"It was made for outerspace where weight is a serious concern"

Then why was the heavier-handled one flight=spec'd by Nasa and why were they thinned out after the Mercury program was well-over? Did they think if they thinned the handle, it might make it on Apollo or the Space Shuttle?

By the time they thinned it, was NASA even considering re-authorizing it's use on new missions?

The "17" is an icon and obviously not for everybody.

Having covered the space program and Nasa, it's a great piece of history for me.