Of the original seven, only Mr. Slayton never got a Mercury flight.

John Glenn became the first American to reach orbit on February 20, 1962, during the third manned Mercury flight.

Three more Mercury orbital flights were made, ending in 1963.

The spacecraft and booster were almost identical to those used on the two preceding Mercury orbital flights.

On early Mercury flights, a helicopter attached a cable to the capsule, lifted it from the water and delivered it to a nearby ship.

He continued in this role for the remaining two Mercury flights and the first three Gemini flights.

He sought to fly in the Gemini project, which followed the pioneering Mercury flights of the first astronauts.

The Atlas was also used for one Mercury flight under the Big Joe subprogram.

This section of the museum houses dedications to the space program and covers the period from the Mercury flights to the Space Shuttle.

This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit.

Of the original seven, only Mr. Slayton never got a Mercury flight.

John Glenn became the first American to reach orbit on February 20, 1962, during the third manned Mercury flight.

Three more Mercury orbital flights were made, ending in 1963.

The spacecraft and booster were almost identical to those used on the two preceding Mercury orbital flights.

On early Mercury flights, a helicopter attached a cable to the capsule, lifted it from the water and delivered it to a nearby ship.

He continued in this role for the remaining two Mercury flights and the first three Gemini flights.

He sought to fly in the Gemini project, which followed the pioneering Mercury flights of the first astronauts.

The Atlas was also used for one Mercury flight under the Big Joe subprogram.

This section of the museum houses dedications to the space program and covers the period from the Mercury flights to the Space Shuttle.

This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit.