The Mercury capsule was the first American manned spacecraft. It was designed to only hold a crew of one, and had a life expectancy of only 1.5 days. The capsule was 4 meters long and had a diameter of 1.9 meters. The spacecraft’s total mass was 1, 355 kilograms, not counting the astronaut. It main electrical system was batteries. McDonnell received the contract to build the capsule with the understanding that it be as small as possible to match the payload capability of the Atlas rocket. The resulting design was less than a third of the weight of the Soviet Vostok spacecraft, and more limited as a result. The Vostok was designed to survive in space up to week. The Mercury capsule was designed for only a day in space, evident of the barely completed 24 hour Mercury mission of Gordon Cooper. Each capsule was named by the astronaut and ended with a 7 to honor the teamwork of the seven original astronauts.
The Atlas D rocket used to launch the first Americans into orbit was the first ICBM developed by the United States. The first Atlas launched in 1959 and over the years several models were used. The Atlas rocket ended its use in 1967 with a success launch rate of 65.38%. The Atlas could carry a 1, 355 kilogram payload up to a 185 kilometer orbit. Its liftoff thrust was 161,850 kgf, and its total mass was 117,730 kilograms. The rocket length was 25 meters with a diameter of 3.1 meters. The Atlas D was a single engine rocket.
The official Mercury Program portrait of John Glenn.
Click the Space Shuttle to return home.