The Mercury astronauts' saga unfolds with a powerful focus on a singular theme: the elusive "right stuff." This concept, while never explicitly defined by the pilots and astronauts who embody it, encapsulates the courage and composure required to face life-threatening situations with seemingly superhuman reflexes. The narrative spans fifteen chapters, chronicling how this unique quality was essential for the first astronauts venturing into space, and how it captivated public imagination during the intense Cold War rivalry.

On a national stage, the Mercury missions symbolized American pride in the geopolitical contest with the Soviet Union. However, among the astronauts themselves, the missions represented an internal contest for prestige and influence. This competition extended beyond the astronauts to include the engineers, doctors, and administrators orchestrating the space program. Within their ranks, astronauts occasionally convened "seances" to address issues like the potential fallout from their extramarital affairs. Figures such as John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and Gus Grissom advocated for restraint, while others, led by Alan Shepard, defended their right to personal privacy outside of official duties. Despite such internal disagreements, they collectively pushed for significant changes in their mission's terminologies and operations, insisting on being called "astronaut-pilots" and referring to their vehicles as "spacecraft." They also successfully lobbied for a window in the capsule and for increased manual control over their flights.

The Right Stuff serves as a vibrant historical narrative, rich with the vernacular of the time. Tom Wolfe masterfully captures the pilots and their families, drawing readers into their fascinating world through the authentic language and slang of their culture. The pilots’ code of conduct, which discourages direct references to the "right stuff," is skillfully revealed through their indirect expressions during casual conversations. For instance, rather than boast about their own bravery during emergencies, they talk about how the radar operator appeared, describing him as a "zombie," thereby subtly highlighting the perilous situation and their own cool-headedness in overcoming it.