Near Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Complex 14
Photographed By Jamie Cox, August 2, 2012
1. Complex 14 Marker
The marker includes an equation for orbital velocity.
Vc = Ro √(g/Ro+h) " one of the most complex tasks ever presented to man in this country -- the achievement of manned flight in orbit around the earth." - John F. Kennedy Thirty-Fifth President of the United States
This marker commemorates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Project Mercury, which first put free men into space. The four manned orbital capsules were boosted into space by Atlas rockets, which were launched by the United States Air Force from Complex 14, located 2200 feet east of here at 28° 29' 27.1426" North Latitude and 80° 32' 49.6107" West Longitude. Contained in a capsule herein to be opened in the year 2464 A.D., are technical reports of these flights.
Dedicated 1964 A.D., to the thousands of men and women of the free world who contributed to the success of Project Mercury.
"Si Monumentum Requiris Circumspice" Anon.
Erected as a public service by General Dynamics Corporation
Erected 1964 by General Dynamics Corporation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space
this page online
Location. 28° 29.451′ N, 80° 33.215′ W. Marker is near Cape Canaveral, Florida, in Brevard County. Marker is on ICBM Road, on the right when traveling north. This marker is on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is not open to public traffic. The most likely way to visit this marker is via the Kennedy Space Center bus tour from the visitor's center. You'll have to pay the general admission to the visitor's center. There is more than one bus tour available. To see this marker, be sure to take the bus tour for the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Again, this site is not open to the public except for these tour groups. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cape Canaveral FL 32920, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cape Canaveral's Native Americans (approx. 2.2 miles away); Launch Complex 34 (approx. 2.2 miles away); Cape Canaveral Lighthouse (approx. 2.2 miles away); Early Cape Life (approx. 2.2 miles away); Cape Canaveral Light Station (approx. 2.2 miles away); a different marker also named Cape Canaveral Lighthouse (approx. 2.3 miles away); Mission (Mercury) Control Center
Photographed By Jamie Cox, August 2, 2012
2. Complex 14 Monument
Additional commentary.
1. "Si Monumentum Requiris Circumspice"
The latin inscription on the marker means "if you seek [a] monument, look around". The phrase is generally used to describe a legacy - and can be taken to mean that what we leave behind best represents our life.
It took 35 years to complete London's magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral. When its architect, Sir Christopher Wren, died twelve years later in 1723, he was entombed inside, under a simple slab of black marble. Wren's son placed a dedication nearby, which contains the words "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice" ("Reader, if you seek a monument, look around you"). Adapted from Merriam-Webters's Dictionary
— Submitted July 27, 2017, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.
Additional keywords. John Glenn Astronaut
Photographed By NASA , circa 1967
3. Mercury Monument at Sunrise
The marker and monument when they were new.
Photographed By Jamie Cox, August 2, 2012
4. Complex 14 Sign
MANNED ORBITAL FLIGHTS
---by---
Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr., USMC, 20 Feb. 1962
LCDR Scott Carpenter, USN, 24 May 1962
LCDR, Walter M. Schirra Jr., USN, 3 Oct 1962
MAJ. L. Gordon Cooper, USAF, 15 May 1963
Credits. This page was last revised on March 12, 2018. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2013, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 756 times since then and 45 times this year. Last updated on November 4, 2013, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 26, 2013, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 3. submitted on June 11, 2013, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 4. submitted on April 26, 2013, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
