Mercury Project

On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced its first astronaut class, the Mercury 7. Front row, left to right: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John H. Glenn, Jr., and M. Scott Carpenter; back row, Alan More

Description: The X-15 #2 (56-6671) launches away from the B-52 mothership with its rocket engine ignited. The white patches near the middle of the ship are frost from the liquid oxygen used in the propulsion sy More

Park scientists participate in the dragonfly mercury project at Shenandoah

Description (July 12, 1932) The researcher is sitting above the exit cone of the 5-foot Vertical Wind Tunnel and is examining the new 6-component spinning balance. This balance was developed between 1930 and 19 More

(1945) This World War II photograph shows future Astronaut Donald Deke K. Slayton (on right) and 1st Lt. Ed Steinman (on left) beside a Douglas A-26 bomber in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the summer More

Female computers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory copy pressure readings from rows of manometers below the 18- by 18-inch Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The More

A Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle awaits test-firing in the Redstone Test Stand during the late 1950s. Between 1953 and 1960, the rocket team at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama performed hundreds of tes More

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

Analysts at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory take data readings from rows of manometers in the basement of the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel. Manom More

A staff member from the Computing Section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory operates an International Business Machines (IBM) telereader at the 8- by 6 More

Description: (August 21, 1954) Walter C. Williams was Chief of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's flight research organization on Edwards Air More

Description: (December 31, 1957) H. Julian Allen is best known for his "Blunt Body Theory" of aerodynamics, a design technique for alleviating the severe re-entry heating problem which was then delaying the dev More

Description (October 29, 1957) The Gimbal Rig, formally known as the MASTIF of Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility, was engineered to simulate the tumbling and rolling motions of a space capsule and train More

Description: (December 21, 1957) H. Julian Allen stands beside the observation window of the 8 x 7 foot test section of the NACA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. H. Julian Allen is best known for his "Blunt Body More

The staff of female computers at work in the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. The lab’s Computer Section occupied More

PARD Chief Joseph A. Shortal examines full-size Mercury capsule at Wallops for first flight test of Little Joe, August 20, 1959. From Shortal (Vol. 3, p. 16): "The basic design of the capsule was made by M.A. F More

Testing of Mercury Capsule Shape A by the Hydrodynamics Division of Langley. Joseph Shortal wrote (vol. 3, p. 19): "The Hydrodynamics Division provided assistance in determining landing loads. In this connectio More

Pilot Joe Algranti climbs into the cockpit of a McDonnell F2H-2B Banshee on the tarmac at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. Nine months later the laborat More

Date July 7, 1959.Description: Molded astronaut couches line the NASA Langley Research Centers model shop wall. The names of the test subjects--Langley employees--are written on the back. The couches are simila More

(November 30, 1959) Dryden pilot Neil Armstrong is seen here next to the X-15 ship 1 (56-6670) after a research flight. The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 feet long with a wingspan of 22 feet. It was a m More

These four shadowgraph images represent early re-entry vehicle concepts. A shadowgraph is a process that makes visible the disturbances that occur in a fluid flow at high velocity, in which light passing throug More

One-sixth scale model of Mercury space capsule model used in wind tunnel testing. NASA Identifier: L59-7567

Five of the seven original astronauts are seen with Dr. von Braun inspecting the Mercury-Redstone hardware in the Fabrication Laboratory of Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) in 1959. Left to right: Astronaut More

(August 21, 1959) Little Joe on launcher at Wallops Island. Little Joe was a major project for Langley. It was a test of the escape and recovery systems on the Mercury spacecraft...Image # : L-1959-05136

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

Scale model of Mercury capsule shape B, indicating the position of the astronaut. NASA Identifier: L58-3446

B59-00557 (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

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.

(January 22, 1959) The Mercury space capsule undergoing tests in Full Scale Wind Tunnel, January 1959. ..Image # : L-1959-00336

Mock-up of the Mercury capsule on display at the first NASA inspection held on October 24, 1959. NASA Identifier: L59-7307

(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

Astronaut Groups 1 and 2. The original seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA in April 1959, are seated (left to right): L. Gordon Cooper Jr., Virgil I. Grissom, M. Scott Carpenter, Water M. Schirra Jr., Joh More

S62-06019 (20 Feb. 1962) --- View of Earth taken by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. during his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

(December 16, 1959) This device is formally known as the MASTIF or Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility and is located in the Altitude Wind Tunnel. It was built at the Lewis Research Center, now John H. Gl More

S62-06026 (20 Feb. 1962) --- View of Earth taken by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. during his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

(July 7, 1959) Molded astronaut couches line the NASA Langley Research Centers model shop wall. The names of the test subjects (Langley employees) are written on the back. The couches are similar to those made More

S62-06011 (20 Feb. 1962) --- Orbital sunset photographed by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. aboard the "Friendship 7" during his Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

(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

In this 1959 photograph, technicians prepare tail sections for Mercury-Redstone vehicles in Building 4706 at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team at Re More

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

Model of Mercury capsule used for wind tunnel testing. NASA Identifier: L60-2681

S62-06012 (20 Feb. 1962) --- Orbital sunset photographed by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. aboard the "Friendship 7" during his Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

Impact study test of Mercury capsule in the Back River. NASA Identifier: L59-8024

Full Description: Astronaut Walter M. Wally Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-8 (Mercury-Atlas) mission with Sigma 7 spacecraft was the More

(December 4, 1959) Sam, the Rhesus monkey, after his ride in the Little Joe-2 (LJ-2) spacecraft. A U.S. Navy destroyer safely recovered Sam after he experienced three minutes of weightlessness during the flight More

Scale model of Mercury capsule shape B, indicating the position of the astronaut. Project Mercury: Before the configuration was finalized, this model depicted a proposal that was very close to the final design More

S62-06029 (20 Feb. 1962) --- View of Earth taken by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. during his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency's (ABMA) Development Operations Division, poses with the original Mercury astronauts in ABMA's Fabrication Laboratory during a 1959 visit. In More

(September 11, 1959) Mercury Capsule model in Spin Tunnel...Image # : L-1959-06212

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

(December 16, 1959) MASTIF - Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility - was developed for Project Mercury to train astronauts in gaining control over a spacecraft that could move in multiple directions at once More

S62-06020 (20 Feb. 1962) --- View of Earth taken by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. during his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

Sequence of events in a beach abort test of Mercury capsule with Recurit escape motor from launch to parachute opening. The capsule shape used was "D". NASA Identifier: L59-2768

(August 3, 1959) Project Mercury - Capsule #2. Capsule complete in Lewis Hangar near Cleveland, Ohio. Lewis is now known as the Glenn Research Center. ..Image # : C1959-51324

Launching of the Little Joe launch vehicle on November 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 LJ6 More

In this photo, Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency's (ABMA) Development Operations Division, is shown briefing the seven original Mercury astronauts in ABMA's Fabrication L More

S62-06009 (20 Feb. 1962) --- View of Earth taken by astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. during his Mercury Atlas 6 (MA-6) spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

(1959) One of three X-15 rocket-powered research aircraft being carried aloft under the wing of its B-52 mothership. The X-15 was air launched from the B-52 so the rocket plane would have enough fuel to reach i More

Project Mercury: M-1 model in the 11ft w.t. with engineer

In this photo, Director of the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency's (ABMA) Development Operations Division, Dr. Wernher von Braun, and Director of Missile Firing Division, Dr. Kurt Debus, are shown with unident More

Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-9 mission, boosted by the Mercury-Atlas launch vehicle, was the last flight o More

Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-8 (Mercury-Atlas) mission with Sigma 7 spacecraft was the third marned or More

The group portrait of the original seven astronauts for the Mercury Project. NASA selected its first seven astronauts on April 27, 1959. Left to right at front: Walter M. Wally Schirra, Donald K. Deke Slayton, More

Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MR-4 mission, boosted by the Mercury-Redstone vehicle, made the second marned More

Astronaut John H. Glenn, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. The MA-6 mission, boosted by the Mercury-Atlas vehicle, was the first manned orbital launch More

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) photographer Arthur Laufman sets up a camera to film a Mercury capsule that was constructed by the Lewis Research Center staff. Lewis engineers and mechanics More

B59-00570 (August 1959) --- Astronaut Scott Carpenter trains at the centrifuge procedures trainer at Wright Field, Johnsville, Pennsylvania, for project Mercury. Photo credit: NASA

A NASA mechanic secures the afterbody to a Mercury capsule in the hangar at the Lewis Research Center. The capsule was one of two built at Lewis for the “Big Joe” launches scheduled for September 1959. The init More

An Atlas launch vehicle carrying the Big Joe capsule leaves its launching pad on a 2,000-mile ballistic flight to the altitude of 100 miles. The Big Joe capsule is a boilerplate model of the marned orbital caps More

B59-00723 (1959) --- Close-up of astronaut M. Scott Carpenter, prime pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7) mission, during centrifuge training. (M-199) Photo credit: NASA

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

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) researchers install a small-scale model of the capsule for Project Mercury in the 1- by 1-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the Lewis Research Center. NASA Lewi More

This composite image includes a photograph of pilot Joe Algranti testing the Multi-Axis Space Test Inertia Facility (MASTIF) inside Altitude Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Lewis Research Center with other images designe More

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

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) pilot Joe Algranti tests the Multi-Axis Space Test Inertia Facility (MASTIF) inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel while researcher Robert Miller looks on. The MAS More

In this undated photograph, Dr. von Braun is shown during a visit to McDonnell Aircraft to inspect Mercury spacecraft manufacturing.

Description: (April 6, 1960) Jerrie Cobb, a well-known female pilot in the 1950s, testing Gimbal Rig in the Altitude Wind Tunnel, AWT in April 1960. The Gimbal Rig, formally called MASTIF or Multiple Axis Space More

(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

(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

A portrait of Sen. John Glenn and a memorial wreath stand at the Heroes and Legends exhibit hall at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex before a ceremony remembering the iconic astronaut who passed away De More

(1960) Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) pilot, wearing pressure suit with body parachute. Shepard was the first American to enter space...Image #: G60-02665

G60-02424 (1960) --- John H. Glenn Jr., one of the seven recently selected Mercury astronauts, participates in a suit-fitting session. Photo credit: NASA

(1960) Technicians working in the McDonnell White Room on the Mercury spacecraft...Image # : 60-M-17

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

The Retro and Posigrade Package for the Mercury spacecraft. This was used to de-orbit the spacecraft at the end of mission...Image # : C1960-54344

(July 29, 1960) The main objectives of Mercury Atlas-1's (MA-1) were to recover the capsule and test the integrity of the Mercury capsule structure and afterbody shingles. About one minute after liftoff MA-1 ex More

Former astronaut Bob Cabana, director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, speaks at the Heroes and Legends exhibit hall at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex during a ceremony remembering astronaut More

S88-31375 (1960) --- Although more easily recognized in their spacesuits, these seven men are actually NASA astronauts participating in a U.S. Air Force survival school at Stead Air Force Base in Nevada. The or More

G60-02665 (1960) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) pilot, wearing pressure suit with body parachute. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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

(September 16, 1960) The Retro and Posigrade Package for the Mercury spacecraft. This was used to de-orbit the spacecraft at the end of mission. ..Image # : C1960-54344

(1960) John H. Glenn, one of the Mercury Seven Astronauts, runs through a training exercise in the Mercury Procedures Trainer at the Space Task Group, Langley Field, Virginia. This Link-type spacecraft simulato More

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Retired space shuttle astronaut Dick Gordon is warmly greeted by spectators while sitting in a vintage Chevrolet Corvette after a commemorative parade in Cocoa Beach, Florida. A gro More

The launch of the Little Joe booster for the LJ1B mission on the launch pad from the wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, on January 21, 1960. This mission achieved the suborbital Mercury capsule More

The Little Joe launch vehicle for the LJ1 mission on the launch pad at the wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, on January 21, 1960. This mission achieved the suborbital Mercury cupsule test, test More

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

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

A Mercury capsule is mounted inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel for a test of its escape tower rockets at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. In October 1959 NASA’s Spac More

Jerrie Cobb prepares to operate the Multi-Axis Space Test Inertia Facility (MASTIF) inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. The MASTIF More

The Multi-Axis Space Test Inertial Facility (MASTIF) in the Altitude Wind Tunnel at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. Although the Mercury astronaut training and mi More