Space History Photo: Mercury On Deck

The crew of the U.S.S. Kearsarge spell out the words "Mercury 9" on the deck in 1963. (Image credit: NASA.)

In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, the crew of the U.S.S. Kearsarge spell out the words "Mercury 9" on the ship's flight deck while on the way to the recovery area where astronaut Gordon Cooper is expected to splash down in his "Faith 7" Mercury space capsule.

Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight through photos (archive).

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the U.S. government agency in charge of the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Founded in 1958, NASA is a civilian space agency aimed at exploring the universe with space telescopes, satellites, robotic spacecraft, astronauts and more. The space agency has 10 major centers based across the U.S. and launches robotic and crewed missions from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral Florida. It's astronaut corps is based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. To follow NASA's latest mission, follow the space agency on Twitter or any other social channel, of visit: nasa.gov.

More about spaceflight

See photos snapped in space by Europe's 1st private reentry capsule

Pine Barrens ablaze as seen from orbit | Space photo of the day for April 28, 2025

Cyclones on Jupiter and a moon with flowing magma: NASA Juno probe's latest discoveries are awesome

See more latest

Get the Space.com Newsletter