astronauts.
Seven Pines Seven Pines Seven Pines and the Seven Pines National Cemetery are located in the unincorporated town of Sandston in Henrico County, Virginia. Cemetery records state the name is derived from for a group of seven pine trees planted within the national cemetery in 1869 near the intersection of the old Williamsburg-Richmond Stage Road and the Nine Mile Road, however, the name "Seven Pines" pre-dates the establishment of the cemetery. Earlier maps and records, especially those from the American Civil War, commonly refer to the location as "Seven Pines." Today, the surrounding area is still referred to as "Seven Pines" although