Ham, a three-year-old chimpanzee in the spacesuit he would wear for the second Mercury- Redstone (MR…

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. awaits liftoff in the Freedom 7 Mercury spacecraft on May 5, 1961. Th…

Alan B. Shepard, Jr., America's first astronaut, stands in front of the Freedom 7 spacecraft shortly…

This photo depicts the recovery operations of the MR-3 mission. Astronaut Alan Shepard was picked up…

The launch of the Mercury Atlas (MA-2), an unmarned suborbital Mercury capsule test on February 24, …

An Atlas launch vehicle carrying the Big Joe capsule leaves its launching pad on a 2,000-mile ballis…

This photo depicts the recovery of the Freedom 7 (MR-3) capsule by a U.S. Marine helicopter. The MR-…

U.S. Marine helicopter pulls Astronaut Virgil Grissom from the sea after splashdown at the completio…

Astronaut Virgil Grissom walks on the recovery ship after completing the 15-1/2-minute suborbital MR…

Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected…

Astronaut Scott Carpenter, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA…

Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project select…

Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected b…

Astronaut Donald "Deke" Slayton, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected b…

A three-year-old chimpanzee, named Ham, in the biopack couch for the MR-2 suborbital test flight. On…

The Redstone Test Stand was used during the 1950s in early development of the Redstone missile propu…

Installation of a Mercury capsule and escape system on top of a booster prior to test firing of the …

This photograph depicts installation of the Mercury capsule and escape system on top of a booster pr…

Astronaut Virgil Gus Grissom awaits America's second marned space mission, Mercury-Redstone 4 (MR-4)…

U.S. Marine helicopter attempts to retrieve the sinking capsule, Liberty Bell 7, of the MR-4 mission…

The launch of the Little Joe booster for the LJ1B mission on the launch pad from the wallops Flight …

The Little Joe launch vehicle for the LJ1 mission on the launch pad at the wallops Flight Facility, …

The original seven astronauts for the Mercury Project pose in front of an Air Force Jet. From left t…

Astronaut John H. Glenn, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA o…