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Mercury
Project Summary
Project Mercury represented America's first efforts to send men into space. The first two Mercury missions were launched on sub-orbital flights by Redstone rockets to test the ability of humans to survive the high G-forces of lift-off and the ability of the small Mercury capsule to keep the single astronaut alive in the vacuum of space. Later Mercury missions were sent into orbit around the Earth by more powerful Atlas rockets. Each mission expanded on the experience that was gained in the previous flight, culminating in the 32-hour flight of Faith 7. A piece of space history from the Mercury program was brought back home in April 1999, when the Liberty Bell 7 capsule flown by astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grisson in July 1961 was found 3 miles beneath the Atlantic and recovered basically intact. The capsule sank following Grissom's successful sub-orbital flight when the escape hatch unexpectedly blew open while Grissom was waiting to be recovered.
Missions Flown
# of Flt.
Date Spacecraft Name Crew Days Mission/Payload
-------- ----------------------- ---- ---- ------------------------
Manned Flight Details
07/29/60 MA-1 - - Launch failure
12/19/60 MR-1 - - Suborbital test
01/31/61 MR-2 - - Chimp "Ham"
02/21/61 MA-2 - - Orbital test
04/25/61 MA-3 - - Launch failure
05/03/61 MR-3 (Freedom 7) 1 -1 Suborbital flight
07/21/61 MR-4 (Liberty Bell 7) 1 -1 Suborbital flight
09/13/61 MA-4 - - Orbital test
11/29/61 MA-5 - - Chimp "Enos"
02/20/62 MA-6 (Friendship 7) 1 -1 Earth orbit
05/24/62 MA-7 (Aurora 7) 1 -1 Earth orbit
10/03/62 MA-8 (Sigma 7) 1 -1 Earth orbit
05/15/63 MA-9 (Faith 7) 1 1 Earth orbit
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Note: MA = Mercury-Atlas -- MR = Mercury-Redstone
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1996-2008 Arnold E.
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