Who was the astronaut onboard of Freedom 7?
Alan B. Shepard
Shepard. Sixty years ago, on May 5, 1961, a Redstone rocket hurled Alan Shepard’s Mercury capsule, Freedom 7, 116 miles (187 km) high and 302 miles (486 km) downrange from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
How many of the Mercury 7 went to space?
The Mercury Seven were the group of seven astronauts selected to fly spacecraft for Project Mercury. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1. Their names were publicly announced by NASA on April 9, 1959….
| Mercury Seven | |
|---|---|
| Number selected | 7 |
| 1962 → |
How much did Mercury 7 astronauts pay?
In exchange for this, Life agreed to obtain NASA’s approval before publishing images of and/or writings about the astronauts. And it agreed to pay for the privilege — a sum that reportedly amounted to, in 1959 currency, some $25,000 per astronaut, per year. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in today’s money.
Who were the 5 other astronauts that went into space with Project Mercury?
Astronauts
| Name | Rank | Born |
|---|---|---|
| Virgil I. Grissom | Captain | 1926 |
| Walter M. Schirra, Jr. | Lt Commander | 1923 |
| Alan B. Shepard, Jr. | Lt Commander | 1923 |
| Donald K. Slayton | Major | 1924 |
Who was the first Mercury astronaut in space?
On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space during a suborbital flight aboard his Mercury capsule named Freedom 7. Three weeks later, based on the success of Shepard’s brief flight, President John F.
How many of the original Mercury 7 astronauts walked on the Moon?
three members
In all, three members of the Mercury 7 also flew in the Gemini program and three were part of Apollo missions, with Shepard setting foot on the moon. Glenn’s return to space came 36 years after his first flight.
How many of the original 7 astronauts walked on the Moon?
Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were the first of 12 human beings who walked on the Moon. Four of America’s moonwalkers are still alive: Aldrin (Apollo 11), David Scott (Apollo 15), Charles Duke (Apollo 16), and Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17).
How much money did Life magazine pay the Mercury astronauts?
In the show, the astronauts were each given $25,000 a year by LIFE magazine to give the outlet exclusive coverage of their work and family lives. That’s 100% real, with Space.com reporting that the LIFE contract with NASA totaled $500,000, which would be about $4.3 million today.
Who are the Mercury 7 astronauts that went to space?
The Mercury 7 Astronauts: NASA’s First Space Travelers. 1 Deke Slayton. NASA. 2 Gordon Cooper. 3 Wally Schirra. 4 Scott Carpenter. 5 John Glenn.
What was the date of the Freedom 7 launch?
On the morning of May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard crawled into the cramped Mercury capsule, “Freedom 7,” at Launch Complex 5 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The slender, 82-foot-tall Mercury-Redstone rocket rose from the launch pad at 9:34 a.m. EST, sending Shepard on a remarkably successful, 15-minute suborbital flight.
Who are the members of the Mercury 7?
Image right: In 2002, Mercury 7 Astronauts (from left) Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter were among space pioneers honored during the 40th anniversary celebration of American space flight at the Kennedy Space Center.
Why was the Freedom 7 called Freedom 7?
Shepard named his space capsule Freedom 7, setting a precedent for the remaining six Mercury astronauts naming their spacecraft. The number 7 was included in all the crewed Mercury spacecraft names to honor NASA’s first group of seven astronauts.