Labels:text | screenshot OCR: THE MERCURY PROGRAM THE CRAFT AFTER SEVERAL test flights, the first The name of each Mercury of the USA's six successful piloted craft, for Escape rocket Mercury spaceflights took place on example, May 5, 1961. The first two missions were Freedom 7, suborbital, but the remaining four took included the Safety tower their astronauts into Earth orbit. The number 7 in honor of Mercury capsules were just large enough the Mercury to hold one astronaut and his equipment. astronauts. A small escape rocket attached to the capsule could pull it to safety if there was an emergency during a launch. At Astronaut's the end of a mission, the Mercury craft capsule splashed down into the ocean. The shock of impact was softened by an air cushion, which inflated at the bottom of the capsule. ESCAPE TOWER SEE ...
