posted 08-19-2011 12:38 PM               

The project, as Yowell discovered, led Tully to the White House and Cape Canaveral, where he interacted with the Mercury astronauts in the lead up to the first American manned spaceflight.

In 2006, I purchased on eBay a set of original architectural drawings of a building called an Astronarium, dated January 1961. It was inscribed on the front page "Best Regards to Bruce, From the Mercury Astronauts."

I bought the set because it combined two of my passions: spaceflight (I have been an engineer in the U.S. space program for the last 20 years) and the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. It appeared to have been a proposal for a large space-themed exhibit for the fair, featuring a large planetarium dome surrounded by exhibits and lecture rooms.

The drawings were signed by five of the seven astronauts; only Wally Schirra and Scott Carpenter were missing. The eBay seller had no idea who Bruce was. All he knew was that the set of drawings was purchased from the estate of a butler who lived in a New Jersey mansion.

Who was Bruce, and why did the Mercury astronauts sign his drawings?

posted 08-20-2011 03:04 PM               

As noted in the article, the original drawings were signed by five of the seven Mercury astronauts. Robert had Scott Carpenter and Wally Schirra add their signatures, completing the seven.

(These images are copyright Robert Yowell and Mr. Tully and have never before been reproduced on the Internet in this manner. They have been watermarked to prevent their unauthorized reproduction.)