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This attitude control system thruster for the Mercury spacecraft was built by the Bell Aircraft Corporation. It provided attitude control and stabilization for the spacecraft during the Earth orbital and reentry phases of its mission. The single propellant was hydrogen peroxide released as a gas in small pulses as needed. There were two separate systems, one for manual control by the astronaut and the other for automatic control.

The manual thrust chambers were throttleable using a hand controller operated by the astronaut. The chambers were also known as the pitch, yaw, and roll control jets, or pitch, yaw, and roll thrusters. This object was donated to the Smithsonian in 1972 by the NASA Johnson Space Flight Center.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Rockets & Missiles at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

Rockets & Missiles
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type PROPULSION-Rocket Engines Manufacturer Bell Aircraft Corp.
 Dimensions Overall: 3 in. wide x 6 in. deep (7.6 x 15.2cm)
 Materials Mainly stainless steel; plastic nozzle protective plug (removeable) inserted into nozzle.
 Inventory Number A19721138009 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.