Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Mercury-Redstone: Putting the First Americans in Space
By J. Makali Bruton, October 5, 2019
1. Mercury-Redstone: Putting the First Americans in Space Marker
Mercury-Redstone: Putting the First Americans in Space
Mercury capsules were small, one-man spacecraft. The Mercury-Redstone rocket was designed to propel these capsules and the first American astronauts into space during Project Mercury.
The Mercury-Redstone rocket launched six suborbital Mercury flights in 1960 to 1961. Two of these flights were un-manned tests, one flight carried Ham, the chimpanzee. Two Mercury-Redstone flights made history when they took the first and second Americans into space.
Alan Shepard, the first American in space, is pictured above in his Mercury Freedom 7 capsule. NASA's first two manned flights were suborbital. Orbital flights were launched by the Mercury-Atlas rocket.
The Mercury Faith 7 capsule that flew 22 orbits around Earth in 1963 is on display at Space Center Houston
Two astronauts launched into space on Mercury-Redstone rockets:
Alan Shepard May 5, 1961
Gus Grissom July 21, 1961
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space.
Location. 29° 33.271′ N, 95°
By Michael Herrick, March 31, 2017
2. The previous Mercury-Redstone Marker
This previous marker read:
A one-man spacecraft-booster combination like this one propelled the first two American astronauts (Al Shepard and Gus Grissom) into Space in May and July of 1961. Al Shepard's spacecraft reached an altitude of 101 nautical miles in a ballistic arc above the Earth. The flight lasted about 15-1/2 minutes and Shepard was weightless for over five minutes. The vehicle reached a velocity of over 5,000 miles per hour and landed 236 miles downrange. At liftoff, the vehicle weighed about 66,000 pounds. Propellants included ethyl alcohol, water, and liquid oxygen. A single A-7 engine powered the vehicle into space.
A one-man spacecraft-booster combination like this one propelled the first two American astronauts (Al Shepard and Gus Grissom) into Space in May and July of 1961. Al Shepard's spacecraft reached an altitude of 101 nautical miles in a ballistic arc above the Earth. The flight lasted about 15-1/2 minutes and Shepard was weightless for over five minutes. The vehicle reached a velocity of over 5,000 miles per hour and landed 236 miles downrange. At liftoff, the vehicle weighed about 66,000 pounds. Propellants included ethyl alcohol, water, and liquid oxygen. A single A-7 engine powered the vehicle into space.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. F-1 Engine: Power for the Rocket (here, next to this marker); J-2 Engine: Versatile Sidekick (here, next to this marker); H-1 Engine: A Powerful Start (a few steps from this marker); Little Joe II (a few steps from this marker); Little Joe II and BP-22: Safety First (a few steps from this marker); Saturn V Rocket (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (about 500 feet away); Apollo Mission Control Center (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
More about this marker. This marker is in Rocket Park on the grounds of the Johnson Space Center. Rocket Park and thus this marker are not readily open to the public. Access is by way of Space Center Houston (entertainment center) which is pricey. There's a fee to get in, and another fee to take a tram ride through the Space Center where the Rocket Park is a stop.
Also see . . . NASA Johnson Space Flight Center. (Submitted on April 12, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
By Michael Herrick, March 31, 2017
3. Mercury-Redstone Rocket
By J. Makali Bruton, October 5, 2019
4. Mercury-Redstone: Putting the First Americans in Space Marker
Note the marker on the rocket's base in this view.
By J. Makali Bruton, October 5, 2019
5. The Mercury Faith 7 (MA-9) capsule at NASA Johnson Space Center
Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2017, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. This page has been viewed 303 times since then and 2 times this year. Last updated on December 22, 2020, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. Photos: 1. submitted on October 17, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Querétaro, Mexico. 2, 3. submitted on April 12, 2017, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. 4, 5. submitted on October 17, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Querétaro, Mexico. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
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