 Nyora kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Basa iroro rakamubata nokuda kwechasara cha 1959 uye mukati ma 1960. Pana May 5, 1961, Abbot akapinda muchinguva chiduku munhangemutange yokuenda muchadenga. Ichitsigira ndege yeRusununguko 7, Abbot yakatsanangurwa kuti ibatsire kudzorera Mercury capsule mushure mekuputika pasi kunenge kumabvazuva kweCape Canaveral, Florida. Basa racho rakatumidzwa kuti MR-3, kana kuti Mercury-Redstone 3, uye rakanga riri mhinduro yeUnited States kunzendo yakabudirira yaYuri Gagarin, mufambi womuchadenga weSoviet uyo akava munhu wokutanga muchadenga. Muna September 1961, Abbot yakava chikepe chechikoro cheDestroyer Officers School iri paNewport. Muitiro wake webasa kumhenderekedzo yegungwa yokumabvazuva uye muWest Indies kudzidzisa vakuru vakuru vehondo mumabasa avo omunguva yemberi mungarava dzehondo dzorudzi rwekuparadza dzakaputsika kaviri muna 1962. Muna August, akarayirwa kuti aende kuGuantánamo Bay, kwaakashanda sechikepe chokudzivirira panguva yemhirizhonga muHaiti. Ipapo, muna October, yakabatanidzwa mumibato yokumanikidzira kuti Cuba iiswe muchitokisiyakatangwa naPurezidhendi John F. Kennedy pashure pokunge aziva kuti zvombo zvehondo zveSoviet zvakanga zvaiswa pachitsuwa ichocho. Akasunungurwa pabasa iroro pakati paNovember ndokudzokera kuNewport musi wa24 kuti atangezve basa rake rokudzidzisa. 