McDonnell Mercury capsule
The Mercury capsule with escape tower
Description
Role:	Suborbital and orbital spaceflight
Crew:	one, pilot
Dimensions
Height:	11.5 ft	3.51 m
Diameter:	6.2 ft	1.89 m
Volume:	60 ft³	1.7 m³
Weights (MA-6)
Launch:	4,265 lb	1,935 kg
Orbit:	2,986 lb	1,354 kg
Post Retro:	2,815 lb	1,277 kg
Reentry:	2,698 lb	1,224 kg
Landing:	2,421 lb	1,098 kg
Rocket engines
Retros (solid fuel) x 3:	1,000 lbf ea	4.5 kN
Posigrade (solid fuel) x 3:	400 lbf ea	1.8 kN
RCS high (H2O2) x 6:	25 lbf ea	108 N
RCS low (H2O2) x 6:	12 lbf ea	49 N
Performance
Endurance:	34 hours	22 orbits
Apogee:	175 miles	282 km
Perigee:	100 miles	160 km
Retro delta v:	300 mph	483 km/h
Mercury capsule diagram
Mercury capsule Diagram (NASA)
McDonnell Mercury capsule

Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States. It ran from 1959 through 1963 with the goal of putting a man in orbit around the Earth. The Mercury-Atlas 6 flight on February 20, 1962 was the first Mercury flight to achieve this goal. Early planning and research was carried out by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and the program was officially conducted by the newly created NASA. The name comes from Mercury, a Roman mythological god who is often seen as a symbol of speed. Mercury is also the name of the innermost planet of the solar system, which moves faster than any other and hence provides an image of speed, although Project Mercury had no other connection to that planet. Image File history File links Mercury_Capsule2. ... The pound-force is a non-SI unit of force or weight (properly abbreviated lbf or lbf). The pound-force is equal to a mass of one pound multiplied by the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth (which is defined as exactly 9. ... Download high resolution version (858x664, 75 KB)Cutaway of Mercury Spacecraft Mercury Spacecraft cutaway diagram. ... Edward White on a spacewalk during the Gemini 4 mission. ... // Crew John Glenn (flew on Mercury 6 & STS-95) Backup Crew M. Scott Carpenter Mission parameters Mass: 1,352 kg Perigee: 159 km Apogee: 265 km Inclination: 32. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... NACA official seal The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ... This article is about the planet. ... This article is about the Solar System. ...

The Mercury program cost $1.5 billion. Each year, the United States Congress passes a Federal Budget detailing where federal tax money will be spent in the coming year. ...

Spacecraft

Mercury program monument

Because of their small size it was said that the Mercury spacecraft capsules were not ridden, but worn. At 1.7 cubic meters in volume, the capsule was just large enough for the single crew member. Inside were 120 controls: 55 electrical switches, 30 fuses and 35 mechanical levers. The spacecraft was designed by Max Faget and NASA's Space Task Group. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Max Faget Maxime Max A. Faget (August 26, 1921 – October 9, 2004) was an American engineer. ...

During the launch phase of the mission, the Mercury spacecraft and astronaut were protected from launch vehicle failures by the Launch Escape System. The LES consisted of a solid fuel, 52,000 lbf (231 kN) thrust rocket mounted on a tower above the spacecraft. In the event of a launch abort, the LES would fire for 1 second, pulling the Mercury spacecraft and the astronaut away from a defective launch vehicle. The spacecraft would then descend on its parachute recovery system. After booster engine cutoff (BECO), the LES was no longer needed and was separated from the spacecraft by a solid fuel, 800 lbf (3.6 kN) thrust jettison rocket that fired for 1.5 seconds. Unfortunately, as with the later Apollo and Gemini programs, the scientists believed that if there was a catastrophic failure with the launch vehicle, then the possibilities of survival were minimal even with the tower in place. There simply wasn't enough time between the detection of the problem and the resulting consequences. There was never a problem during launch that caused the firing of the tower, and in Project Gemini, Gemini 6 misfired but was aborted before any trouble arose. Apollo LES Pad Abort test A Launch Escape System (LES) is a top-mounted rocket connected to the crew module of a crewed spacecraft and used to quickly separate and launch the crew module away from the rest of the rocket in the case of an emergency. ... The pound-force is a non-SI unit of force or weight (properly abbreviated lbf or lbf). The pound-force is equal to a mass of one pound multiplied by the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth (which is defined as exactly 9. ... The kilonewton, symbol kN, is an SI unit of force. ... This article is about the series of human spaceflight missions. ... Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of the United States of America. ...

To separate the Mercury spacecraft from the launch vehicle, the spacecraft fired three small solid-fuel, 400 lbf (1.8 kN) thrust rockets for 1 second. These rockets are called the Posigrade rockets.

The spacecraft was only equipped with attitude control thrusters - after orbit insertion and before retrofire they could not change their orbit. There were three sets of high and low powered automatic control jets and separate manual jets - one for each axis (yaw, pitch, and roll), supplied from two separate fuel tanks - one automatic and one manual. The pilot could use any one of the three thruster systems and fuel them from either of the two fuel tanks to provide spacecraft attitude control. // In the context of spacecraft, attitude control is control of the angular position and rotation of the spacecraft, either relative to the object that it is orbiting, or relative to the celestial sphere. ... Flight dynamics is the science of air and space vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. ...

The Mercury spacecraft were designed to be totally controllable from the ground in the event that something impaired the pilot's ability to function.

The spacecraft had three solid-fuel, 1000 lbf (4.5 kN) thrust retrorockets that fired for 10 seconds each. One was sufficient to return the spacecraft to earth if the other two failed. The firing sequence (known as ripple firing) required firing the first retro, followed by the second retro five seconds later (while the first was still firing). Five seconds after that, the third retro fired (while the second retro was still firing).

There was a small metal flap at the nose of the spacecraft called the "spoiler". If the spacecraft started to reenter nose first (another stable reentry attitude for the capsule), airflow over the "spoiler" would flip the spacecraft around to the proper, heatshield-first reentry attitude, a technique called 'Shuttlecocking'. During reentry, the astronaut would experience about 4 g-forces. The term g force or gee force refers to the symbol g, the force of acceleration due to gravity at the earths surface. ...

Initial designs for the spacecraft suggested the use of either beryllium heat-sink heat shields or an ablative shield. Extensive testing settled the issue - ablative shields proved to be reliable (so much so that the initial shield thickness was safely reduced, allowing a lower total spacecraft weight), easier to produce (at that time, beryllium was only produced in sufficient quantities by a single company in the US) and cheaper. General Name, symbol, number beryllium, Be, 4 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, period, block 2, 2, s Appearance white-gray metallic Standard atomic weight 9. ... This article is about the substance or device. ... In aeronautics, a heat shield is a protective layer on a spacecraft or ballistic missile that is designed to protect it from high temperatures, usually those that result from aerobraking during entry into a planets atmosphere. ... In aeronautics, a heat shield is a protective layer on a spacecraft or ballistic missile that is designed to protect it from high temperatures, usually those that result from aerobraking during entry into a planets atmosphere. ...

NASA ordered 20 production spacecraft, numbered 1 through 20, from McDonnell Aircraft Company, St. Louis, Missouri. Five of the twenty spacecraft, #10, 12, 15, 17, and 19, were not flown. Spacecraft #3 and #4 were destroyed during unmanned test flights. Spacecraft #11 sank and was recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean after 38 years. Some spacecraft were modified after initial production (refurbished after launch abort, modified for longer missions, etc) and received a letter designation after their number, examples 2B, 15B. Some spacecraft were modified twice; for example, spacecraft 15 became 15A and then 15B. The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer, based near St. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ...

A number of Mercury Boilerplate spacecraft (including mockup/prototype/replica spacecrafts, made from non-flight materials or lacking production spacecraft systems and/or hardware) were also made by NASA and McDonnell Aircraft. They were designed and used to test spacecraft recovery systems, and escape tower and rocket motors. Formal tests were done on test pad at Langley and at Wallops Island using the Little Joe and Big Joe Atlas rockets.^[1] Boilerplate version of Gemini spacecraft on display at Air Force Space and Missile Museum, Cape Canaveral, Florida October 15, 2004. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ...

Boosters

Mercury Atlas 9.

The Mercury program used three boosters: Download high resolution version (195x687, 18 KB)Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad NASA public domain image from http://images. ... Download high resolution version (195x687, 18 KB)Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad NASA public domain image from http://images. ...

• Little Joe - 8 suborbital robotic flights, 2 carrying monkeys. Launch escape system tests.
• Redstone - 4 suborbital robotic flights, 1 carrying a chimpanzee; 2 piloted suborbital flights.
• Atlas - 4 suborbital robotic flights; 2 orbital robotic flights, 1 carrying a chimpanzee; 4 piloted orbital flights.

Little Joe and a Mercury Boilerplate^[2] was used to test the escape tower and abort procedures.^[3] Redstone was used for suborbital flights, and Atlas for orbital ones. Starting in October, 1958, Jupiter missiles were also considered as suborbital launch vehicles for the Mercury program, but were cut from the program in July, 1959 due to budget constraints. The Atlas boosters required extra strengthening in order to handle the increased weight of the Mercury capsules beyond that of the nuclear warheads they were designed to carry. Little Joe was a solid-propellant booster designed specially for the Mercury program. The Titan missile was also considered for use for later Mercury missions, however the Mercury program was terminated before these missions were flown. The Titan was used for the Gemini program which followed Mercury. Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... Boilerplate version of Gemini spacecraft on display at Air Force Space and Missile Museum, Cape Canaveral, Florida October 15, 2004. ... A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight) is a spaceflight that does not involve putting a vehicle into orbit. ... The Jupiter missile was proposed as a suborbital launch vehicle for Project Mercury in October, 1958; however, it was never flown, and was cancelled in July 1959 due to budget constraints. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia is initially launched using solid-fuel boosters Solid rockets are rockets with a motor that uses solid propellants (fuel/oxidizer). ... Titan was a family of U.S. expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. ... Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of the United States of America. ...

The Mercury program used a Scout booster for a single flight, Mercury-Scout 1, which launched a small satellite intended to evaluate the worldwide Mercury Tracking Network. The rocket was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer after 44 seconds of flight.
On May 5, 1961 NASA issued a Mercury program proposal document to use Scout rockets to launch small satellites that would evaluate the worldwide Mercury Tracking Network in preparation for manned orbital missions. ...

Mercury Control - Cape Canaveral, Florida. (NASA)

Mercury Control, Cape Canaveral, FL. (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Mercury Control, Cape Canaveral, FL. (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Unmanned flights

The program included 20 robotic launches. Not all of these were intended to reach space and not all were successful in completing their objectives. Four of these flights included non-human primates, starting with the fifth flight (1959) which launched a Rhesus macaque named Sam (after the Air Force's School of Aviation Medicine). The Mercury program's complete roster of non-human space-farers is given below: Binomial name Macaca mulatta (Zimmermann, 1780) The Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta), often called the Rhesus Monkey, is one of the best known species of Old World monkeys. ...

• Sam, a Rhesus macaque, launched December 4, 1959 on Little Joe 2 to 85 km altitude.

• Miss Sam, a Rhesus macaque, launched January 21, 1960 on Little Joe 1B to 15 km altitude.

• Ham, a chimpanzee, launched January 31, 1961 on Mercury-Redstone 2 for a suborbital flight.

• Enos, a chimpanzee, launched November 29, 1961 on Mercury-Atlas 5 for a 2-orbit flight.

is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Apollo program launch vehicle, see Little Joe II. The Little Joe 2 was an important test of the Mercury capsule because it was the first Little Joe animal flight, carrying the Rhesus monkey Sam (Macaca mulatta) close to the edge of space. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Miss Sam the Rhesus monkey, pilot of Little Joe 1B. (NASA) The Little Joe 1B was a Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. ... Ham fitted into a special biopack couch prior to flight. ... Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 distribution of Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) was launched at 16:55 UTC on January 31, 1961 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... Enos being prepared for insertion into the Mercury-Atlas 5 capsule in 1961. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury-Atlas 5 was an American unmanned spaceflight of the Mercury program. ...

The Jupiter missile was proposed as a suborbital launch vehicle for Project Mercury in October, 1958; however, it was never flown, and was cancelled in July 1959 due to budget constraints. ... Jupiter IRBM mobile missile The PGM-19 Jupiter was an intermediate-range ballistic missile of the United States Air Force. ... The Little Joe 1 was a solid fuel rocket that was designed to test the Mercury spacecraft Launch Escape and Recovery systems. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Big Joe ( Atlas 10-D) launched an unmanned boilerplate Mercury capsule from Cape Canaveral, FL. on September 9, 1959. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Little Joe 6 was a Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... Oct-4 is an abbreviation of Octamer-4. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Little Joe 1A. (NASA) Little Joe 1A (LJ-1A) was an unmanned rocket launched as part of NASAs Mercury program on November 4, 1959. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Apollo program launch vehicle, see Little Joe II. The Little Joe 2 was an important test of the Mercury capsule because it was the first Little Joe animal flight, carrying the Rhesus monkey Sam (Macaca mulatta) close to the edge of space. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Miss Sam the Rhesus monkey, pilot of Little Joe 1B. (NASA) The Little Joe 1B was a Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Beach Abort was an unmanned test in NASAs Project Mercury, of the Mercury spacecraft Launch Escape System. ... Apollo LES Pad Abort test A Launch Escape System (LES) is a top-mounted rocket connected to the crew module of a crewed spacecraft and used to quickly separate and launch the crew module away from the rest of the rocket in the case of an emergency. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury-Atlas 1 (MA-1) was launched at 13:13 UTC on July 29, 1960 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Little Joe 5 was an unmanned Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fueling MR-1 in prepartation for launch. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury- Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched on December 19, 1960 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) was launched at 16:55 UTC on January 31, 1961 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Ham fitted into a special biopack couch prior to flight. ... Launch of MA-2 (NASA) Mercury- Atlas 2 (MA-2) was launched unmanned on February 21, 1961 at 14:10 UTC, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Little Joe 5A was an unmanned Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mercury-Redstone BD was an unmanned Booster Development flight in the U.S. Mercury program. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Launch of MA-3 (NASA) Mercury- Atlas 3 (MA-3) was launched unmanned on April 25, 1961 at 16:15 UTC, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Little Joe 5B was an unmanned Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. ... Little Joe was also a railroad locomotive type Little Joe Program When NASA went shopping for a booster to use in the Mercury program they found that the Atlas rockets would cost approximately $2. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... MA-4 Launch (NASA) Mercury-Atlas 4 was an unmanned spaceflight of the Mercury program. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... On May 5, 1961 NASA issued a Mercury program proposal document to use Scout rockets to launch small satellites that would evaluate the worldwide Mercury Tracking Network in preparation for manned orbital missions. ... Scout launch (NASA) The Scout-rocket was an American rocket for launching small satellites. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Mercury-Atlas 5 was an American unmanned spaceflight of the Mercury program. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Enos being prepared for insertion into the Mercury-Atlas 5 capsule in 1961. ...

Manned flights

Astronauts

Wernher von Braun and astronaut Gordon Cooper in the blockhouse during MR-3 recovery operations May 5, 1961.

The first Americans to venture into space were drawn from a group of 110 military pilots chosen for their flight test experience and because they met certain physical requirements. Seven of those 110 became astronauts in April 1959. Six of the seven flew Mercury missions (Deke Slayton was removed from flight status due to a heart condition). Beginning with Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight, the astronauts named their own spacecraft, and all added "7" to the name to acknowledge the teamwork of their fellow astronauts. Werner Von Braun and astronaut Gordon Cooper in the blockhouse during MR-3 recovery operations May 5, 1961. ... Werner Von Braun and astronaut Gordon Cooper in the blockhouse during MR-3 recovery operations May 5, 1961. ... For other uses of von Braun, see von Braun (disambiguation). ...

Mercury had seven prime astronauts, all former military test pilots, known as the Mercury Seven. NASA announced the selection of these astronauts on April 9, 1959. For other uses, see Astronaut (disambiguation). ... Test pilots are aviators who fly new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated. ... Original seven Astronauts portrait (L-R: Schirra, Shepard, Slayton, Grissom, Glenn, Cooper, Carpenter) The Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts picked in April 1959. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The "Mercury seven" astronauts pose with an Atlas model July 12, 1962. L to R: Grissom, Shepard, Carpenter, Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Cooper.

• Malcolm Scott Carpenter, USN (1925-)
• Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr., USAF (1927-2004)
• John Herschel Glenn, Jr., USMC (1921-) First American to orbit the earth.
• Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, USAF (1926-1967)
• Walter Marty "Wally" Schirra, Jr., USN (1923-2007)
• Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr., USN (1923-1998) First American in space.
• Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton, USAF (1924-1993) Grounded in 1962 due to irregular heartbeat, reinstated in 1972 and later flew on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.

Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Virgil Ivan Gus Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force pilot who became the second American astronaut and one of the first to die in the U.S. space program. ... For other persons named Alan Shepard, see Alan Shepard (disambiguation). ... Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter inspects the heat shield of his Aurora 7 space capsule Malcolm Scott Carpenter (born May 1, 1925) was one of the original seven astronauts selected in 1959 for Project Mercury. ... Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. ... Donald Kent Deke Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was one of the original Mercury Seven NASA astronauts. ... For other persons named John Glenn, see John Glenn (disambiguation). ... Leroy Gordon Gordo Cooper, Jr. ... Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter inspects the heat shield of his Aurora 7 space capsule Malcolm Scott Carpenter (born May 1, 1925) was one of the original seven astronauts selected in 1959 for Project Mercury. ... Leroy Gordon Gordo Cooper, Jr. ... For other persons named John Glenn, see John Glenn (disambiguation). ... Virgil Ivan Gus Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force pilot who became the second American astronaut and one of the first to die in the U.S. space program. ... Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. ... For other persons named Alan Shepard, see Alan Shepard (disambiguation). ... Donald Kent Deke Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was one of the original Mercury Seven NASA astronauts. ... The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the U.S. and Soviet space programs. ...

// Alan Shepard (1) *Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... For other persons named Alan Shepard, see Alan Shepard (disambiguation). ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Mercury 4 was a Mercury program manned space mission launched on July 21, 1961 using a Redstone rocket. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... Virgil Ivan Gus Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was a United States Air Force pilot who became the second American astronaut and one of the first to die in the U.S. space program. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... // Crew John Glenn (flew on Mercury 6 & STS-95) Backup Crew M. Scott Carpenter Mission parameters Mass: 1,352 kg Perigee: 159 km Apogee: 265 km Inclination: 32. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... For other persons named John Glenn, see John Glenn (disambiguation). ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... MA-7 launch preparation (NASA) // Scott Carpenter (flew on Mercury 7) The original prime crew for Mercury Atlas-7 was Deke Slayton, however Slayton was controversially removed from all flight crew availability after the discovery of cardiac arrhythmia during a training run in the g-loading centrifuge. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter inspects the heat shield of his Aurora 7 space capsule Malcolm Scott Carpenter (born May 1, 1925) was one of the original seven astronauts selected in 1959 for Project Mercury. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... Donald Kent Deke Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was one of the original Mercury Seven NASA astronauts. ... // Wally Schirra (flew on Mercury 8, Gemini 6A, & Apollo 7) Gordon Cooper Mass:1370 kg Perigee: 153 km Apogee: 285 km Inclination: 32. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC redirects here. ... // Gordon Cooper (flew on Mercury 9 & Gemini 5) Alan B. Shepard Chris Kraft. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... Leroy Gordon Gordo Cooper, Jr. ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... UTC redirects here. ... Mercury 10 was planned as a 3-day, 48-orbit mission. ... Atlas missile launch from Cape Canaveral in 1957 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. ... For other persons named Alan Shepard, see Alan Shepard (disambiguation). ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ...

Piloted Mercury launches

Piloted Mercury Launches.

Download high resolution version (816x694, 82 KB)Piloted Mercury Launches. ... Download high resolution version (816x694, 82 KB)Piloted Mercury Launches. ...

Mercury Flight insignias

Flight patches that purport to be patches from various Mercury missions are available to the public. In reality, these patches were designed by private entrepreneurs long after the Mercury program ended. When genuine flight patches were created by crews in the Gemini program, this caused a public demand for Mercury flight patches, which was filled by these private entrepreneurs. The only patches the Mercury astronauts wore were the NASA logo and a name tag. Each manned Mercury spacecraft, however, was decorated with a flight insignia. These are the genuine Mercury flight insignias.

Miscellaneous

The "Mercury seven" astronauts

The Mercury astronauts trained, in part, at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, under Flight Surgeon William K. Douglas and Keith G. Lindell (COL, USAF). Several bridges throughout the city bear the name of the Mercury astronauts, and U.S. Route 258, a major north-south route in the cities of Hampton and Newport News is named Mercury Boulevard, honoring the Mercury program. Download high resolution version (798x819, 95 KB) Original 7 Mercury Astronauts Downloaded from the NASA NIX Image Server: http://nix. ... Download high resolution version (798x819, 95 KB) Original 7 Mercury Astronauts Downloaded from the NASA NIX Image Server: http://nix. ... Langley Research Center NASA Langley 14 x 22 foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel. ... Motto: Americas First Location in the State of Virginia Coordinates: County Independent City Mayor Ross Kearney II Area    - City 352. ... U.S. Highway 258 is a spur of U.S. Highway 58. ... Location in the State of Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States State Virginia County Independent city Incorporated 1896 Government  - Mayor Joe Frank Area  - City  119. ... Mercury Boulevard in the cities of Hampton and Newport News in the Peninsula region of southeastern Virginia carries U.S. Highway 258 approximately 10 miles south from Fort Monroe at Old Point Comfort on Hampton Roads to the north end of the James River Bridge. ...

The names of five of the Mercury astronauts are also commemorated in the popular 1960s TV show Thunderbirds. In the series, Jeff Tracy, the founder of the fictional International Rescue organization, is a millionaire ex-astronaut who has named his five sons -- Scott, Virgil, Alan, John and Gordon -- after the real-life Mercury astronauts. Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of puppetry dubbed Supermarionation. The series followed the adventures of International Rescue, an organisation created to help those in grave danger using technically advanced equipment and machinery. ... Brains Thunderbirds is a mid-1960s Sylvia and Gerry Anderson television show which used a form of puppetry called Supermarionation. Cast, crew, and production notes Thunderbirds was the fourth and by far the most successful of the childrens series made by AP Films for the British television company ATV...

The Randall Model 17 Knife "Astro" was designed for the Mercury astronauts. The final design was done by Gordon Cooper. These knives were never supplied by NASA to the Mercury astronauts, but rather were purchased out of their own pocket. Two of the seven original "Astros" are on display in the Smithsonian. Gus Grissom's was recovered when the Liberty Bell 7 was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean and it only needed cleaning. The Astro is still in production unchanged. Model 14 Attack Randall Made Knives, usually referred to as Randall, is an American manufacturer specializing in custom handcrafted knives and other edged tools. ...

Further reading

• Chris Kraft, Flight: My Life in Mission Control (March 2001). Factual, written by one of the pivotal figures in America's space programme, whose involvement ran from the early days of NACA through the formation of NASA, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, ASTP, Skylab and the early days of Shuttle operations. Hardcover, 371 pages, ISBN 0-525-94571-7 or paperback (2002) ISBN 0-452-28304-3.
• Gene Kranz, Failure is Not an Option. Factual, from the standpoint of a chief flight controller during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs. ISBN 0-7432-0079-9
• Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff. (Wolfe interviewed many of those involved).
• Schirra, Grissom, Glenn, Slayton, Shepherd, Carpenter, Cooper, We Seven. (ISBN B00005X54G); Simon & Schuster - 1962. Factual; a collection of articles written by the seven Mercury astronauts describing events from their points of view.
• James M. Grimwood, This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury
• James M. Grimwood, Project Mercury - A Chronology
• Mae Mills Link, Space Medicine In Project Mercury
• Results of the first US manned orbital space flight - Feb 20, 1962 (Friendship 7) NASA report - (PDF format)
• Results of the second u.s. manned orbital space flight, May 24, 1962 (Aurora 7) NASA report - (PDF format)
• This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA report (PDF format)
• Chronology of Project Mercury - NASA report (PDF format)

Christopher Columbus Kraft, Jr. ... NACA official seal The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of the United States of America. ... This article is about the series of human spaceflight missions. ... The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint flight of the US and Soviet space programs. ... For other uses, see Skylab (disambiguation). ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... Gene Kranz in a more recent photo. ... Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of the United States of America. ... This article is about the series of human spaceflight missions. ... For the early 20th century American novelist, see Thomas Wolfe. ...

See also

• Man In Space Soonest
• Vostok program
• Splashdown
• Mercury 13
• Mercury Seven

Man In Space Soonest was a American program to put an astronaut into outer space before the Soviet Union would be able to. ... The Vostok program (Восто́к, translated as East) was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth orbit for the first time. ... Atlantic splashdown locations of American spacecraft. ... Jerrie Cobb with a Mercury capsule The Mercury 13 are 13 American women selected by NASA in the 1960s to train alongside the United States original Mercury Seven astronauts, though they never flew in space. ... Original seven Astronauts portrait (L-R: Schirra, Shepard, Slayton, Grissom, Glenn, Cooper, Carpenter) The Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts picked in April 1959. ...

External links

• The Mercury Project (Kennedy Space Center)
• Project Mercury A Chronology (Prepared by James M. Grimwood)
• Space Medicine In Project Mercury By Mae Mills Link
• Project Mercury Drawings and Technical Diagrams
• Technical Diagrams and Drawings
• Mercury-Atlas Diagrams
• Project Mercury Simulator for the PC (Orbiter)
• Project Mercury Simulator for Mac and PC
• The Mercury Redstone Project (PDF) December 1964
• Project Mercury familiarization manual (PDF) November 1961
• Various PDFs of historical Mercury documents including familiarization manuals.
• Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space: a game that simulates the Space Race
• Mercury Little Joe DVD
• Randall Model 17 "Astro" designed for Project Mercury
• NASA History Series Publications (many of which are on-line)
• U.S. Spaceflight History- Mercury Program

References