Project Mercury
When was Project Mercury
founded?
• Project Mercury was founded on October
7, 1958.
Mercury’s Goals
• Started in 1958 and completed in 1963, Project
Mercury was the United States' first man-inspace program. The main objectives of the
program, which made six manned flights from
1961 to 1963, were specific:
• To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth
• To investigate man's ability to function in space
• To recover both man and spacecraft safely
How long did Project Mercury
last?
• Project Mercury lasted for about 4 2/3
years.
The
Mercury 7
The Seven Astronauts
• In the Mercury program, there were originally seven astronauts but,
since one of them had a health issue only six of the seven flew.
• The seven astronauts were:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
Donald K. Slayton
John H. Glenn, Jr.
Scott Carpenter
Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
Virgil I. (“Gus”) Grissom
L. Gordon Cooper.
Facts about the Mercury
Capsule
• The Mercury space capsule was incredibly tiny.
• The size of it on the outside was about the size of a
compact car, but in the inside, it is smaller than a
telephone booth.
• One astronaut said that the interior of the Mercury
capsule was about the same size as a coffin.
• The bell-shaped Mercury capsule had a diameter of 6
feet.
• The length of the capsule was 9 ½ feet.
Who was in charge?
• The people that were in charge of the astronauts was
Mission Control (over in Cape Canaveral, Florida and
later flights: Houston, Texas).
• But, in each mission, one astronaut was picked to be in
charge of his crew.
When did the first Mercury Project
rocket launch?
• “Mission: Little Joe 1
Launch Pad: Wallops Island Pad
Vehicle: Little Joe (1)
Crew: Unmanned
Milestones:
Not applicable
Payload:
Boiler Plate Capsule
Mission Objective:
Max Q abort and escape test. Objective was to
determine how well the escape rocket would function
under the most severe dynamic loading conditions
anticipated during a Mercury-Atlas launching.”
When did the first Mercury Project
rocket launch? (continued)
• “Orbit:
Altitude: .4 statute miles
Orbits: 0
Duration: 0 Days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 20 seconds
Distance: .5 statute miles
Launch:
At 35 minutes before launch, evacuation of the area had
been proceeding on schedule and the batteries for the
programmer and destruct system in the test booster
were being charged. Suddenly, half an hour before
launch time, an explosive flash occurred. When the
smoke cleared it was evident that only the capsule-andtower combination had been launched, on a trajectory
similar to an off-the-pad abort. The booster and
adapter-clamp ring remained intact on the launcher.
Near apogee, at about 2000 ft, the clamping ring that
held tower to capsule released and the little pyro-rocket
for jettisoning the tower fired.”
When did the first Mercury Project
rocket launch? (continued)
• “The accident report for LJ-1, issued September 18, 1959,
blamed the premature firing on the Grand Central escape
rocket on an electrical leak, or what missile engineers call
transients or ghost voltages in a relay circuit. The fault was
found in a coil designed to protect biological specimens
from too rapid an abort. (Reference SP-4201 p. 208)
Landing:
Not applicable”
Other launches after Shepard
• Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil
"Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights.
• Glenn was the first to orbit. He was soon
followed into orbit by colleagues Carpenter,
Schirra and Gordon Cooper.
• Deke Slayton was grounded by a medical
condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in
1975.
The Launch
• “Launch:
February 20, 1962. 9:47:39 am EST. Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14.
Powered flight lasted 5 minutes 1 second and was completed normally.
The mercury countdown began on 1/27/62 and was performed in two parts.
Precount checks out the primary spacecraft systems, followed by a 17.5
hour hold for pyrotechnic checks, electrical connections and peroxide
system servicing. Then the countdown began. The launch countdown
proceeded to the T-13 minute mark and then was canceled due to adverse
weather conditions. After cancellation, the mission team decided to replace
the carbon dioxide absorber unit and the peroxide system had to be drained
and flushed to prevent corrosion. Launch vehicle systems were then
revalidated and a leak was discovered in the inner bulkhead of the fuel tank
that required 4-6 days to repair. The launch was rescheduled to 2/13/62 and
then to 2/14/62 to all the bulkhead work to complete. The precount picked
up again on 2/13/62, 2/15/62 and 2/16/62 but was canceled each time due
to adverse weather. The launch was then rescheduled for 2/20/62.”
The Launch (continued from
previous slide)
• “During the launch countdown on 2/20/62, all systems were energized and final overall checks
were made. the count started at T-390 minutes by installing and connecting the escape-rocket
igniter. The service structure was then cleared and the spacecraft was powered to verify no
inadvertent pyrotechnic ignition. The personnel then returned to the service structure to prepare
for static firing of the reaction control system at T-250 minutes. The spacecraft was then prepared
for boarding at T-120 minutes. The hatch was put into place at T-90 minutes. During installation a
bolt was broken, and the hatch had to be removed to replace the bolt causing a 40 minute hold.
From T-90 to T-55 final mechanical work and spacecraft checks were made and the service was
evacuated and moved away from the launch vehicle. At T-45 minutes, a 15 minute hold was
required to add fuel to the launch vehicle and at T-22 minutes and additional 25 minutes was
required for filling the liquid-oxygen tanks as a result of a minor malfunction in the ground support
equipment used to pump liquid oxygen into the launch vehicle. At approximately T-35 minutes,
filling of the liquid-oxygen tanks began and final spacecraft and launch vehicle systems checks
were
started.
At T-10 minutes the spacecraft went on internal power. At T-6min 30 seconds, a 2 minute hold was
required to make a quick check of the network computer at Bermuda. The launch vehicle went on
internal power at T-3 minutes. At T-35 seconds the spacecraft umbilical was ejected and at T-0 the
main engines started. Liftoff occurred at T+4 seconds at 9:47:39am EST.
”
What did the astronauts have to do in
order to prepare for the challenge?
• “On October 7, 1958, the new National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) announced Project Mercury, its first
major undertaking. The objectives were threefold: to place a
human spacecraft into orbital flight around Earth, observe
human performance in such conditions, and recover the human
and the spacecraft safely. At this early point in the U.S. space
program, many questions remained. Could a human function
ably as a pilot-engineer-experimenter in the harsh conditions of
weightless flight? If yes, who were the right people for the
challenge?
• The selection procedures for Project Mercury were directed by
a NASA selection committee, consisting of Charles Donlan, a
senior management engineer; Warren North, a test pilot
engineer; Stanley White and William Argerson, flight surgeons;
Allen Gamble and Robert Voas psychologists; and George Ruff
and Edwin Levy, psychiatrists. The committee recognized that
the unusual conditions associated with spaceflight are similar
to those experienced by military test pilots. In January 1959,
the committee received and screened 508 service records of a
group of talented test pilots, from which 110 candidates were
assembled. Less than one month later, through a variety of
interviews and a battery of written tests, the NASA selection
committee pared down this group to 32 candidates.”
What did the astronauts have to do in
order to prepare for the challenge?
• “Each candidate endured even more stringent physical,
psychological, and mental examinations, including total body
x-rays, pressure suit tests, cognitive exercises, and a series of
unnerving interviews. Of the 32 candidates, 18 were
recommended for Project Mercury without medical
reservations. On April 1, 1959, Robert Gilruth, the head of the
Space Task Group, and Donlan, North, and White selected the
first American astronauts. The "Mercury Seven" were Scott
Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I.
"Gus" Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and
Donald K. "Deke" Slayton.
• At a press conference in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1959,
NASA introduced the Mercury Seven to the public. The press
and public soon adopted them as heroes, embodying the new
spirit of space exploration. Each one (except Slayton, who was
grounded because of a previously undiscovered heart
condition, but later flew as a crewmember of the Apollo Soyuz
Test Project) successfully flew in Project Mercury. During the
five-year life of the project, six human-tended flights and eight
automated flights were completed, proving that human
spaceflight was possible. These missions paved the way for the
Gemini and Apollo programs as well as for all further human
spaceflight.”
The Atlas
Rocket
Mission Control
Mercury Capsule
Photos
Mercury 6 Glenn
Enters Friendship 7
Mercury 3 Shepard
Recovery
Mercury 6 Capsule
Retrieval
Mercury 4 Recovery
Attempt
Mercury 9 Cooper Enters Faith 7
Pictures from
Project Mercury
John Glenn (MA-6) Leaves Crew Quarters
Wally Schirra (MA-8) T-38
Mercury Seven with Convair 106-B
Alan Shepard (MR-3) Launch
Mission Insignia
The recovery of the
Freedom 7
Alan Shepard’s space
patch
Shepard and his capsule are
recovered
Launch of the Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft on
May 5, 1961, 9:34 a.m. EST, with Alan Shepard
onboard.
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr.
Alan Shepard in
his astronaut suit
Grissom in front of
his Liberty Bell 7
Capsule
Grissom’s
Insignia
Virgil Ivan "Gus"
Grissom’s space
suit on display at
Grissom
the Astronaut Hall
of Fame
Grissom in his
astronaut suit
Grissom as a
USAF pilot
before becoming
an astronaut
Carpenter inspecting his capsule
Carpenter’s
Insignia
Malcolm Scott
Carpenter
Scott Carpenter in a
test/practice to
prepare for his flight
Scott Carpenter as an
astronaut
The Apollo Soyuz.
Slayton’s
Insignia
Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton
Donald Kent
“Deke” Slayton
Donald Slayton in his space
suit.
Launch of the Saturn IB rocket
carrying the Apollo Command
Module into orbit.
Walter
Marty
Schirra,
Jr.
March 10, 1966, Wally Schirra is presented
with the Philippine Air Force Aviation Badge
by Imelda Marcos as Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos, watches. Schirra is
also wearing the Philippines’ Legion of
Honor, presented in a ceremony at the
Malacañang Palace in Manila
Walter Schirra is with his
Mercury capsule
Walter Schirra in his space suit
F3H Demon delivery, mid 1950s
Walter Schirra’s
Insignia
John Glenn standing
in front of his capsule
John Glenn’s
Insignia
John Herschel
Glenn Jr.
Mercury 6 Inspecting
Decal
John Glenn as a
USMC pilot
MA-9
launch
Cooper’s picture of Tibet
from space
Cooper in an SSTV
broadcast from Faith 7
Leroy Gordon
Cooper
Cooper’s Mercury
Faith 7 Mission patch
Leroy Gordon Cooper
“Friendship 7
Pad LC-14
Atlas (6)
Crew: John H. Glenn, Jr.
Milestones:
8/27/61 - Capsule arrived at Cape Canaveral
2/15/62 - Flight Safety Review
2/20/62 - Launch
Payload: Spacecraft No. 13, Vehicle Number 109-D
Mission Objective:
Place a man into earth orbit, observe his reactions to the space environment and safely return him
to earth to a point where he could be readily found. The Mercury flight plan during the first orbit was
to maintain optimum spacecraft attitude for radar tracking and communication checks.
Orbit:
Altitude: 162.2 x 100 statute miles
Inclination: 32.54
Orbits: 3
Period: 88min 29sec
Duration: 0 Days, 4 hours, 55 min, 23 seconds
Distance: 75,679 statute miles
Velocity: 17,544 mph
Max Q: 982 psf
Max G: 7.7
”
Scott Carpenter
“In November 1951, he was assigned to Patrol Squadron 6 based at Barbers Point, Hawaii. During
the Korean conflict, he was with Patrol Squadron 6 engaged in anti-submarine patrol, shipping
surveillance and aerial mining activities in the Yellow Sea, South China Sea and the Formosa
Straits.4 In 1954 he entered the Navy Test Pilot School at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River,
Maryland. After completion of his training, he was assigned to the Electronics Test Division of the
NATC. In this assignment Carpenter conducted flight test projects with the A3D, F11F and F9F and
assisted in other flight test programs.5 He flew tests in a variety of Naval aircraft including multiand single-engine jet aircraft and propeller-driven fighters, attack planes, patrol bombers and
seaplanes.6 He then attended Naval General Line School at Monterey, California, for ten months in
1957 and the Naval Air Intelligence School, Washington, DC for an additional eight months in 1957
and 1958. In August 1958 he was assigned to the USS Hornet, anti-submarine aircraft carrier, as
Air Intelligence Officer, where he was serving when he received cryptic orders to report to
Washington in connection with an unspecified special project.7 Stopping in an airport on the way
back from Washington, he picked up a Time magazine and learned that the newly created National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had identified 110 candidates, all military pilots, from
which to take volunteers for America's first manned venture into space.
A few weeks later he became one of the "Original Seven" Mercury astronauts, chosen on April 9
1959, and was assigned to the Manned Spacecraft Center (then Space Task Group) at Langley
Field, Virginia.8 Upon reporting for duty, he was assigned a specialty area in training involving
communications and navigational aids, because of his extensive prior experience in that field in the
Navy. He served as John Glenn's backup pilot during pre-flight preparations for America's first
manned orbital flight, MA-6.9
When NASA grounded MA-7 pilot Donald K. Slayton (Deke) due to his heart condition, idiopathic
atrial fibrillation (erratic heart rate), Carpenter was selected as prime pilot for that mission with
Walter M. Schirra, Jr., as his backup pilot.”
Donald K. “Deke” Slayton
“On April 9, 1959, Slayton joined fellow Mercury astronauts, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, John H.
Glenn, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., for a press conference in
Washington, D.C., to announce to the press and the world that the United States had officially joined the "space
race." Following the press conference, the astronauts returned to Langley to begin their intensive training. This
included a "little of everything" ranging from a graduate-level course in introductory space science to simulator
training and scuba-diving. Training continued until the Langley Space Task Force was transferred to the newly
established Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas.11 When each of the Mercury astronauts were
assigned a different portion of the project and special assignments, to ensure pilot input, Slayton's primary
assignment was to gain thorough familiarity with the Atlas missile that was to hurl the Mercury capsule into earth
orbit. He was intended to be the first American astronaut to orbit the earth, after a planned third suborbital flight by
Glenn. But, following the flights of Shepard and Grissom, Glenn's suborbital flight was canceled. He was
reassigned to the first orbital Mercury flight and Slayton, on November 29, 1961, was named as the pilot of
Mercury Atlas-7 (MA-7), the second orbital mission.12
On March 15, 1962, NASA announced that a heart condition called idiopathic atrial fibrillation (an erratic heart
rate) that was first detected in November 1959, would prevent Slayton from making the flight. Carpenter was, at
that time, named as the MA-7 replacement with Schirra as his backup pilot.13 The MA-7 mission was successfully
completed on May 24, 1962.14 On July 11, 1962, Slayton assumed new operational, engineering and planning
responsibilities within NASA's Manned Space Flight Research Programs, including Projects Mercury, Gemini, and
Apollo. He continued to participate in the astronaut training program and his physical condition was monitored on
a continuous basis by members of the MSC medical staff.15 In September 1962, Slayton was assigned as
Coordinator of Astronaut Activities with responsibility for directing the newly formed Astronaut Office. In November
1963, he resigned his commission as an Air Force major and continued and continued with NASA as a civilian
astronaut. For three years Slayton served as assistant director of flight crew operations, a new office with
responsibility for directing the Astronaut Office, Aircraft Operations Office and Flight Crew Support Division.
Beginning in 1966, he served as director of flight crew operations. As director of flight crew operations, he played
a key role in choosing the crew of every manned space mission, including the Apollo teams.16”
Walter Schirra
“Schirra was named as one of the "Original Seven" Mercury Astronauts on April
9, 1959. NASA announced that the seven men, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Virgil I.
"Gus" Grissom, John H. Glenn, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, Schirra, L. Gordon
Cooper, Jr., and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, had been selected from among 110
of the nation's top military test pilots to train as astronauts for Project Mercury,
the first phase of the U.S. space program, involving one-man suborbital and
orbital missions. Schirra, Shepard and Carpenter were from the Navy; Grissom,
Cooper, and Slayton were from the Air Force; and Glenn was from the Marine
Corps.10
Schirra's special responsibility in Project Mercury was the development of
environmental controls or life-support systems that would ensure the safety and
comfort of the astronaut within the spacecraft during the mission. His tasks also
included the testing and improvement of the pressurized suit worn by the
astronauts.11”
Alan Shepard
“In 1959 the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invited 110 top test pilots to
volunteer for the manned space flight program. When NASA sent out bids to 110 test pilots, asking them to
volunteer, Shepard was disappointed because he did not receive an invitation. It turned out later that his name
had been among the 110, but his invitation had been misplaced.13 Of the original 110, Shepard was among the
seven chosen for Project Mercury and presented to the public at a press conference on April 9, 1959, held in the
ballroom of the historic Dolley Madison House, NASA's temporary headquarters on Lafayette Square.14 The other
six were Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, John H. Glenn, Jr., Donald K. (Deke) Slayton, Malcolm S. (Scott) Carpenter,
Walter M. (Wally) Schirra, Jr., and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. These seven were subjected to an unprecedented and
grueling training in the sciences and in physical endurance. Every conceivable situation the men would encounter
in space travel was studied and, when possible, simulated with training devices.15
Shepard quickly established himself as a first-rate pilot and engineer. When it came time to split up the technical
work Shepard, with his experience with ships and Navy headquarters people, concentrated on the tracking range
and the recovery teams needed to pull the astronauts and their spacecrafts out of the water after flight.16 On
February 21, 1961, Robert Gilruth, the director of Project Mercury, announced that the there was to be a meeting
of only the seven Mercury astronauts and himself at their headquarters at Langley. It was at this meeting that it
was announced that Shepard would be the prime pilot for the first mission and Glenn would be his backup pilot.
However, the actual choice was not made public until shortly before the launch for fear of having to go to the
backup at the last moment. The public was informed that the choice of the first American in space had been
narrowed down to Shepard, Grissom and Glenn.17 The announcement that Shepard would definitely be the first
American into space came on May 2, 1961, after the first launch attempt was scrubbed due to weather.18
On May 5, 1961, only 23 days after Yuri A. Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first man in space, Shepard
was launched at 9:34am EST aboard the spacecraft he named Freedom 7 (MR-7) powered by a Redstone
booster (MR-3).19 He was launched suborbitally to an altitude of over 116 miles, 303 statute miles down range
from Cape Canaveral. His 15 minute 28 second flight achieved a velocity of 5,134 miles per hour and pulled a
maximum of 11G's.20 Freedom 7 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean where the aircraft carrier Lake Champlain
awaited his arrival. The capsule came through the entire flight in such excellent shape that the engineers who
went over it with a fine-tooth comb decided that it could easily be used again.21 The doctors also assessed that
the commander was in excellent shape, physically and psychologically and "...could be used again too."
Virgil Grissom
“Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom had been part of the U.S. manned space program since it began in
1959, having been selected as one of NASA's Original Seven Mercury Astronauts. His second space flight on
Gemini III earned him the distinction of being the first man to fly in space twice. His hard work, drive, persistence
and skills as a top notch test pilot and engineer had landed him the title of commander for the first Apollo flight. Yet
for Grissom, Apollo I was to be just the beginning. He had been told privately that if all went well, he would be the
first American to walk on the moon. Although Grissom already had stacked up a very impressive list of career
accomplishments, being first on the moon would be the ultimate achievement for the man who grew up in a small
town during the lean years of the Great Depression.
Grissom discovered that he was one of 110 military test pilots whose credentials had earned them an invitation to
learn more about the space program in general and Project Mercury in particular. Gus liked the sound of the
program but knew that competition for the final spots would be fierce. "I did not think my chances were very big
when I saw some of the other men who were competing for the team. They were a good group, and I had a lot of
respect for them. But I decided to give it the old school try and to take some of NASA's tests."13
Taking some of NASA's tests turned out to be more of an ordeal than Grissom could have imagined. He was sent
to the Lovelace Clinic and Wright-Patterson AFB to receive extensive physical examinations and to submit to a
battery of psychological tests. Grissom was nearly disqualified when doctors discovered that he suffered from hay
fever. Without missing a beat, Grissom informed them that his allergies would not be a problem because "there
won't be any ragweed pollen in space."14 Since no one could argue that point, they passed him on to the next
series of tests.”
Leroy Gordon Cooper
“On April 9, 1959, NASA announced to the public their selections for the Project Mercury astronauts. Along with Cooper at the press
conference in Washington, D.C. sat Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, John H. Glenn, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, Walter M.
Schirra, Jr. and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton. Once the selections and announcements had ended, the astronauts began their training
program at Langley. This included a "little of everything" ranging from a graduate-level course in introductory space science to
simulator training and scuba-diving. Training continued until the Langley Space Task Force was transferred to Houston, Texas.8
When each of the Mercury astronauts were assigned a different portion of the project and special assignments, to ensure pilot input,
Cooper specialized in the Redstone rocket. The Redstone was already well-proven when it was first considered for use in Project
Mercury. However, it had to be made compatible with the Mercury spacecraft and this took some close coordination and
communication between several different agencies. Assigning an astronaut to help accomplish this paid off, for several reasons. To
begin with, Cooper was a military man who had been assigned to a civilian agency, so he could understand the problems on both
sides. As an engineer, he could talk the language of the other engineers. And, since he planned to ride the finished product himself,
he could really become immersed in the problems.9
Like everyone else on the team, Cooper also had several development tasks in addition to his own regular astronaut training. One of
these was the development of a personal survival knife which the astronauts wanted to carry in the capsule with them. They all knew
from their experience as pilots that a knife is one of the most valuable tools for survival on both land and water, and they also knew
that they would encounter a good deal of both of these elements during their flights. They would be orbiting over oceans and jungle
and desert, and they wanted to be prepared for any emergency. Another task that Cooper was responsible for was to serve as
chairman of an Emergency Egress Committee which was responsible for working out procedures for saving the astronaut in the
event of an emergency on the pad.10 He served as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for Mercury MA-6, John Glenn's first orbital
flight in Friendship 7, and MA-7, Scott Carpenter's flight in Aurora 7. He also served as backup pilot for MA-8, Wally Schirra's mission
in Sigma 7.11
Cooper's first flight began on May 15, 1963, when he was launched as the pilot of MA-9, the last Mercury mission. Cooper, in his
Faith 7 capsule, orbited the Earth 22 times and logged more time in space than all five previous Mercury astronauts combined. His
primary objectives were to evaluate the effects of a lengthier stay in space on man and to verify man as the primary spacecraft
system. During the mission, he became the first American astronaut to sleep in orbit.12 His mission lasted 34 hours, 19 minutes and
49 seconds, during which he completed 22 orbits and traveled 546,167 miles at 17,547 miles per hour and pulled a maximum of
7.6G's. He achieved an altitude of 165.9 statute miles at apogee (highest point in orbit) and 100.3 statute miles at perigee (lowest
point in orbit).13
”
Bibliography
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.nasa.gov/
John Glenn: A Space Biography by Barbara Kramer
http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/mercury.htm
Mercury 3 photo from http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgibin/nsearch?catalog=spaceimages&query=The+Mercury+Capsules&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.space
images.com%2Fnsearch.html
T-38 photo from http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgibin/nsearch?catalog=spaceimages&query=The+Mercury+Capsules&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.space
images.com%2Fnsearch.html
John Glenn (MA-6) leaves the crew quarters from http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgibin/nsearch?catalog=spaceimages&query=The+Mercury+Capsules&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.space
images.com%2Fnsearch.html
The Mercury 7 astronauts from http://space.about.com/od/spaceexplorationhistory/ig/Project-MercuryOverview/Photo-of-Mercury-astronauts.htm
All photos from slide 26 are from http://www.spaceimages.com/gemini.html
Photo of Mission Control
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=ig_69.08_mercury_02.jpg&cap=All
%20six%20Mercury%20missions%2C%20plus%20the%20first%20Project%20Gemini%20flight%2C%20were
%20controlled%20from%20the%20Mercury%20Mission%20Control%20Center%20located%20at%20Cape%
20Canaveral.%20These%20consoles%20and%20viewing%20screens%20are%20now%20on%20display%2
0at%20the%20Kennedy%20Space%20Center%20Visitor%20Complex.%20Click%20to%20enlarge.
Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and spacecraft on Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, FL in 1963 (slide #20).
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Mercury_Atlas_9.jpg/120px-Mercury_Atlas_9.jpg
Monument at Pad 14 honoring Project Mercury (slide #19). Photo from
http://space.about.com/od/spaceexplorationhistory/ig/Project-Mercury-Overview/Monument-at-Pad-14--Mercury-7.htm
Bibliography (continued)
•
•
•
•
Photo of John Glenn (slide 30) from http://www.spaceimages.com/mer06glen4.html
Photo of “Little Joe” (slide #10) from http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/litlejoe.htm
Diagram from
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Mercury_S
pacecraft.png/775pxMercury_Spacecraft.png&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Mercury_Spacecraft.png&h=60
0&w=775&sz=451&tbnid=diCe6R0IbBgJ:&tbnh=110&tbnw=142&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmercury%2Bspacec
raft&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=1 (slide #7)
•
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000000651.jpg&imgrefurl=http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/BROWSE/mercury_astronaut_1.html&h=640&w=480&sz=439&t
bnid=6dXMmXn15xgJ:&tbnh=137&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmercury%2Bastronaut%2Bpictures&s
a=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=2
•
NASA's final Mercury-Atlas rocket stands poised for launch on Pad 14 in Cape Canaveral, Florida in May
1963. From
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=070203_last_mercury_02.jpg&cap=
NASA%27s+final+MercuryAtlas+rocket+stands+poised+for+launch+on+Pad+14+in+Cape+Canaveral%2C+Florida+in+May+1963.+Cred
it%3A+NASA.+Click+to+enlarge.+
•
NASA logo from http://www.google.com/search?q=nasa+logo&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS234US262
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Atlas booster in flight from http://www.spaceanimations.org/images/MercuryAtlas004.jpg
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Shepard in Freedom 7 (prep. for launch) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_3
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Launch of Alan Shepard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_3
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Mercury capsule from
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Mercury_C
apsule2.png/285pxMercury_Capsule2.png&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/%3Ftitle%3DMercury_program&h=291&w=285&sz=
56&tbnid=A2_Ac5b_TDcJ:&tbnh=115&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmercury%2Bspacecraft&sa=X&oi=i
mage_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=2
Bibliography (continued)
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/
5b/Mercury_Capsule2.png/285pxMercury_Capsule2.png&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/%3Ftitle%3DMercury_program&h=29
1&w=285&sz=56&tbnid=A2_Ac5b_TDcJ:&tbnh=115&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmercu
ry%2Bspacecraft&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=2
Pictures of John Glenn from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn
Pictures of Walter Schirra from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Schirra
Pictures of Leroy Cooper from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_9
Pictures of Scott Carpenter from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Carpenter
Pictures of Deke Slayton from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deke_Slayton
Pictures of Virgil Grissom from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil_Grissom
Pictures of Alan Shepard from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Shepard
Information of Shepard from http://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/shepard.htm
Information of Schirra from http://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/schirra.htm
Information of Grissom from http://history.nasa.gov/40themerc7/grissom.htm
Information of Glenn from http://history.nasa.gov/40themerc7/glenn.htm
Information of Cooper from http://history.nasa.gov/40themerc7/cooper.htm
Information of Slayton from http://history.nasa.gov/40the merc7/slayton.htm
Information of Carpenter from http://history.nasa.gov/40themerc7/carpenter.htm