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Project Mercury was the first U.S. program to put humans in space, there were 25 flights, six of which carried human astronauts between 1961 and 1963.
The first Mercury "astronaut" was Sam, a rhesus monkey, launched on 4 December 1959. Sam's job was to test the Launch Escape System (LES) which would eject an astronaut from the rocket in case of emergency. Sam successfully tested the LES and safely made his way back down to the Earth and into NASA's arms.
This led to the human astronauts selected for this program, who were called the Mercury 7.
Project Mercury (1958-1963) goals:
To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth
To investigate man's ability to function in space
To recover both man and spacecraft safely
Additional Information:
Additional Information:
NASA's Guide to Project Mercury
Pressure Suit, Mercury, Alan Shepard. MR-3 Flown
Pressure Suit, Mercury, Alan Shepard. MR-3 Flown
Click here to learn about the first astronaut in space and the suit he wore to protect him.
Pressure Suit, Mercury, John Glenn, Friendship 7, Flown
Pressure Suit, Mercury, John Glenn, Friendship 7, Flown
Click here to learn about the John Glenn's pressure suit
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