Mercury-Atlas 7

Crew

Scott Carpenter

Pilot

Status: Deceased
5/1/1925 - 10/10/2013
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 5/24/1962
Last Flight: 5/24/1962

Malcolm Scott Carpenter, was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959. Carpenter was the second American (after John Glenn) to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space, following Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and Glenn.

Mission

Mercury-Atlas 7

Type: Human Exploration

Mercury-Atlas 7 was the fourth crewed spaceflight for the United States. The spacecraft, named Aurora 7, carried the astronaut Scott Carpenter to orbit where it completed three orbits before returning to Earth. The mission lasted for 4 hours, 56 minutes & 5 seconds. Due to a targeting error during reentry the spacecraft splashed about 400 km off-course delaying the recovery efforts.

Location

Space Launch Complex 14

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

221 rockets have launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, USA.

Rocket

Atlas

Length: 28.7 meters
Diameter: 3 meters
First Launch: July 29, 1960

The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.

The Atlas rocket has been launched a total of 7 times with 6 successful and 1 failed launches.

Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Type: Government
Abbreviation: NASA
Administration: Administrator: Bill Nelson
Founded: 1958
Launchers: Space Shuttle | SLS
Spacecraft: Orion
Country: USA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.