Project Mercury seeks to capture the spirit of astronaut Alan Shepard's landmark space flight. The piece begins with the blast off of Freedom 7 and its ascent into the atmosphere. The percussion timbres and vocal effects in the winds depict the metallic sounds of the rocket gantry and the various gases used during lift off. The music rises and falls both melodically and dynamically throughout the piece to portray the turbulent atmospheric currents during the ascent and reentry. A programmatic piece that's out of this world!