Mercury Three — “Freedom 7”

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First U.S. suborbital manned space flight. After reaching peak altitude of 116 miles and a velocity of 5,180 mph, the Mercury capsule landed in the Atlantic Ocean 302 miles downran ge following a 14.8 minute flight Astronaut and capsule were recovered by a helicopter within six minutes of landing. The flight demonstrated that a human can control a space vehicle during weightlessness, high gravity systems and suffer no adverse physiological effects. Three days later at the White House, President Kennedy presented Shepard with NASA's Distinguished Service Medal. Launch Date: May 5, 1961, 9:34 AM EST Launch Vehicle: Mercury-Redstone. Spacecraft unofficially named "Freedom 7' Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 3” Diameter Show more