Mercury capsule and escape system on top of a booster
This photograph shows the installation of a Mercury capsule and escape system on top of a booster prior to test firing of the Mercury-Redstone at Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) Redstone Test Stand. Ass... More
Photographs of Alan Shepard Being Suited up in His Space Gear for a Te...
Original caption: Alan Shepard, one of the three Prime Astronauts selected to take the first space ride in a Mercury Capsule, is being suited up in his space gear for a test simulation flight. The first attemp... More
Photograph of Alan Shepard before Being Placed inside the Mercury Caps...
Original caption: A closeup of Astronaut, Alan Shepard, in space suit, seated inside Mercury Capsule. He is undergoing a flight simulation test with the Capsule mated to the Redstone Booster. The first attemp... More
Photograph of John Glenn Seating inside the Mercury Capsule during a F...
Original caption: Astronaut, John Glenn, in space suit seated in Mercury Capsule, is undergoing a flight simulation test. The first attempt to put a man into space by the U.S. aboard a Mercury Capsule will be ... More
Jerrie Cobb Poses beside Mercury Capsule
Jerrie Cobb poses next to a Mercury spaceship capsule. Although she never flew in space, Cobb, along with twenty-four other women, underwent physical tests similar to those taken by the Mercury astronauts with ... More
Mercury Spacecraft Boilerplate, NASA Mercury project
(July 30, 1959) 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 t... More
Project Mercury, 1959-1963, NASA Mercury project
Image Credit: NASA..Description Less than a year after its birth, the National Aeronautics and Space Agency announced its first astronaut class, the Mercury Seven, on April 9, 1959. Project Mercury proved that ... More
Mercury Project, NASA Mercury project
This photograph depicts installation of the Mercury capsule and escape system on top of a booster prior to test firing of the Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
Big Joe Ready for Launch at Cape Canaveral
(September 9, 1959) 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 an... More
Little Joe (LJ6) Launch, NASA Mercury project
Description: Launching of the LJ6 Little Joe on October 4, 1959 took place at Wallops Island, Va. This was the first attempt to launch an instrumented capsule with a Little Joe booster. Only the LJ1A and the L... More
Big Joe launch vehicle after launching at Cape Canaveral
B59-00556 (9 Sept. 1959) --- U.S. Air Force photo of Big Joe launch vehicle after launching at Cape Canaveral, Florida, for a suborbital test of the Mercury capsule. The capsule was recovered successfully after... More
Rhesus Monkey - Miss Sam - Fiberglass Couch - Little Joe (LJ)-1B Fligh...
B59-00828 (21 Jan. 1959) --- The test subject, a rhesus monkey named Miss Sam, is seen encased in a model of the Mercury fiberglass contour couch. She is being placed in a container for the Little Joe 1B suborb... More
Mercury-Atlas 1 Launch, NASA Mercury project
(July 29, 1960) The uncrewed Mercury-Atlas 1 spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral on July 29, 1960. MA-1 was the first attempt to launch the Mercury capsule. The mission failed just under a minute after laun... More
Boilerplate Mercury Capsule, NASA Mercury project
(1960) 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.... More
Mercury Project - Installation of the Mercury capsule
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... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, invited guests tour the blockhouse at Complex 5/6 during a celebration of Alan Shepard's historic flight 50 years ago. From left are Rober... More
Visitors Viewing Friendship 7, Smithsonian Institution archives
Photographer: Unknown..Date: late 1960s-c.1975..Type: Photographic print..Standard number: 82-3306..Summary: Visitors viewing "Friendship 7" in the Quonset Hut of the National Air and Space Museum in the South ... More
Launch of Little Joe I-B from Wallops Island
B60-00364 (4 Nov. 1959) --- Launch of Little Joe-2 from Wallops Island carrying Mercury spacecraft test article. The suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule was to test the escape system. Vehicle function... More
John Glenn Prepares for a Test in the Multi-Axis Space Test Inertia Fa...
Mercury astronaut John Glenn prepares for a test in the Multi-Axis Space Test Inertia Facility (MASTIF) inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research... More
Astronaut John Glenn - Egress Training Activity - Langley AFB, VA
B60-00285 (1960) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury Atlas 6 spaceflight, emerges from an egress trainer during training activity at the Langley Research Center. He is attempting to transfer o... More
Ham Launch, NASA Mercury project
Full Description: (January 31, 1961) Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) Launch with chimpanzee Ham aboard. Monkeys had been flown into space before, but Ham was the first higher primate to test a spacecraft...Image # : 61C-1012
Alan Shepard in Space Suit before Mercury Launch
(May 5, 1961) 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. be... More
The Launch of Mercury-Redstone. NASA public domain image colelction.
(May 5, 1961) The launch of the Mercury-Redstone (MR-3), Freedom 7. MR-3 placed the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard, in suborbit on May 5, 1961...UID: SPD-MARSH-6100884
A three-year-old chimpanzee, named Ham - Mercury Project
A three-year-old chimpanzee, named Ham, in the biopack couch for the MR-2 suborbital test flight. On January 31, 1961, a Mercury-Redstone launch from Cape Canaveral carried the chimpanzee "Ham" over 640 kilomet... More
Ham, a three-year-old chimpanzee - Mercury Project
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 cap... More
Shepard With Freedom 7 Capsule. NASA public domain image colelction.
(May 5, 1961) Alan B. Shepard, Jr., America's first astronaut, stands in front of the Freedom 7 spacecraft shortly after completion of the third flight of the Mercury-Redstone (MR-3) vehicle, May 5, 1961. Durin... More
Shepard Hoisted from Mercury Capsule
A U.S. Marine helicopter recovery team hoists astronaut Alan Shepard from his Mercury spacecraft after a successful flight and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. On May 5th 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the f... More
Launch of Mercury-Atlas, NASA Mercury project
(February 21, 1961) 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 ... More
LITTLE JOE 5A - CAPSULE 14. NASA public domain image colelction.
S61-01372 (21 Feb. 1961) --- Launch of the unmanned Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) vehicle for a suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule. The upper part of Atlas is stengthened by an eight-inch wide stainless ste... More
ASTRONAUT GRISSOM, VIRGIL I. - MERCURY SPACECRAFT - EGRESS TRAINING
S61-03885 (26 April 1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, wearing the new Mercury spacesuit, stands outside of a mock-up of the Mercury capsule on the deck of a ship taking him to emergency water egress ... More
Alan Shepard, NASA Mercury project
(April 29, 1961) 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...Image # : 61-10515
Mercury Project chimpanzee Ham, NASA Mercury project
A three-year-old chimpanzee, named Ham, in the biopack couch for the MR-2 suborbital test flight. On January 31, 1961, a Mercury-Redstone launch from Cape Canaveral carried the chimpanzee "Ham" over 640 kilomet... More
Photograph of Ham the Chimpanzee Reaching for an Apple after Landing S...
Original caption: Ham reaches out from his couch to take an apple from a crewman of the USS Donner. This was the first food for the chimpanzee following a 430 mile ride in a Mercury capsule launched by a Redsto... More
MERCURY-ATLAS (MA)-2 - LIFTOFF - CAPE
S61-01226 (21 Feb. 1961) --- Launch of the unmanned Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) vehicle for a suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule. The upper part of Atlas is stengthened by an eight-inch wide stainless ste... More
MERCURY CAPSULE - WATER EGRESS TRAINING
S61-03256 (13 Sept. 1961) --- Recovery of Mercury spacecraft at end of the Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) mission. Notice the extended antenna on top of the capsule. Photo credit: NASA
Recovery of the Little Joe 5A spacecraft
S61-01398 (18 March 1961) --- View of the recovery of the Little Joe-5A spacecraft which lifted off on March 18, 1961 from Wallops Island. The photo was taken from the recovery helicopter and shows the craft's ... More
LIFTOFF - MERCURY-ATLAS (MR)-3- FLIGHT ATTEMPT - MECHANICAL ASTRONAUT ...
S61-01925 (25 April 1961) --- View of the Mercury-Atlas 3 (MA-3) liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 25, 1961. The orbital test flight of the Mercury capsule did not achieve orbit and was destroyed af... More
LITTLE JOE 2 - LAUNCH VEHICLES - VA
G61-00030 (4 Nov. 1959) --- Launch of Little Joe-2 from Wallops Island carrying Mercury spacecraft test article. The suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule was to test the escape system. Vehicle function... More
LITTLE JOE 5B - S/C #14. NASA public domain image colelction.
S61-01663 (23 April 1961) --- View of the mating of Little Joe-5B launch vehicle with Mercury capsule #14. Photo credit: NASA
Mating of Little Joe 5B vehicle with Mercury Capsule #14
S61-01673 (23 April 1961) --- View of the mating of Little Joe-5B launch vehicle with Mercury capsule #14. Photo credit: NASA
Astronaut Virgil Grissom in new Mercury Space Suit during egress train...
S61-03893 (26 April 1961) --- Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, wearing the new Mercury spacesuit, poses for a picture during emergency egress training activities at the Florida Space Center. He is seen standi... More
Astronaut Alan Shepard on U.S. Champlain after recovery of Mercury cap...
S88-31380 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., strides across the deck of the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain following an inspection of his Freedom 7 capsule. Shepard had just completed the first manne... More
View of Astronaut Alan Shepard inside the Freedom 7 capsule
S88-31374 (29 April 1961) --- A close-up of astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. in his space suit with his helmet on inside the Mercury capsule. He is undergoing a flight simulation test with the capsule mated to the... More
Astronaut Alan Shepard - U.S.S. Champlain - Post-Recovery Mercury Caps...
S61-02727 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard is seen on the deck of the USS Lake Champlain after the recovery of his Mercury capsule in the western Atlantic Ocean. Shepard and the Mercury spacecraft des... More
Astronaut Alan Shepard onboard helicopter after recovery of Mercury ca...
S88-31383 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) pilot, jokes with doctors while in-flight between the U.S. Navy Carrier Champlain and the Grand Bahama Islands. Shepard is the... More
Astronaut Alan Shepard removing space suit on U.S. Champlain after rec...
S88-31382 (5 May 1961) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard receives assistance in removing his spacesuit while on the U.S. Champlain after the recovery of his Mercury capsule. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronauti... More
Astronaut John Glenn inspecting interior of Mercury capsule
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 cons... More
Mercury Project -Astronaut Virgil Grissom enters the Mercury capsule
Assisted by Astronaut John Glenn, Astronaut Virgil Grissom enters the Mercury capsule, Liberty Bell 7, for the MR-4 mission on July 21, 1961. Boosted by the Mercury-Redstone vehicle, the MR-4 mission was the se... More
Carpenter in White Room, NASA Mercury project
(March 6, 1962) 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)... More
Astronaut John Glenn being Honored
Full Description: On February 23, 1962, President John F. Kennedy honors John H. Glenn, Jr. at Hangar S, Cape Canaveral, Florida, after his historic three-orbit mission aboard Friendship 7.
Friendship 7, NASA Mercury project
(February 20, 1962) On February 20, 1962 at 9:47 am EST, John Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 to become the first American to orbit the Earth. In this image, Glenn enters his Friendship 7... More
Gemini, 1962-1966, NASA Mercury project
Image Credit: NASA..Description Project Gemini was NASA's second human spaceflight program, with ten manned flights occurring between 1965 and 1966...Similar in design to the Mercury capsule but much larger, th... More
Launch of Friendship 7, NASA Mercury project
Full Description: (February 20, 1962) Launch of Friendship 7, the first American manned orbital space flight. Astronaut John Glenn aboard, the Mercury-Atlas rocket is launched from Pad 14...Image # : 62PC-0011
Astronaut John Glenn inspects decal for side of his Mercury capsule
S64-14854 (20 Feb. 1962) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. and technicians inspect a decal ready for application to the side of his Mercury spacecraft prior to launch on Feb. 20, 1962. The decal reads "Friendship... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. enters his Mercury...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- 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 hi... More
Closeup View - Astronaut John Glenn - Insertion - Mercury Capsule - Ca...
S62-01004 (1962) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) mission, participates in Mercury egress training during MA-6 preflight preparations. Glenn made the free world's first mann... More
Ablation Test of Mercury Capsule ARC-1962-A-28917-3
Ablation Test of Mercury Capsule Public domain photograph related to NASA research activity, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Ablation Test of Mercury Capsule ARC-1962-A-28917-8
Ablation Test of Mercury Capsule Public domain photograph of NASA rocket launch, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
LAUNCH ESCAPE TOWER - ARTIST CONCEPT - MERCURY SPACECRAFT
S62-04976 (31 Aug. 1962) --- Artist concept of the Mercury capsule with its launch escape system. Photo credit: NASA
Astronaut Gordon Cooper, Jr. - Preflight Simulation Training - Cape
S64-14868 (1963) --- Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) Earth-orbital space mission, participates in preflight simulation training inside his Mercury capsule at Cape Canaveral, ... More
Before returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, member...
Before returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, members of the STS-95 crew pose with a model of a Mercury capsule following a media briefing at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site Auditorium . F... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Brevard County sixth-graders participate in th...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Brevard County sixth-graders participate in the eighth annual Space Week at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Here, the students climb into a Mercury capsule in the co... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests attend a celebration at Complex...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests attend a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U.S. manned spaceflight May... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests of all ages attend a celebratio...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests of all ages attend a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U.S. manned sp... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests enjoy the program presented at ...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests enjoy the program presented at a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U.S... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NBC reporter Jay Barbree introduces Alice Wack...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NBC reporter Jay Barbree introduces Alice Wackermann, Julie Jenkins and Laura Churchley, daughters of astronaut Alan Shepard, to the audience at a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Cana... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests and media representatives atten...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests and media representatives attend a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms, commander o...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms, commander of the 14th Air Force and former astronaut, addresses the audience at a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Flo... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests enjoy a tribute to astronaut Al...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests enjoy a tribute to astronaut Alan Shepard during a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch sit... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Bob Moser, former chief test conductor for the...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Bob Moser, former chief test conductor for the Mercury-Redstone launches, tours the blockhouse at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held ... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Ca...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter greets Calvin Fowler, the launch conductor for Carpenter's Mercury-A... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director and former astro...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana addresses the audience at a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration wa... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter participates...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter participates in a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From left, NBC reporter Jay Barbree and Alice ...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- From left, NBC reporter Jay Barbree and Alice Wackermann, Julie Jenkins (at microphone) and Laura Churchley, daughters of astronaut Alan Shepard, participate in a celebration at Complex ... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director and former astro...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana addresses the audience at a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration wa... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The U.S. flag waves proudly in front of a repl...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The U.S. flag waves proudly in front of a replica of a Mercury-Redstone rocket at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A celebration was held at the launch site... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests attending a celebration at Comp...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Invited guests attending a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida tour the blockhouse. The celebration was held at the launch site of the first U.S.... More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses th...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden addresses the audience during a celebration at Complex 5/6 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The celebration was held at the launch sit... More