Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager

Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard

Ed Harris as John Glenn

Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper

Fred Ward as Gus Grissom

Barbara Hershey as Glennis Yeager

Kim Stanley as Pancho Barnes

Veronica Cartwright as Betty Grissom

Pamela Reed as Trudy Cooper

Scott Paulin as Deke Slayton

Charles Frank as Scott Carpenter

Lance Henriksen as Wally Schirra

Donald Moffat as Lyndon B. Johnson

Levon Helm as Jack Ridley / Narrator

Mary Jo Deschanel as Annie Glenn

Scott Wilson as Scott Crossfield

Kathy Baker as Louise Shepard

Mickey Crocker as Marge Slayton

Susan Kase as Rene Carpenter

Mittie Smith as Jo Schirra

Royal Dano as Minister

David Clennon as Liaison Man

Jim Haynie as Air Force Major

Jeff Goldblum as NASA Recruiter

Harry Shearer as NASA Recruiter

Scott Beach as Chief Scientist

Jane Dornacker as Nurse Murch

Anthony Munoz as Gonzales

John P. Ryan as Head of Program

Darryl Henriques as Life Reporter

Eric Sevareid as Himself

William Russ as Slick Goodlin

Drew Letchworth as The Permanent Press Corps

Christopher P. Beale as The Permanent Press Corps

Richard Dupell as The Permanent Press Corps

William Hall as The Permanent Press Corps

John X. Heart as The Permanent Press Corps

Ed Holmes as The Permanent Press Corps

Jack Bruno Tate as The Permanent Press Corps

Edward Anhalt as Grand Designer

Mary Apick as Woman Reporter

Robert Beer as Dwight D. Eisenhower

Erik Bergmann as Eddie Hodges

James Brady as Aide to Lyndon B. Johnson

Katherine Conklin as Woman TV Reporter

Maureen Coyne as Waitress

Tom Dahlgren as Bell Aircraft Executive

John Lion as Bell Aircraft Executive

Peggy Davis as Sally Rand

John Dehner as Henry Luce

Robert Elross as Review Board President

Drew Eshelman as Assistant Scientist

Robert J. Geary as Game Show M.C.

Royce Grones as 1st X-1 Pilot

David Gulpilil as Aborigine

Anthony Wallis as Australian Driver

Kaaren Lee as Young Widow

Sandy Kronemeyer as Cocoa Beach Girl

Frankie Di as Cocoa Beach Girl

Michael Pritchard as Texan

Ed Corbett as Texan

O-Lan Jones as Girl at Pancho's

Mark Todd as Astronaut Trainee

Allen Gebhardt as Astronaut Trainee

Chuck Yeager as Fred

Mimi Sarkisian as New Mexico Nurse in Lobby (uncredited)