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Astronaut John Glenn inspecting interior of Mercury capsule

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S61-03744 (July 1961) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., backup astronaut for MR-4, inspects the interior of a Mercury spacecraft on Pad 5. He is reviewing material on the checklist he is holding against the consoles in front of him. Photo credit: NASA

The Space Race began with a shock to the American public when the Soviet satellite Sputnik was launched in 1957. United states created NASA accelerate U.S. space exploration efforts and launched the Explorer 1 satellite in 1958. The Soviet Union was first again when it puts the first human, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, into a single orbit on April 12, 1961. Shortly after this, on May 5, the U.S. launched Alan Shepard, on a suborbital flight and reached its orbital goal on February 20, 1962, when John Glenn made three orbits around the Earth in the Mercury capsule. The Mercury space capsule was a pressurized cabin produced by McDonnell Aircraft and carried supplies of water, food, and oxygen for about one day. Mercury was launched on a top of modified Atlas D ballistic missiles. The capsule was fitted with a launch escape rocket to carry it safely away from the launch vehicle in case of a failure. Small retrorockets were used to bring the spacecraft out of its orbit, after which an ablative heat shield protected it from the heat of atmospheric reentry. Finally, a parachute slowed the craft for a water landing. Both astronaut and capsule were recovered by helicopters deployed from a U.S. Navy ship. The Mercury project missions were followed by millions on radio and TV around the world. Its success laid the groundwork for Project Gemini, which carried two astronauts in each capsule and perfected space docking maneuvers essential for manned lunar landings in the Apollo program announced just a few weeks after the first manned Mercury launch.

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johnson space center gemini program gemini astronaut john glenn astronaut john glenn mercury capsule mercury project astronaut john backup astronaut mercury capsule mercury spacecraft photo credit astronauts nasa
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Date

01/07/1961
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Project Mercury

The first human spaceflight program of the United States.
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NASA
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https://images.nasa.gov/
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Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

label_outline Explore Astronaut John Glenn, Mercury Capsule, Mercury Spacecraft

TRAINING - ASTRONAUT GLENN, JOHN - AEROMEDICAL LAB - CAPE

GEMINI-TITAN (GT)-12 - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - UNDERWATER - MD

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –Outredgeous red romaine lettuce plants grow inside in a prototype VEGGIE flight pillow. The bellows of the hardware have been lowered to better observe the plants. A small temperature and relative humidity data logger is placed between the pillows small white box, central. U.S. astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station are going to receive a newly developed Vegetable Production System VEGGIE. VEGGIE is set to launch aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule on NASA's third Commercial Resupply Services mission targeted to launch Dec. 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Gioia Massa KSC-2013-3566

Mercury Geology: A Story with Many Chapters

John H Glenn Jr.. NASA public domain image. Kennedy space center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians, lying on a work platform, remove window #8 from the top of the crew module of space shuttle Atlantis. Inspection and maintenance of the crew module windows is standard procedure between shuttle missions. Atlantis is next slated to deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station on the STS-132 mission. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the Zarya module. Three spacewalks are planned to store spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a boom assembly for the Ku-band antenna and spares for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm extension. A radiator, airlock and European robotic arm for the Russian Multi-purpose Laboratory Module also are payloads on the flight. Launch is targeted for May 14. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson KSC-2010-1082

SPACECRAFT (INSPECTION) - ASTRONAUT JOHN W. YOUNG - MISC. - CAPE

Astronaut John Glenn poses in Mercury Space Suit

Photomosaic of Mercury - Inbound View

Astronaut Edwin Aldrin practices work task aboard KC-135

S95E5195 - STS-095 - Candid views of Glenn with water bubbles on middeck

GEMINI-TITAN (GT)-8 - EXTRAVEHICULAR (EV) EQUIPMENT & SUIT - MSC

Topics

johnson space center gemini program gemini astronaut john glenn astronaut john glenn mercury capsule mercury project astronaut john backup astronaut mercury capsule mercury spacecraft photo credit astronauts nasa