Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Mercury capsule #17 was the seventheenth of twenty spacecraft built for the first American human spaceflight project, which aimed to put a man in orbit. Between 1961 and 1963, six Mercury astronauts were launched on suborbital and orbital missions. Capsule #17 was sent to Cape Canaveral on April 18, 1963, as a possible source of spare parts for Gordon Cooper's Faith 7 spacecraft (#20), which was launched on the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) thirty-four hour orbital mission in May. Spacecraft #17 was also held in reserve for a second long-duration mission, MA-10, which was not flown.

In early 1968, NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) gave this capsule to the Smithsonian.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type SPACECRAFT-Crewed Manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corp.
 Dimensions Overall: 112 x 73in. (284.5 x 185.4cm)
 Materials HAZMAT: Beryllium
Skin & Structure: Titanium
Shingles: Nickel-steel alloy; Beryllium shingles removed
Ablation Shield: Glass fibers, resin
Skin: Titanium
Shingles: Nickel-steel alloy; Beryllium shingles removed
Ablation Shield: Glass fibers, resin
 Inventory Number A19680570000 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.