Mercury

Project Mercury Summary

Mercury Seven Memorial

Mercury Seven Memorial

In four years, eight months and one week, Project Mercury, the Nation’s first manned space flight program, earned a unique place in the annals of science and technology. Project Mercury took man beyond the atmosphere into orbit around the Earth. It confirmed the potential for man’s mobility in space and set the stage for Gemini to prove the needed capabilities for Apollo spacecraft, crew and ground flight controllers, engineers and technicians around the world to achieve the lunar landings and explore our neighbor the Moon. It took more than 2 million people from many major government agencies and much of the aerospace industry’s combined skills, initiative and experience. It was the nation’s effort. In this amazing short time frame, six manned space flights were accomplished as part of a 25-flight program. Much was learned on many levels; not the least of which was man’s capabilities in the space environment as well as his capabilities on Earth in training for the demanding flights. The foundations of flight operations and mission support were formulated during Project Mercury. The Apollo Mission Control Center represents the culmination of the dream that started with Project Mercury.

Project Mercury Unmanned Flights

Little Joe

Little Joe


Big Joe 1

Big Joe 1

LJ=Little Joe

MR=Mercury Redstone

MA=Mercury Atlas

Big Joe 1 9/9/59 Mercury Atlas Development flight
LJ-6 10/4/59 Aerodynamic, command and structural test
LJ-1A 11/4/59 Abort at maximum dynamic pressure and parachute test
LJ-2 12/4/59 Test of planned escape and effects on rhesus monkey
LJ-1B 1/21/60 Test of escape system and effects on rhesus monkey
Beach abort 5/9/60  Systems qualification test, landing, escape, post landing
MA-1 7/29/60 Maximum acceleration, maximum afterbody heating
MR-1 8/3/60 Failed on pad
LJ-5 11/8/60 Maximum dynamic pressure abort
MR-1A 12/19/60 Ballistic
MR-2 1/31/61 Ham primate
MA-2 2/21/61 Maximum acceleration, maximum afterbody heating
LJ-5A 3/18/61 Maximum dynamic pressure abort
MR-BD 3/24/61 Booster Development Flight
MA-3 4/25/61 Launched and aborted
LJ-5B 4/28/61 Maximum dynamic pressure abort
MA-4 9/13/61 Spacecraft refitted and flown into orbit.
MA-5 11/29/61 Enos primate-two orbits-reentered on ground command

Project Mercury Manned Flights

Mercury Mission Control room

Mercury Mission Control room


The Mercury 7 Astronauts

MR-3 5/5/61 First manned (Alan Shepard) Mercury Flight-suborbital
MR-4 7/21/61 Second manned (Gus Grissom) Mercury Flight-suborbital
MA-6 2/20/61 First manned (John Glenn) orbital flight-3 orbits
MA-7 5/24/62 Second manned (Scott Carpenter) orbital flight-3 orbits
MA-8 10/3/62 Third manned (Wally Schirra) orbital flight-6 orbits
MA-9 5/15/63 Fourth manned (Gordon Cooper) orbital flight-22 orbits
 
Project Mercury launch vehicles

Project Mercury launch vehicles