Freedom 7
Mercury 3
| Mission Statistics |
| Mission Name: | Mercury MR-3 |
| Call Sign: | Freedom 7 |
| Number of Crew Members: | 1 |
| Launch: | May 5, 1961
14:34 UTC
Cape Canaveral Complex 5 |
| Landing: | May 5, 1961
14:49:28 UTC |
| Duration: | 15 minutes, 28 seconds |
| Number of Orbits: | None |
Mercury 3 was a U.S. Mercury program manned space mission launched on May 5, 1961 using a Redstone rocket. The Mercury capsule was named "Freedom 7" and performed a suborbital flight, piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Shepard became the first astronaut to return to Earth with his ship as the Russian cosmonauts had to parachute away from theirs during landing.
The flight lasted 15 minutes, and the spacecraft traveled 300 miles from its launch point, ascending over 100 miles.
Crew
Mission Parameters
- Mass: 1290 kg
- Maximum Altitude: 186.2 km
- Range: 486 km
- Launch Vehicle: Redstone rocket
Previous Mission:
Mercury 3 was the first US manned space mission. |
Mercury |
Next Mission:
Mercury 4 |
Referenced By
Alan B. Shepard | Alan Shepard | USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) | USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39)
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