Mercury Capsule #15B Freedom 7 II
This Mercury capsule is the one of only two left showing the complete one-man spacecraft in its original form. The first American in space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., hoped to fly this Mercury capsule on an orbital mission called Mercury-Atlas 10 (MA-10). After the success of MA-9, NASA decided to cancel MA-10 to concentrate on its next project, Gemini.
The objective of the Mercury missions included placing a man in earth orbit and investigating human performance capabilities in space.
Spacecraft location in the Museum
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The Mercury Capsule #15B Freedom 7 II is in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar in the Human Space Flight display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. More details about the capsule are located on its label, which is on the main floor in the Space Hangar.
Additional information
The video to the left features footage from Alan Shephard's flight in the Freedom 7, the first capsule he flew in when he became the first American in space.
Did this Mercury capsule ever travel to into orbit?
No, this capsule was for the MA-10 orbital mission, to be flown by Alan B. Shepard. NASA canceled the MA-10 mission after the success of MA-9.
Who was Alan B. Shepard and what is the name Freedom 7 II in reference to?
Alan B. Shepard was the first American in space. He had the name Freedom 7 II, in tribute to his historic 1961 capsule, Freedom 7, painted on the spacecraft. The original Freedom 7 was the capsule he flew in on May 5, 1961 to become the first American space. That flight was a 15-minute sub-orbital flight. The Freedom 7 is on display at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts
Mercury Capsule Nose
The Mercury Capsule 15B includes the nose section containing the parachutes for the capsule’s return to Earth.
Mercury Capsule Retrorocket
The Mercury Capsule 15B includes the silver and black retrorocket package used to slow the capsule for return to Earth.