It was near-mutiny by the astronaut corps at the time (all seven of them!) that made NASA bend enough to put a window or two in the capsule (which name the astr

It was near-mutiny by the astronaut corps at the time (all seven of them!) that made NASA bend enough to put a window or two in the capsule (which name the astronauts also hated, apparently, preferring the term "spacecraft"). NASA was woefully unaware of exactly what people could do in outer space, since they'd never sent a human up for more than a few minutes. They wanted to get people up and back down safely, to prove to the Russkies we were as good as they were. They simply weren't thinking about things like taking pictures. The astronauts, in contrast, were hotshots (even staid, conservative John Glenn). They spent their lives pushing the envelope, and going round and round in a highly automated tin can was less than they imagined doing. John Glenn taking a camera along for the ride was probably the tamest thing he thought he could get away with.