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Mercury -- May 1963
Mercury astronaut L. Gordon …
7/16/08
Description Mercury astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. is wearing a spacesuit during Mercury-Atlas 9 prelaunch activities.
Date 7/16/08
Mercury -- April 1959
NASA introduced the Project …
8/25/08
Description NASA introduced the Project Mercury astronauts to the world on April 9, 1959, only six months after the agency was established. Known as the Mercury Seven or Original Seven, they are (front row, left to right) Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr., Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John H. Glenn Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, (back row) Alan B. Shepard Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
Date 8/25/08
Mercury -- May 1961
Mercury-Redstone 3 pilot Ala …
7/16/08
Description Mercury-Redstone 3 pilot Alan B. Shepard Jr. is wearing the Mercury pressure suit and holding his helmet.
Date 7/16/08
Mercury -- February 1962
Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., …
7/16/08
Description Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., NASA flight surgeon William Douglas and equipment specialist Joseph W. Schmidt leave crew quarters prior to the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission. Glenn is in his pressure suit and is carrying the portable ventilation unit.
Date 7/16/08
Mercury -- September 1962
Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" …
7/16/08
Description Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 8 Earth-orbital spaceflight, goes through a suiting-up exercise at Cape Canaveral several weeks prior to his scheduled Oct. 3, 1962 flight.
Date 7/16/08
Mercury -- 1961
The Mercury suit included gl …
7/16/08
Description The Mercury suit included gloves, boots and a helmet.
Date 7/16/08
Mercury -- July 1961
Donning a spacesuit for the …
9/24/08
Description Donning a spacesuit for the Mercury-Redstone 4 mission, astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom chats with spaceflight equipment specialist Joseph W. Schmidt in the personal equipment room of Hangar S at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Date 9/24/08
Mercury -- 1962
Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter …
7/16/08
Description Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter is wearing a Mercury pressure suit during astronaut training at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Date 7/16/08
The Road to Apollo
A full-scale model of the Me …
3/16/09
Description A full-scale model of the Mercury capsule was tested in the Langley 30- by 60-Foot Full-Scale Wind Tunnel. Managed at Langley Research Center, the objectives of the Mercury program were quite specific -- to orbit a crewed spacecraft around the Earth, to investigate the ability of humans to function in space and to recover both human and spacecraft safely. Project Mercury accomplished the first orbital flight made by an American, astronaut John Glenn. Credit: NASA
Date 3/16/09
Mercury 7 50th Anniversary
The Mercury 7 astronauts exa …
4/10/09
Description The Mercury 7 astronauts examining their "couches." Each astronaut had his own couch specifically molded to fit his body to help withstand the G-loads of the launch. Plaster casts of the astronauts were created in order to properly mold the couches. Left to right: Alan Sheppard, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom and Bob Gilruth. Gilruth was Director of the Space Task Group, which planned and managed the Mercury Project.
Date 4/10/09
Astronaut John Glenn During …
Title Astronaut John Glenn During Mercury-Atlas 6 Pre-launch Activities
Full Description Astronaut John Glenn gives ready sign during Mercury-Atlas 6 pre- launch training activities.
Date 01/23/1962
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Planet Mercury
Title Planet Mercury
Full Description Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974. During its flight, Mariner 10's trajectory brought it behind the lighted hemisphere of Mercury, where this image was taken, in order to acquire important measurements with other instruments. This picture was acquired from a distance of 3,340,000 miles (5,380,000 km) from the surface of Mercury. The diameter of Mercury (3,031 miles, 4,878 km) is about 1/3 that of Earth. Images of Mercury were acquired in two steps, an inbound leg (images acquired before passing into Mercury's shadow) and an outbound leg (after exiting from Mercury's shadow). More than 2300 useful images of Mercury were taken, both moderate resolution (3-20 km/pixel) color and high resolution (better than 1 km/pixel) black and white coverage.
Date 03/24/1974
NASA Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory
On Mercury
Why are many large craters o …
6/2/09
Description Why are many large craters on Mercury relatively smooth inside? Images from the MESSENGER spacecraft that flew by Mercury in October 2008 show previously...
Date 6/2/09
Mercury-Atlas 9
Technicians were performing …
4/10/09
Description Technicians were performing pre-launch testing of the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA9) on Launch Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral when this photo was taken on May 14, 1963....
Date 4/10/09
The Road to Apollo
Even before the Space Task G …
3/30/09
Description Even before the Space Task Group was formally organized, Langley had begun to develop the concept of the "Little Joe" test vehicle that became the workhorse of the nation's initial humans-in-space program -- Mercury. Little Joe, a solid fuel rocket, carried instrumented payloads to various altitudes and allowed engineers to check the operation of the Mercury capsule escape rocket and recovery systems. Here Langley technicians construct the Little Joe capsules in-house in Langley's shops. Credit: NASA
Date 3/30/09
John Glenn in the Mercury Pr …
Title John Glenn in the Mercury Procedures Trainer
Full Description John H. Glenn, one of the Mercury Seven Astronauts, runs through a training exercise in the Mercury Procedures Trainer at the Space Task Group, Langley Field, Virginia. This Link-type spacecraft simulator allowed the astronaut the practice of both normal and emergency modes of systems operations.
Date 1960
NASA Center Langley Research Center
Planet Mercury
title Planet Mercury
date 03.24.1974
description Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974. During its flight, Mariner 10's trajectory brought it behind the lighted hemisphere of Mercury, where this image was taken, in order to acquire important measurements with other instruments. This picture was acquired from a distance of 3,340,000 miles (5,380,000 km) from the surface of Mercury. The diameter of Mercury (3,031 miles, 4,878 km) is about 1/3 that of Earth. Images of Mercury were acquired in two steps, an inbound leg (images acquired before passing into Mercury's shadow) and an outbound leg (after exiting from Mercury's shadow). More than 2300 useful images of Mercury were taken, both moderate resolution (3-20 km/pixel) color and high resolution (better than 1 km/pixel) black and white coverage. *Image Credit*: NASA
Mercury Transit from TRACE ( …
Title Mercury Transit from TRACE (White Light)
Abstract This is a view of the planet Mercury (a black dot) as seen by TRACE through its white light optical telescope. Because the TRACE field-of-view is much smaller than the solar disk, the spacecraft is repointed three times during the transit (creating the position jumps of the movie). This movie was generated from telemetry which has undergone a minimum of processing (to deliver quickly for the media) so data dropouts and other quick-processing artifacts may be visible. Special thanks to Dawn Myers of the TRACE project for this effort.
Completed 2006-11-14
Mercury-Atlas Test Launch
Title Mercury-Atlas Test Launch
Full Description A NASA Project Mercury spacecraft was test launched at 11:15 AM EST on April 25, 1961 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a test designed to qualify the Mercury Spacecraft and all systems, which must function during orbit and reentry from orbit. The Mercury-Atlas vehicle was destroyed by Range Safety Officer about 40 seconds after liftoff. The spacecraft was recovered and appeared to be in good condition. Atlas was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. NASA first launched Atlas as a space launch vehicle in 1958. Project SCORE, the first communications satellite that transmitted President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas speech around the world, was launched on an Atlas. For all three robotic lunar exploration programs, Atlas was used. Atlas/ Centaur vehicles launched both Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes. The current operational Atlas II family has a 100% mission success rating. For more information about Atlas, please see Chapter 2 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002.
Date 04/25/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Mercury Redstone 3 Prelaunch …
Title Mercury Redstone 3 Prelaunch Activities
Full Description Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) Prelaunch Activities on the Mercury 5 launch pad.
Date 4/21/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Mercury-Atlas Rocket on the …
Title Mercury-Atlas Rocket on the Launch Pad
Full Description Pre-launch test of the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA9) on Launch Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Date 5/14/1963
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Project Mercury - Capsule #2
Title Project Mercury - Capsule #2
Full Description Project Mercury - Capsule #2. Capsule complete in Lewis Hangar near Cleveland, Ohio. Lewis is now known as the Glenn Research Center.
Date 08/03/1959
NASA Center Glenn Research Center
On Mercury
Why are many large craters o …
6/2/09
Description Why are many large craters on Mercury relatively smooth inside? Images from the MESSENGER spacecraft that flew by Mercury in October 2008 show previously...
Date 6/2/09
Mariner 10
On Nov. 3, 1973, the Mariner …
10/2/09
Description On Nov. 3, 1973, the Mariner Venus/Mercury 1973 spacecraft, also known as Mariner 10, was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, becoming the first spacecraft designed to use gravity assist. Three months after launch it flew by Venus, changed speed and trajectory, then crossed Mercury's orbit in March 1974. This photo identifies the spacecraft's science instruments, which were used to study the atmospheric, surface and physical characteristics of Venus and Mercury. This was the sixth in the series of Mariner spacecraft that explored the inner planets beginning in 1962. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Date 10/2/09
Mercury-Atlas 9
Technicians were performing …
4/10/09
Description Technicians were performing pre-launch testing of the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA9) on Launch Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral when this photo was taken on May 14, 1963. A day later on May 15, Gordon Cooper successfully piloted this his 'Faith 7' spacecraft for more than 34 hours and 22 orbits. Cooper's flight stretched the capabilities of the Mercury capsule to the limits. His 34-hour flight lasted more than three times the longest U.S. human space flight until that time, and far exceeded the initial design capability of the capsule. Image Credit: NASA
Date 4/10/09
Mercury Astronaut Gordon Coo …
Title Mercury Astronaut Gordon Cooper Jr.
Full Description Mercury Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., in his pressure suit with helmet during Mercury-Atlas 9 prelaunch activities.
Date 02/25/1963
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Mercury Astronaut Wally Schi …
Title Mercury Astronaut Wally Schirra
Full Description Astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr. in Mercury pressure suit with model of Mercury capsule behind him.
Date 10/01/1962
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Mercury On Deck
Title Mercury On Deck
Full Description The crew of the U.S.S. Kearsarge spell out the words "Mercury 9" on the ship's flight deck while on the way to the recovery area where astronaut Gordon Cooper is expected to splash down in his "Faith 7" Mercury space capsule.
Date 05/15/1963
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Boilerplate Mercury Capsule
Title Boilerplate Mercury Capsule
Full Description Looking like a scene from an H.G. Wells novel, engineers inspect and test a boilerplate Mercury space capsule. Note the array of bulky test equipment on the table and the less than clean-room conditions. Today such testing is conducted under virtually steril conditions in a completely controlled environment.
Date 01/01/1960
NASA Center Headquarters
First Mercury-Atlas Attempte …
Title First Mercury-Atlas Attempted Launch
Full Description An Atlas vehicle is shown as it is raised into its launch gantry. This Atlas attempted to launch a Mercury spacecraft (without any astronauts aboard) into orbital flight. The launch vehicle developed 360,000 pounds of thrust and burned RP-1, a kerosene-like fuel, and liquid oxygen. It was about 60 feet in length and 10 feet in diameter at the tank section. This was the first attempt by NASA to put a Mercury spacecraft into Earth orbit. Unfortunately, this Atlas exploded at launch. Atlas was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. NASA first launched Atlas as a space launch vehicle in 1958. Project SCORE, the first communications satellite that transmitted President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas speech around the world, was launched on an Atlas. For all three robotic lunar exploration programs, Atlas was used. Atlas/ Centaur vehicles launched Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes. The current operational Atlas II family has a 100% mission success rating. For more information about Atlas, please see Chapter 2 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002.
Date 04/23/1961
NASA Center Headquarters
The Road to Apollo
The Scout program began in 1 …
3/2/09
Description The Scout program began in 1957 to build an inexpensive sounding rocket to carry small research payloads to high altitudes. Scout would eventually assist the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs by testing reentry materials, evaluating methods of protecting spacecraft from micrometeoroids, and examining ways of overcoming radio blackouts as a space capsule reentered the atmosphere. The first Scout launched at Wallops Island July 1, 1960. Credit: NASA
Date 3/2/09
The Road to Apollo
As project Mercury began in …
3/16/09
Description As project Mercury began in the late 1950s, Langley was thrust full force into the national spotlight with the arrival in Hampton of the original seven astronauts. Under the tutelage of the Space Task Group, (from left front row) Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Scott Carpenter, Donald "Deke" Slayton, Gordon Cooper, (back row) Alan Shepard, Walter Schirra and John Glenn were trained at Langley to operate the space machines that would thrust them beyond the protective environment of Earth's atmosphere. Credit: NASA
Date 3/16/09
The Road to Apollo
After Mercury came Gemini, t …
4/6/09
Description After Mercury came Gemini, the project that would put to the test the maneuvers that would be required if Apollo was to be successful. Gemini astronauts would have to practice the rendezvous and docking techniques necessary to link two spacecraft. Langley researchers built the Rendezvous Docking Simulator giving astronauts a routine opportunity to pilot dynamically-controlled scale-model vehicles in an environment that closely paralleled that of space. Credit: NASA
Date 4/6/09
Mercury Mission Control Seat …
1-Instructor's console 2-Rec …
10/30/08
Description 1-Instructor's console 2-Recovery commander (USN) 3-Operations director 4-Network commander (USAF) 5-Recovery status monitor 6-Range safety observer 7-Flight director 8-Network status monitor 9-Missile telemetry monitor 10-Strip chart recorder 11-Support control coordinator 12-Flight surgeon 13-Spacecraft environment monitor 14-Spacecraft communicator 15-Spacecraft system monitor 16-Retrofire controller 17-Flight dynamics officer 18-TV monitors 19-X-Y recorders 20-Trend charts 21-Operations summary display and alphanumeric indicators 22-Signal distribution panel 23-Teletype printers 24-Data entry console Image Credit: NASA
Date 10/30/08
Brahms Crater
title Brahms Crater
date 03.30.1974
description Thirty years ago, NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft made the first of three passes by Mercury, sending back intriguing images of the planet's battered terrain. NASA will launch the world's second probe to Mercury - named MESSENGER - this summer.This image of the crater was taken on the first flyby. Note the central peak. North is up. (Mariner 10, Atlas of Mercury, Fig. 3-2) This crater (98 km diameter) illustrates the narrow hummocky rim facies, radial ridges, and surrounding extensive field of secondary craters. The well-developed interior terraces and central peaks are typical for mercurian craters in this size range. Note that the smaller craters in the foreground (25-km diameter) also are terraced. This image(FDS 80)was taken during the spacecraft's first encounter with Mercury. The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon. *Image Credi*: NASA
Planet Mercury
PIA00437
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Planet Mercury
Original Caption Released with Image Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974. During its flight, Mariner 10's trajectory brought it behind the lighted hemisphere of Mercury, where this image was taken, in order to acquire important measurements with other instruments. This picture was acquired from a distance of 3,340,000 miles (5,380,000 km) from the surface of Mercury. The diameter of Mercury (3,031 miles, 4,878 km) is about 1/3 that of Earth. Images of Mercury were acquired in two steps, an inbound leg (images acquired before passing into Mercury's shadow) and an outbound leg (after exiting from Mercury's shadow). More than 2300 useful images of Mercury were taken, both moderate resolution (3-20 km/pixel) color and high resolution (better than 1 km/pixel) black and white coverage.
Mecury Spacecraft Boilerplat …
Title Mecury Spacecraft Boilerplate
Full Description Boilerplate Mercury spacecraft being manufactured "in-house" by Langley technicians. The capsules were designed to test spacecraft recovery systems. The escape tower and rocket motors shown on the completed capsule would be removed before shipping and finally assembly for launching at Wallops Island. Design of the Little Joe capsules began at Langley before McDonnell started on the design of the Mercury capsule.
Date 07/30/1944
NASA Center Langley Research Center
Mercury 8 in Hanger
Title Mercury 8 in Hanger
Full Description Personnel in Hangar S at Cape Canaveral, Florida prepare Wally Schirra's Mercury 8 capsule nicknamed "Sigma 7" for delivery to the launch pad to be mated to the Atlas launch vehicle.
Date 09/10/1962
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Mercury Capsule Model in Spi …
Title Mercury Capsule Model in Spin Tunnel
Full Description Mercury Capsule model in Spin Tunnel.
Date 9/11/1959
NASA Center Langley Research Center
Mercury Space Capsule
Title Mercury Space Capsule
Full Description The Mercury space capsule undergoing tests in Full Scale Wind Tunnel, January 1959.
Date 01/22/1959
NASA Center Langley Research Center
Astronaut John Glenn Undergo …
Title Astronaut John Glenn Undergoes Simulated Orbital Flight Training
Full Description Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., undergoes a simulated orbital flight as part of his training for Project Mercury in the Manned Spacecraft Center's procedure trainer at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
Date 11/29/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Carpenter in White Room
Title Carpenter in White Room
Full Description Inside Hangar S at the White Room Facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Mercury astronaut M. Scott Carpenter examines the honeycomb protective material on the main pressure bulkhead (heat shield) of his Mercury capsule nicknamed "Aurora 7.
Date 03/06/1962
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Project Mercury Retro and Po …
Title Project Mercury Retro and Posigrade Package
Full Description The Retro and Posigrade Package for the Mercury spacecraft. This was used to de-orbit the spacecraft at the end of mission.
Date 09/16/1960
NASA Center Glenn Research Center
Cooper
Title Cooper
Full Description Launch of Mercury Atlas 9 rocket with astronaut Gordon Cooper onboard from Launch Pad 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Date 5/15/1963
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Shepard on Deck of Champlain …
Title Shepard on Deck of Champlain after Recovery
Full Description Astronaut Alan B. Shepard is seen on the deck of the U.S.S. Lake Champlain after the recovery of his Freedom 7 Mercury space capsule.
Date 05/05/1961
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Technicians working in the M …
Title Technicians working in the McDonnell White Room on the Mercury
Full Description Technicians working in the McDonnell White Room on the Mercury spacecraft.
Date 1960
NASA Center Headquarters
Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper
Name of Image Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper
Date of Image 1959-04-27
Full Description Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-9 mission, boosted by the Mercury-Atlas launch vehicle, was the last flight of the Mercury Project. The Faith 7 spacecraft orbited the Earth 22 times in 1-1/2 days.
General Description S62-00961 (1962) --- Mercury astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., suited in full Mercury suit, prepares for launch of the Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) ?Friendship 7? spacecraft. This marks America's first manned Earth-orbiting space flight.
The 2003 Mercury Transit
Description The 2003 Mercury Transit
The 2003 Mercury Transit
Description The 2003 Mercury Transit
Glenn Enters his Mercury Cap …
Title Glenn Enters his Mercury Capsule
Full Description Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. enters his Mercury capsule, "Friendship 7" as he prepares for launch of the Mercury-Atlas rocket. On February 20, 1962 Glenn lifted off into space aboard his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) rocket and became the first American to orbit the Earth. After orbiting the Earth 3 times, Friendship 7 landed in the Atlantic Ocean 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds later, just East of Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas. Glenn and his capsule were recovered by the Navy Destroyer Noa, 21 minutes after splashdown.
Date 02/20/1962
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Wind Tunnel Demolition
Construction workers tear do …
6/17/09
Description Construction workers tear down NASA Glenn's Altitude Wind Tunnel, which began operations in 1944. The tunnel played a major role in aerospace history by conducting propulsion research during World War II and hosting tests in preparation for the Mercury space program. The AWT has been idle for more than 25 years and is in poor condition. Due to safety and environmental concerns, NASA Glenn is demolishing the building. Photographer: Bridget Caswell (WYLE)
Date 6/17/09
Mercury: Closest Planet to t …
Title Mercury: Closest Planet to the Sun
Explanation This picture was compiled from images taken by the NASA spacecraft Mariner 10 which flew by the planet three times in 1974. Mercury [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html ] is the closest planet to the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950813.html ], the second hottest planet (Venus gets hotter), and the second smallest planet (Pluto is smaller). Mercury [ http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~cjhamil/SolarSystem/mercury.html ] rotates so slowly that one day there - "day" meaning the normal time it takes from sunset to sunset - lasts 176 days on Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950622.html ]. It is difficult to see Mercury [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mercury.html ] not because it is dim but because it always appears near the Sun, and is therefore only visible for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise. Mercury is made of rocky material like Earth. No one knows why Mercury has the magnetic field that it does. Tomorrow's picture: Venus: Earth's Sister Planet
Alan Shepard
Title Alan Shepard
Full Description A closeup of astronaut Alan Shepard in his space suit seated inside the Mercury capsule. He is undergoing a flight simulation test with the capsule mated to the Redstone booster.
Date 4/29/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Mercury 3 Flight Simulation
Title Mercury 3 Flight Simulation
Full Description Alan Shepard, one of the three prime astronauts, is being inserted into a Mercury capsule. A flight simulation test with a full countdown is programmed for Shepard to check out hardware and launch personnel activities in the Redstone launch.
Date 4/29/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Astronaut John Glenn During …
Title Astronaut John Glenn During His First Orbit in Friendship 7
Full Description A weightless applesauce tube floats free following a snack by astronaut John Glenn in the course of his first orbit during the Mercury "Friendship 7" mission on February 20, 1962.
Date 02/20/1962
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Cooper Departs Transfer Van
Title Cooper Departs Transfer Van
Full Description Astronaut Gordon Cooper departing the Transfer Van in his silver pressure suit and helmet, is greeted with applause from the assembled Pad 14 employees. When he arrives at the base of the service tower, he'll ride an elevator up to where his Mercury spacecraft nicknamed, "Faith 7" awaits his arrival.
Date 5/15/1963
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Shepard Enters Cleanroom
Title Shepard Enters Cleanroom
Full Description Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., makes his way from the elevator to the cleanroom atop the service tower where he'll be inserted into his Mercury space capsule nicknamed "Freedom 7.
Date 5/5/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Shepard Hoisted into Recover …
Title Shepard Hoisted into Recovery Helicopter
Full Description Astronaut Alan B. Shepard is hoisted aboard a U.S. Marine helicopter after splashdown of his "Freedom 7" Mercury space capsule.
Date 05/05/1961
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Gordon Cooper in Helmet and …
Title Gordon Cooper in Helmet and Pressure Suit
Full Description Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper in white room, waiting for Terminal Countdown Demonstrations Test (TCDT) activities to resume in preparation for his Mercury- Atlas 9 launch.
Date 4/30/1963
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Ham Retreival
Title Ham Retreival
Full Description The famous "hand shake" welcome. Chimpanzee Ham is greeted by recovery ship Commander after his flight on the Mercury Redstone rocket.
Date 1/31/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Ham Tries Out His Life Suppo …
Title Ham Tries Out His Life Support System
Full Description Ham tries out his combination couch and life support system in preparation for his flight in Mercury Redstone-2 (MR-2). The couch is plugged into the circuit that normally would supply the astronaut's full pressure suit. The MR-2 flight was one in a series of flights that led to the manned orbital flights of NASA's Project Mercury program.
Date 01/28/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Mercury Capsule at Redstone …
Name of Image Mercury Capsule at Redstone Test Stand
Date of Image 1960-01-01
Full Description Installation of the Mercury capsule on Redstone booster at the Redstone Test Stand. Assembled at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle was designed to place a marned space capsule into orbital flight around the Earth and recover both safely.
The Mercury Project
This 1958 scale model shows …
11/19/07
Description This 1958 scale model shows the Mercury capsule shape B design, indicating the position of the astronaut. Image credit: NASA
Date 11/19/07
Walter Schirra
Pictured is astronaut Walter …
11/19/07
Description Pictured is astronaut Walter M. Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. Schirra's Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, during which he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft, was the third manned orbital flight by the United States. Image credit: NASA
Date 11/19/07
Alan Shepard in Space Suit b …
Title Alan Shepard in Space Suit before Mercury Launch
Full Description Profile of astronaut Alan Shepard in his silver pressure suit with the helmet visor closed as he prepares for his upcoming Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) launch. On May 5th 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American to fly into space. His Freedom 7 Mercury capsule flew a suborbital trajectory lasting 15 minutes 22 seconds. His spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean where he and Freedom 7 were recovered by helicopter and transported to the awaiting aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lake Champlain.
Date 07/28/1961
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Mercury Astronauts in Weight …
Title Mercury Astronauts in Weightless Flight on C-131 Aircraft
Full Description Astronauts in simulated weightless flight in C-131 aircraft flying "zero-g" trajectory at Wright Air Development Center. Weightless flights were a new form of training for the Mercury astronauts and parabolic flights that briefly go beyond the Earth's tug of gravity continue to be used for spaceflight training purposes. These flights are nicknamed the "vomit comet" because of the nausea that is often induced.
Date 1959
NASA Center Headquarters
John Glenn enters his Friend …
Title John Glenn enters his Friendship 7 capsule
Full Description Project Mercury astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr. enters his Mercury ?Friendship 7? capsule before launch on February 20, 1962. At 9:47 a.m. (EST), his Atlas launch vehicle lifted him into orbit for his flight lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds. Onboard Friendship 7, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, and the third American to fly in space. A faulty signal indicating a problem with the heat shield forced NASA mission controllers to cut the flight to only three orbits, but Glenn returned to Earth safely.
Date 02/20/1967
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
View of Mercury Control Cent …
Title View of Mercury Control Center prior to MA-8 flight
Description View of Mercury Control Center prior to the Mercury-Atlas 8 (MA-8) flight of the Sigma 7.
Date Taken 1962-09-10
Intercrater Plains and Heavi …
PIA02947
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Intercrater Plains and Heavily Cratered Terrain
Original Caption Released with Image Intercrater plains and heavily cratered terrain typical of much of Mercury outside the area affected by the formation of the Caloris basin are shown in this image (FDS 166738) taken during the spacecraft's second encounter with Mercury. Abundant shallow elongate craters and crater chains are present on the intercrater plains. North is to the top of this image, centered at 56 degrees S, 128 degrees W and 400 kilometers across. The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Mercury: Photomosaic of the …
PIA02236
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Mercury: Photomosaic of the Kuiper Quadrangle H-6
Original Caption Released with Image The Kuiper Quadrangle was named in memory of Dr. Gerard Kuiper, a Mariner 10 Venus/Mercury imaging team member and well-known astronomer, who passed away several months before the spacecraft's arrival at Mercury. The Kuiper crater, located left of center, is the brightest and perhaps youngest crater is 60 km in diameter located at -11 degrees latitude and 31 degrees longitude. The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The images used to construct the Kuiper Quadrangle were taken during Mariner's first and third flybys of Mercury. The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission. The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Mercury's Caloris Basin
title Mercury's Caloris Basin
date 03.28.1974
description Mercury: The desert closest to the sun. Computer Photomosaic of the Caloris Basin The largest basin on Mercury (1300 km or 800 miles across) was named Caloris (Greek for "hot") because it is one of the two areas on the planet that face the Sun at perihelion. The Image Processing Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory produced this photomosaic using computer software and techniques developed for use in processing planetary data. The Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial flyby of the planet. The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during its mission. The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. *Image Credit*: NASA
Mercury: A Cratered Inferno
Title Mercury: A Cratered Inferno
Explanation Mercury's surface looks similar to our Moon's. Each is heavily cratered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960906.html ] and made of rock. Mercury [ http://www.nineplanets.org/mercury.html ]'s diameter is about 4800 km, while the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/moon.html ]'s is slightly less at about 3500 km (compared with about 12,700 km for the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html ]). But Mercury [ http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/mercury.html ] is unique in many ways. Mercury [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/mercury.htm ] is the closest planet to the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960518.html ], orbiting at about 1/3 the radius of the Earth's orbit [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/seasons_orbit.html ]. As Mercury [ http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/mercury.htm ] slowly rotates, its surface temperature varies from an unbearably "cold" -180 degrees Celsius [ http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/weather/fahrcels.html ] to an unbearably hot 400 degrees Celsius [ http://www.astro.uu.se/history/Celsius_eng.html ]. The place nearest the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980830.html ] in Mercury [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mercury.html ]'s orbit changes slightly each orbit - a fact used by Albert Einstein [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000108.html ] to help verify the correctness of his then newly discovered theory of gravity: General Relativity [ http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/General_relativity.html ]. The above picture [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/m10_aom_18.html ] was taken by the only spacecraft ever to pass Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/mercury.html ]: Mariner 10 [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/marin10.htm ] in 1974.
Launch of Mercury-Atlas
Title Launch of Mercury-Atlas
Full Description In this Project Mercury test, a spacecraft booster by a modified Atlas was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mercury capsule reached a peak altitude of 107 statute miles and landed 1.425 miles down range. Atlas was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. NASA first launched Atlas as a space launch vehicle in 1958. Project SCORE, the first communications satellite that transmitted President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas speech around the world, was launched on an Atlas. For all three robotic lunar exploration programs, Atlas was used. Atlas/ Centaur vehicles launched both Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes. The current operational Atlas II family has a 100% mission success rating. For more information about Atlas, please see Chapter 2 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002 (in which Dennis Jenkins notes on page 98 that "as a space launch vehicle there is no question that Atlas has made a mark for itself, and a great deal of money for its manufacturers").
Date 02/21/1961
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Southwest Mercury
Title Southwest Mercury
Explanation The planet Mercury resembles a moon. Mercury [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html ]'s old surface is heavily cratered [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/Academy/SPACE/SolarSystem/Meteors/Craters.html ] like many moons. Mercury [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm ] is larger than most moons but smaller than Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990806.html ]'s moon Ganymede [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990304.html ] and Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960717.html ]'s moon Titan [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990207.html ]. Mercury is much denser and more massive than any moon, though, because it is made mostly of iron. In fact, the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990131.html ] is the only planet more dense. A visitor to Mercury's surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960121.html ] would see some strange sights. Because Mercury [ http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/mercury.html ] rotates exactly three times every two orbits around the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951004.html ], and because Mercury [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mercury.html ]'s orbit is so elliptical, a visitor to Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990102.html ] might see the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/interv.html ] rise, stop in the sky, go back toward the rising horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990619.html ], stop again, and then set quickly over the other horizon. From Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980530.html ], Mercury's proximity to the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981212.html ] cause it to be visible only for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise.
Southwest Mercury
Title Southwest Mercury
Explanation The planet Mercury resembles a moon. Mercury [ http://www.nineplanets.org/mercury.html ]'s old surface is heavily cratered [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/Academy/SPACE/SolarSystem/Meteors/Craters.html ] like many moons. Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030216.html http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm ] is larger than most moons but smaller than Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990806.html ]'s moon Ganymede [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000620.html ] and Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021104.html ]'s moon Titan [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990207.html ]. Mercury is much denser and more massive than any moon, though, because it is made mostly of iron. In fact, the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ] is the only planet more dense. A visitor to Mercury's surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960121.html ] would see some strange sights. Because Mercury [ http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/mercury.html ] rotates exactly three times every two orbits around the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/sun.html ], and because Mercury [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mercury.html ]'s orbit is so elliptical, a visitor to Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010819.html ] might see the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/interv.html ] rise, stop in the sky, go back toward the rising horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000320.html ], stop again, and then set quickly over the other horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011209.html ]. From Earth, Mercury's proximity to the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981212.html ] causes it to be visible only for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise.
Mercury: A Cratered Inferno
Title Mercury: A Cratered Inferno
Explanation Mercury's surface looks similar to our Moon's. Each is heavily cratered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960906.html ] and made of rock. Mercury [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html ]'s diameter is about 4800 km, while the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950707.html ]'s is slightly less at about 3500 km (compared with about 12,700 km for the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971026.html ]). But Mercury [ http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/mercury.html ] is unique in many ways. Mercury [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/mercury.htm ] is the closest planet to the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960518.html ], orbiting at about 1/3 the radius of the Earth's orbit. As Mercury [ http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/mercury.htm ] slowly rotates, its surface temperature varies from an unbearably "cold" -180 degrees Celsius [ http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/weather/fahrcels.html ] to an unbearably hot 400 degrees Celsius [ http://144.26.13.41/phyhist/celsius.htm ]. The place nearest the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950813.html ] in Mercury [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/PhotoGallery-Mercury.html ]'s orbit changes slightly each orbit - a fact used by Albert Einstein [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951219.html ] to help verify the correctness of his then newly discovered theory of gravity: General Relativity [ http://rainbow.uchicago.edu/efi/general_relativity.txt.html ]. The above picture [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/m10_aom_18.html ] was taken by the only spacecraft ever to pass Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/mercury.html ]: Mariner 10 [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/marin10.htm ] in 1974.
Mercury: A Cratered Inferno
Title Mercury: A Cratered Inferno
Explanation Mercury's surface looks similar to our Moon's. Each is heavily cratered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960906.html ] and made of rock. Mercury [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html ]'s diameter is about 4800 km, while the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950707.html ]'s is slightly less at about 3500 km (compared with about 12,700 km for the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971026.html ]). But Mercury [ http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/mercury.html ] is unique in many ways. Mercury [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/mercury.htm ] is the closest planet to the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960518.html ], orbiting at about 1/3 the radius of the Earth's orbit. As Mercury [ http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/mercury.htm ] slowly rotates, its surface temperature varies from an unbearably "cold" -180 degrees Celsius [ http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/weather/fahrcels.html ] to an unbearably hot 400 degrees Celsius [ http://144.26.13.41/phyhist/celsius.htm ]. The place nearest the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950813.html ] in Mercury [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/PhotoGallery-Mercury.html ]'s orbit changes slightly each orbit - a fact used by Albert Einstein [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980927.html ] to help verify the correctness of his then newly discovered theory of gravity: General Relativity [ http://rainbow.uchicago.edu/efi/general_relativity.txt.html ]. The above picture [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/m10_aom_18.html ] was taken by the only spacecraft ever to pass Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/mercury.html ]: Mariner 10 [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/marin10.htm ] in 1974.
Molded Astronaut Couches
Title Molded Astronaut Couches
Full Description Molded astronaut couches line the NASA Langley Research Centers model shop wall. The names of the test subjects (Langley employees) are written on the back. The couches are similar to those made for each astronaut and fitted into the Mercury capsules for manned spaceflight.
Date 07/07/1959
NASA Center Langley Research Center
Astronaut John Glenn in a St …
Title Astronaut John Glenn in a State of Weightlessness During Friendship
Full Description Astronaut John Glenn photographed in space by an automatic sequence motion picture camera during his flight on "Friendship 7." Glenn was in a state of weightlessness traveling at 17,500 mph as these pictures were taken.
Date 02/20/1962
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Big Joe Ready for Launch at …
Title Big Joe Ready for Launch at Cape Canaveral
Full Description Big Joe ready for launch at Cape Canaveral, FL. The objective of "Big Joe" was to test the ablating heatshield. The flight was both a success and failure ? the heatshield survived reentry and was in remarkably good condition when retrieved from the Atlantic. The Atlas-D booster, however, failed to stage and separated too late from the Mercury capsule.
Date 09/09/1959
NASA Center Headquarters
Project Mercury Altitude Win …
Title Project Mercury Altitude Wind Tunnel Gimbaling Rig
Full Description MASTIF - Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility - was developed for Project Mercury to train astronauts in gaining control over a spacecraft that could move in multiple directions at once--pitching, rolling and yawing all at the same time. This photo is similar to photo GPN-2000-001186, but not identical.
Date 12/16/1959
NASA Center Glenn Research Center
Cooper Inside Faith 7 After …
Title Cooper Inside Faith 7 After Hatch is Blown
Full Description Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., has a smile for the recovery crew of the U.S.S. Kearsarge, after he is on board from a successful 22 orbit mission of the Earth in his Mercury spacecraft "Faith 7." Cooper is still sitting in his capsule, with his helmet off.
Date 05/16/1963
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Grissom Onboard the USS Rand …
Title Grissom Onboard the USS Randolph
Full Description Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, pilot of the Mercury spacecraft, "Liberty Bell 7" arrives aboard the recovery ship, U.S.S. Randolph, following his 15 minute 37 seconds suborbital space mission. He is flanked by military medical officers. Grissom's capsule sank soon after splashdown and was not recovered until nearly forty years later.
Date 07/21/1961
NASA Center Johnson Space Center
Little Joe on launcher at Wa …
Title Little Joe on launcher at Wallops Island
Full Description Little Joe on launcher at Wallops Island. Little Joe was a major project for Langley. It was a test of the escape and recovery systems on the Mercury spacecraft.
Date 8/21/1959
NASA Center Langley Research Center
Mercury: Photomosaic of the …
PIA00067
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Mercury: Photomosaic of the Shakespeare Quadrangle of Mercury (Southern Half) H-3
Original Caption Released with Image This computer generated photomosaic from Mariner 10 is of the southern half of Mercury's Shakespeare Quadrangle, named for the ancient Shakespeare crater located on the upper edge to the left of center. This portion of the quadrangle covers the geographic region from 20 to 45 degrees north latitude and from 90 to 180 degrees longitude. The photomosaic was produced using computer techniques and software developed in the Image Processing Laboratory of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The pictures have been high-pass filtered and contrast enhanced to accentuate surface detail, and geometrically transformed into a Lambert conformal projection. Well defined bright streaks or ray systems radiating away from craters constitute another distinctive feature of the Mercurian surface, remarkably similar to the Moon. The rays cut across and are superimposed on all other surface features, indicating that the source craters are the youngest topographic features on the surface of Mercury. The above material was taken from the following publication... Davies, M. E., S. E. Dwornik, D. E. Gault, and R. G. Strom, Atlas of Mercury,NASA SP-423 (1978). The Mariner 10 mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science.
Mercury's South Pole
PIA02415
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Science Subsystem - …
Title Mercury's South Pole
Original Caption Released with Image After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on September 21 at 1:59 PMPDT. This encounter brought the spacecraft in front of Mercury in the southern hemisphere. In this frame south is down, the south pole is located on the right hand edge of the large crater that has only its rim sticking up into the light (Chao Meng Fu crater). When this frame (FDS 166902) was acquired Mariner 10 was about 83,000 km from Mercury. The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Astronaut Scott Carpenter
Name of Image Astronaut Scott Carpenter
Date of Image 1959-04-27
Full Description Astronaut Scott Carpenter, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. Boosted by the Mercury-Atlas vehicle, the MA-7 mission made the second marned orbital flight by the United States, and carried Astronaut Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 spacecraft to orbit the Earth three times.
Astronaut John H. Glenn
Name of Image Astronaut John H. Glenn
Date of Image 1959-04-27
Full Description Astronaut John H. Glenn, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-6 mission, boosted by the Mercury-Atlas vehicle, was the first manned orbital launch by the United States, and carried Astronaut Glenn aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft to orbit the Earth.
Astronaut Walter M. Schirra
Name of Image Astronaut Walter M. Schirra
Date of Image 1959-04-27
Full Description Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-8 (Mercury-Atlas) mission with Sigma 7 spacecraft was the third marned orbital flight by the United States, and made the six orbits in 9-1/4 hours.
Ham in Spacesuit
Name of Image Ham in Spacesuit
Date of Image 1961-01-01
Full Description Ham, a three-year-old chimpanzee, in the spacesuit he would wear for the second Mercury- Redstone (MR-2) suborbital test flight in January, 1961. NASA used chimpanzees and other primates to test the Mercury capsule before launching the fisrt American astronaut, Alan Shepard, in May 1961. The Mercury capsule rode atop a modified Redstone rocket, developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the German Rocket Team in Huntsville, Alabama.
Mercury-Redstone Tail Sectio …
Name of Image Mercury-Redstone Tail Sections
Date of Image 1959-01-01
Full Description In this 1959 photograph, technicians prepare tail sections for Mercury-Redstone vehicles in Building 4706 at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team at Redstone, the Mercury-Redstone launched the first two marned U.S. missions.
Grissom Awaits MR-4
Name of Image Grissom Awaits MR-4
Date of Image 1961-07-21
Full Description Astronaut Virgil Gus Grissom awaits America's second marned space mission, Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) on July 21, 1961. During the 15-minute suborbital flight, the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft reached an altitude of 118 miles and traveled 303 miles downrange. It was the fourth flight of the Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle (MR-4), developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team in Huntsville, Alabama.
Recovery of Mercury spacecra …
Title Recovery of Mercury spacecraft and chimpanzee Ham after MR-2 flight
Description Recovery personnel aboard the U.S.S. Donner remove Ham, a 37 pound chimpanzee, from a Mercury spacecraft following the successful Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital flight from Cape Canveral, Florida.
Date Taken 1961-01-31
Launch of Mercury-Atlas 2 ve …
Title Launch of Mercury-Atlas 2 vehicle on Feb. 21, 1961
Description MERCURY-ATLAS 2 LAUNCH --- Launch of the unmanned, sub-orbital Mercury-Atlas 2 vehicle on Feb. 21, 1961. Altitude was 108 miles, speed, 13,000 mph. The capsule was recovered 1,425 miles downrange.
Date Taken 1961-02-21
Attempted Recovery of Mercur …
Title Attempted Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of MR-4 mission
Description Attempted recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. View shows the Marine helicopter dropping a recovery line to the capsule. In the upper left corner of the view, the recovery ship and another helicopter can be seen.
Date Taken 1961-07-27
Attempted Recovery of Mercur …
Title Attempted Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of MR-4 mission
Description Attempted recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. A crewman in the helecopter lowers the recovery cable towards the capsule.
Date Taken 1961-07-27
Attempted Recovery of Mercur …
Title Attempted Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of MR-4 mission
Description Attempted recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. View shows the Marine helicopter pulled almost to the waters surface by the weight of the capsule, which filled with water. Behind the Marine helicopter, a Navy helicopter prepares to assist.
Date Taken 1961-07-27
Attempted Recovery of Mercur …
Title Attempted Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of MR-4 mission
Description Attempted recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. View shows the Marine helicopter has attached a line to the capsule and is attempting to pull it up.
Date Taken 1961-07-27
Attempted Recovery of Mercur …
Title Attempted Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of MR-4 mission
Description Attempted recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of the Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4) mission. View shows the top of the capsule before it sinks beneath the waves.
Date Taken 1961-07-27
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