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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
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For now the mighty Saturn V stood empty. But overnight, even while Borman’s crew slept, technicians would ready it for departure. By morning its enormous fuel thanks would be filled with cryogenic propellants, until the rocket would contain the explosive energy of an atomic bomb.
Lunar mission profile
Apollo 8 crew on the way to the pad 39A
Aerial view of Apollo 8
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The successful Apollo 7 flight cleared the way for a US moon landing in 1969. Still a lot of flight and ground testing remained and there would probably be surprises. The greatest concern was Nasa had to complete three virtually flawless missions and achieve every major test objective before a lunar landing could be attempted. The odds seemed to be stack against NASA.
Apollo 8 Crew
Jim Lovell (Shaky)
The Lovell family watch launch of Apollo 8
