In this historic capsule, John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn's flight was the third manned mission of Project Mercury, following two suborbital flights by astronauts in 1961. Highlighted in this image is the cockpit of the Mercury Friendship 7. Created by Dane Penland Date Created 04/12/2016 Source Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Keywords Astronauts; Capsules; Human Spaceflight; Mercury Program; Missions; People; Records & Firsts; Space; Spacecraft Rights and Restrictions CC0
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