History Film / TheRightStuff

* GermanicEfficiency: Wernher von Braun insists LBJ ''Our Germans vill be better than zeir Germans''

*** TruthInTelevision: a ''pilot'' in the Navy guides ships into harbors.

* SnobsVersusSlobs: The scientists (snobs) and the astronauts (slobs) often have conflicts on each others' interests.

** '''The Navy pilots''': Glenn (Superego), Shepard (Id), and Schirra (Ego). Carpenter is also a Superego, but it is Glenn and Shepard who clash the most.
*** Glenn was actually a Marine pilot, not Navy, but this still fits.

* HiddenDepths: Gordo Cooper spends the bulk of the film slinging his catchphrase "Who's the best pilot you ever saw? You're looking at him!" When a reporter asks him that very question, however, he actually takes a moment to wax introspective about his fellow astronauts, those pilots who've lost their lives in aerospace research, and those who continue to push the envelope with minimal fame or recognition... but when he notices the reporters' eyes begin glazing over, he gives them what they want: a cocky response.
%%* HomageShot

* HiddenDepths: Gordo Cooper spends the bulk of the film slinging his catchphrase "Who's the best pilot you ever saw? You're looking at him!" When a reporter asks him that very question, however, he actually takes a moment to wax lyrical about his fellow astronauts, those pilots who've lost their lives in aerospace research, and those who continue to push the envelope with minimal fame or recognition, before finally reverting to type.

** Chuck Yeager did not, in fact, casually take an NF-104A for a record-breaking joyride. The crash occured during planned testing sessions. As commandant of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Air_Force_Test_Pilot_School ARPS]], he was doing a series of preliminary test flights before letting the students have at it. (And also, along the way, set a new altitude record.)

** Virtually all footage seen during the montage of failed test launches - including the famous "popping cork"[[labelnote:#]]During this test, the Atlas's rocket engines stopped firing before liftoff. Consequently, the Mercury capsule, sensing its... extremely low altitude, triggered the escape system parachute.[[/labelnote]] - is actual footage of unmanned launches from the Mercury program.

* HiddenDepths: Gordo Cooper spends the bulk of the film slinging his catchphrase "Who's the best pilot you ever saw? You're looking at him!" When a reporter asks him that very question, however, he actually takes a moment to wax lyrical about his fellow astronauts, those pilots who've lost their lives pushing the bounds of aerospace science, and those who continue to do so with minimal fame or recognition, before finally reverting to type.

* PowerWalk: The TropeCodifier.

* BerserkButton: John Glenn is incredibly mild-mannered . . . unless you pick on his wife.

* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: Jack Ridley.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Only in this movie could they do this to the dueling tunes of "From the Halls of Montezuma" and "Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder."

* AwesomeMcCoolName: When Cooper and Grissom are talking about whether they should apply for the space program, Grissom asks what "astronaut" actually means. Cooper tells him it means "star voyager," and they both clearly think that sounds awesome.

*** The glance from Gordo's wife, Trudy, belies the irony in this situation. The movie pays little attention to the fact that Trudy was an capable pilot herself, and could have had a more promising career than Gordo had she not been born with the "wrong" set of chromosomes.