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Mercury Program

Zach Will Pd. 3. Mercury Program. Missions. Astronauts. Space Craft. Sources. Launch Site. Astronauts. John Glenn – First American to orbit the earth Alan Shepard - First American to make a suborbital flight into space.

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Mercury Program

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  1. Zach Will Pd. 3 Mercury Program Missions Astronauts Space Craft Sources Launch Site

  2. Astronauts • John Glenn – First American to orbit the earth • Alan Shepard - First American to make a suborbital flight into space. • Virgil Grissom - Second suborbital flight. Spacecraft sank before recovery when hatch unexpectedly blew off. • There was a total of seven but these are the three that made historic firsts. • NASA also used chimpanzees in the Mercury Program Ham the chimp

  3. Alan Shepard • Born November 18, 1923 • Went into space 2 times • Was a test pilot prior to being an astronaut • Commanded the Mercury 3 mission • In the Apollo program was involved in the third lunar landing

  4. John Glenn • Born July 18, 1921 • Was the first American to orbit the earth • Commanded the Mercury 6 mission • Was the Ohio senator from 1974 – 1999 • Went into space for a second time at age 77 and still holds the record for oldest man in space

  5. Missions • Total of 29 missions • First twenty were unmanned • The last nine were manned and three were canceled • Most important Missions • Mercury - Redstone 3 – Alan Shepard made the first suborbital flight for America May 5, 1961 • Mercury-Atlas 6 – John Glenn completed the first American orbit in space. February 20, 1962

  6. Spacecraft • Rockets • Redstone – 83 ft. • Rocket used in the beginning of the program • Atlas – 82 ft. • Rocket used later in the program • Mercury Capsule • One crew member • 1.7 cubic feet of habitable volume • Over 120 controls • Escape system in event of rocket failure

  7. Launch Site • Kennedy Space Center • Cape Canaveral, Florida • Has been the main launch site since 1968 • Opened early in 1961 • Replaced a launch site in Alabama • Is now a popular tourist destination Rocket Launch Video

  8. Sources • Mercury Program. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mercury.htm>. • NASA - Home. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://www.nasa.gov/>. • Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma in_Page>.

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