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Project Mercury: Photos of NASA's 1st Crewed Spaceflights

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Launch of Friendship 7

NASA

This image shows the launch of Friendship 7, the first American manned orbital space flight. With astronaut John Glenn aboard, the Mercury-Atlas rocket is launched from Pad 14, February 20, 1962.

Astronaut John Glenn During His First Orbit in Friendship 7

NASA

A weightless applesauce tube floats free following a snack by astronaut John Glenn in the course of his first orbit during the Mercury "Friendship 7" mission on February 20, 1962.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter Inserted into Aurora 7 Spacecraft

NASA

Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter is inserted inside his Aurora 7 spacecraft, before the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. Photo taken May 24, 1962.

Launch of the Mercury-Atlas 7 Mission

NASA

The Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7), carrying Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter, was launched by NASA from Pad 14, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 24, 1962.

Original Mercury Astronaut Wally Schirra

NASA

Walter Wally Schirra poses in his Mercury pressure suit with a model of the Mercury spacecraft behind him.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter Recovered after MA-7 Flight

NASA

Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter, prime pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7) mission, is seen being recovered from Atlantic Ocean after MA-7 flight. A diver helps Carpenter into a life raft while the capsule floats nearby. Photo taken July 10, 1962

Historic Mercury Launch Pad Reimagined As Classroom

NASA

This aerial view of Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) at Cape Canaveral was taken in 1963. Project Mercury Rising proposes to restore and revive LC-14 as a classroom.

Walter Schirra

NASA

Pictured is astronaut Walter M. Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. Schirra's Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, during which he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft, was the third manned orbital flight by the United States.

Cece Bibby with Wally Schirra

NASA

Graphic artist Cece Bibby with Wally Schirra, as she applies the Sigma 7 logo to his Mercury spacecraft.

Launch of the Mercury-Atlas 8 Mission

NASA

Launch of the Mercury-Atlas 8 "Sigma 7" mission, bearing astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr.

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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