Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

National Air and Space Museum

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Object Details

Astronaut
John H. Glenn, Jr.
Manufacturer
McDonnell Aircraft Corp.
Summary
In this historic capsule, John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn's flight was the third manned mission of Project Mercury, following two suborbital flights by astronauts in 1961. Glenn's three-orbit mission on February 20, 1962, was a sterling success, as he overcame problems with the automatic control system that would have ended an unmanned flight. But reentry was tense, as a faulty telemetry signal from the spacecraft indicated that the heat shield might be loose. Mission Control instructed Glenn not to jettison the retrorocket package after firing in order to better hold the heat shield in place. Glenn reentered successfully and splashed down in the Atlantic 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds after launch.
NASA transferred Friendship 7 to the Smithsonian Institution in 1963, which has exhibited it in buildings on the National Mall ever since.
Alternate Name
Mercury Friendship 7
Key Accomplishment(s)
Carried First American into Orbit
Impact or Innovation
By orbiting the Earth, John Glenn showed that the United States could compete with the Soviet Union in the Cold War space race.
Brief Description
On February 20, 1962, NASA astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in this spacecraft which he named Friendship 7. Glenn returned to a hero's welcome, having completed three orbits and matching the Soviet Union's achievements.
Credit Line
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Inventory Number
A19670176000
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
SPACECRAFT-Crewed
Materials
Skin & Structure: Titanium
Heat shield: Phenolic resin, fiberglass
Shingles: Nickel-steel alloy; beryllium shingles removed
Dimensions
Overall: 190.5 × 226.1cm, 875.4kg (6 ft. 3 in. × 7 ft. 5 in., 1930lb.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
Exhibit Station
Human Spaceflight
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A19670176000
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv97a782c5e-5640-4e03-bc50-881fc0b5262a
Diagonal side view of the black, bell-shaped space capsule. Green control panel visible inside.
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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Diagonal side view of the black, bell-shaped space capsule. Green control panel visible inside.
View of the bottom of the gray space capsule. There is visible whitish scoring on the metal.
View of the space capsule's top. An interior view shows green struts, a series of gray concentric circles, and pipes and wiring.
Two black, bell-shaped space capsules side by side.
Cockpit of the Mercury Friendship 7
Metal, bell-shaped capsule with opened hatchway, set against space backdrop.
Front view of a black, bell-shaped space capsule with a green control panel inside.
Side view of the black, bell-shaped space capsule held up by gray struts. UNITED STATES is on the side in white lettering.
Side view of the black, bell-shaped space capsule held up by gray struts. UNITED STATES is on the side in white lettering.
View of the space capsule's top. An interior view shows green struts, a series of gray concentric circles, and pipes and wiring.
Angled view of the front of the black bell-shaped space capsule. Green metal surrounding a black strut.
Side view of the black, bell-shaped space capsule held up by gray struts. UNITED STATES is on the side in white lettering.View of the inside through opened side hatch.