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

This is a 1:48 scale model of the Mercury-Redstone, the launch vehicle for Project Mercury's suborbital missions. The Army's Redstone medium-range ballistic missile was selected in 1958 as the launch vehicle for these flights. It was modified in several respects and was designated the Mercury-Redstone. After several launches of unmanned Mercury spacecraft, the rocket launched America's first astronaut in space on May 5, 1961. Alan Shepard, Jr., and the Freedom 7 capsule were lifted to a height of nearly 140 miles and a range of almost 600 miles in a flight lasting a little less than 16 minutes. The rocket was used once more on July 21, 1961, when it launched Virgil Grissom on another suborbital flight. The model was built by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, which transferred it to NASM in 1971.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Destination Moon at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Destination Moon
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type MODELS-Missiles & Rockets Manufacturer NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
 Dimensions 3-D (Rocket, Overall): 8.3 × 8.3 × 53.3cm (3 1/4 in. × 3 1/4 in. × 1 ft. 9 in.)
3-D (Figure): 4.4 × 1.3 × 0.3cm (1 3/4 × 1/2 × 1/8 in.)
 Materials Plastic
Paint
Non-Magnetic Metal Alloy
Ferrous Alloy
 Inventory Number A19720995000 Credit Line Gift of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.