Mercury-Atlas 6
Videos
Mercury-Atlas 6 was the first crewed American orbital spaceflight, which took place on February 20, 1962. Piloted by astronaut John Glenn and operated by NASA as part of Project Mercury, it was the fi
Still frame of John Glenn in orbit, taken by a motion picture camera inside Friendship 7
Spacecraft name as painted on the capsule side
John Herschel Glenn Jr.Project Mercury Crewed missions← Mercury-Redstone 4Mercury-Atlas 7 →
Glenn entering Friendship 7
Project Mercury
Videos
Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and retur
Wallops Island test facility, 1961
Mercury Control Center, Cape Canaveral, 1963
Retropack: Retrorockets with red posigrade rockets
Landing skirt (or bag) deployment: skirt is inflated; on impact the air is pressed out (like an airbag)