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On September 9, 1959, NASA launched this unoccupied Mercury spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a suborbital flight that lasted 13 minutes. Its launch was the second in the Mercury program and the first using an Atlas booster. The flight helped NASA evaluate the booster, the new ablative heat shield, the capsule's flight dynamics and aerodynamic shape, and spacecraft recovery systems and procedures.

The heavily instrumented "Big Joe" was the most massive American spacecraft launched up to that time. It weighed about as much as a manned version would, and its success paved the way for the beginning of manned Mercury launches in 1961.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Human Spaceflight at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

Human Spaceflight
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Test Vehicles Manufacturer NASA - Langley Research Center
NASA, Lewis Research Center
 Dimensions Overall: 9 ft. 4 in. tall x 6 ft. 1 in. wide, 2555 lb. (284.5 x 185.4cm, 1158.9kg)
 Materials Structure: Inconel alloy; Heatshield: Phenolic Fiberglass
Heatshield: phenolic resins, fiberglass
 Alternate Name Mercury Capsule Inventory Number A19680244000 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Open Access (CCO)
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