Mercury-Redstone 3Mercury-Redstone 3, or Freedom 7, was the first United States human spaceflight, on May 5, 1961, piloted by astronautAlan Shepard. It was the first crewed flight of Project Mercury. The project had the ultimate objective of putting an astronaut into orbit around the Earth and returning him safely. Shepard's mission was a 15-minute suborbital flight with the primary objective of demonstrating his ability to withstand the high g-forces of launch and atmospheric re-entry.
Project MercuryInitial American crewed spaceflight program (1958–1963)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 return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Union.
John GlennAmerican astronaut and politician (1921–2016)Personal detailsBornJohn Herschel Glenn Jr.(1921-07-18)July 18, 1921Cambridge, Ohio, U.S.DiedDecember 8, 2016(2016-12-08) (aged 95)Columbus, Ohio, U.S.Resting placeArlington National CemeteryPartyDemocraticSpouseAnnie Castor (m. 1943)Children2EducationMuskingum University (BS)Civilian awardsCongressional Gold MedalPresidential Medal of FreedomCongressional Space Medal of HonorNASA Distinguished Service MedalSignatureMilitary serviceBranch/serviceUnited States NavyUnited States Marine CorpsYears of service1941–1965RankColonelBattles/warsWorld War IIKorean WarMilitary awardsDistinguished Flying Cross (6)Air Medal (18)Space careerNASA astronautTime in space4h 55m 23sSelectionNASA Group 1 (1959)MissionMercury-Atlas 6Mission insigniaRetiredJanuary 16, 1964Space careerNASA payload specialistTime in space8d 21h 43mMissionSTS-95Mission insigniaJohn Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician.
Mercury-Redstone 4Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United Stateshuman spaceflight, on July 21, 1961. The suborbitalProject Mercury flight was launched with a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, MRLV-8. The spacecraft, Mercury capsule #11, was nicknamed Liberty Bell 7. It was piloted by astronautVirgil "Gus" Grissom.
Human spaceflightSpaceflight with a crew or passengers Part of a series onSpaceflight History History of spaceflight Space Race Timeline of spaceflight Space probes Lunar missions Mars missions Applications Communications Earth observation Exploration Espionage Military Navigation Colonization Habitation Exploration Telescopes Tourism Spacecraft Robotic spacecraft Satellite Space probe Cargo spacecraft Crewed spacecraft Apollo Lunar Module Space capsules Space Shuttle Space stations Spaceplanes Vostok Space launch Spaceport Launch pad Expendable and reusable launch vehicles Escape velocity Non-rocket spacelaunch Spaceflight types Sub-orbital Orbital Interplanetary Interstellar Intergalactic List of space organizations Space agencies Space forces Companies Spaceflight portalvte Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, 1969Gemini 4 astronaut Ed White in open space, 1965Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide taking a space selfie in 2012 Human spaceflight (also referred to as crewed spaceflight, and historically as manned spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard crew.
Atlas LV-3BThe Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-ratedexpendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
Vostok 2Vostok 2 (Russian: Восток-2, lit.'Orient 2' or 'East 2') was a Soviet space mission which carried cosmonautGherman Titov into orbit for a full day on August 6, 1961, to study the effects of a more prolonged period of weightlessness on the human body.
Sub-orbital spaceflightA sub-orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which the vehicle reaches outer space, but its trajectory intersects the surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched. Hence, it will not complete one orbital revolution, will not become an artificial satellite nor will it reach escape velocity.
Orbital spaceflightAn orbital spaceflight (or orbital flight) is a spaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory where it could remain in space for at least one orbit. To do this around the Earth, it must be on a free trajectory which has an altitude at perigee (altitude at closest approach) around 80 kilometers (50 mi); this is the boundary of space as defined by NASA, the US Air Force and the FAA.
NASAAmerican space and aeronautics agencyThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program, as well as research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the US and is organized into three mission directorates: Human Spaceflight, Research and Technology, and Science.
Vostok 1Vostok 1 (Russian: Восток, lit. 'East' or 'Orient') was the first spaceflight of the Vostok programme and the first human orbital spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA space capsule was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 12 April 1961, with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard, making him the first human to reach orbital velocity around the Earth and to complete a full orbit around the Earth.
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from its formation in 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, the largest by area, and bordered twelve other countries.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.