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During the summer of 1962 final preparations were underway for the first U.S. attempt to reach another planet. The planet was Venus, Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. This first flight would be accomplished by the JPL built Mariner 2 spacecraft…
Diagram of Mariner
Mainer 2 Launch
Mariner 2
Rose Parade Float
By Dave
Relay 1
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After Scott Carpenter’s science heavy Mercury-Atlas 7 flight, Nasa’s next mission would concentrate on the technical and engineering aspects of space travel. Mercury Atlas 8 became the third manned orbital flight of the Mercury program. The pilot selected was Walter M. Schirra, Jr., but most people called him Wally…
Mission Logo
Wally Schirra
Sigma 7
Lift-off
Splash Down
Recovery
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Mercury Control was still undecided on the course of action to take with the heat shield problem. Some controllers thought the retrorocket pack should be jettisoned after retrofire, while other controllers thought the retro pack should be retained, as added assurance that the heat shield would stay in place…
Watching the Mission
Splashdown
![mercury-flight-25[3]](https://i0.wp.com/www.spacerockethistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/mercury-flight-253.jpg?ssl=1)
The Mercury 7
![mercury-flight-26[3]](https://i0.wp.com/www.spacerockethistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/mercury-flight-263.jpg?ssl=1)
Glenn and JFK
![mercury-flight-27[3]](https://i0.wp.com/www.spacerockethistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/mercury-flight-273.jpg?ssl=1)
NYC Parade
Friendship 7
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“I am in a big mass of some very small particles, they’re brilliantly lit up like they’re luminescent. I never saw anything like it! They round a little: they’re coming by the capsule and they look like little stars. A whole shower of them coming by. They swirl around the capsule and go in front of the window and they’re all brilliantly lighted.” John Glenn – Friendship 7
John Glenn
Glenn Enters
Launch
Glenn in Space
View from Capsule
By Dave
