Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Mercury
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Friendship 7 Alan B. Shepard Virgil I. (“Gus”) Grissom John Glenn entering Friendship 7 Scott Carpenter, 1964 Wally Schirra launch of Faith 7 Friendship 7 (Top) U.S. astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., entering the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, in preparation for launch. Riding into space atop a modified Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (bottom), Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.
NASA's journey to landing a man on the Moon
Quizzes
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Related Questions
Read Next
Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration
Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained
The Space Shuttle Columbia soars from Launch Pad 39A on July 1 1997 to begin the 16-day STS-94 Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission.
12 Questions About the History of Space Exploration Answered
Apollo 12 astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad stands beside the U.S. flag after is was unfurled on the lunar surface during the first extravehicular activity (EVA-1) Nov. 19, 1969. Footprints made by the crew can be seen in the photograph.
How Many People Have Been to the Moon?
Discover
Binary Computer Code, Binary Code, Internet, Technology, Password, Data
How Does Wi-Fi Work?
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
Odissi Indian classical female dancer on white background. (Indian dancer; classical dancer; Indian dance)
6 Classical Dances of India
Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)
6 Important Mughal Emperors
pg 229Nazi parade features a banner proclaiming, "Death to Marxism."The possibility of a peaceful Germany after World War I was precluded entirely by the terms of the Versailles Treaty and theintransigent hostility of France and England. Stripped of indu
Were the Nazis Socialists?
winter ice melting salt on the ground, pattern as background
Why Does Salt Melt Ice?
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Mercury: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Mercury-space-project
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Project Mercury

Photos and Videos

Friendship 7
Alan B. Shepard
Virgil I. (“Gus”) Grissom
John Glenn entering Friendship 7
Scott Carpenter, 1964
Wally Schirra
launch of Faith 7
Friendship 7
(Top) U.S. astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., entering the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, in preparation for launch. Riding into space atop a modified Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (bottom), Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.
NASA's journey to landing a man on the Moon
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

John Glenn
John Glenn
American astronaut and United States senator
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson
American mathematician
Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
American astronaut
Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper
American astronaut
Virgil I. Grissom, 1964.
Virgil I. Grissom
American astronaut
Carpenter, Scott
Scott Carpenter
American astronaut
Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
American astronaut
Slayton, Donald Kent
Donald Kent Slayton
American astronaut

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy