any of the first series of manned space flights conducted by the United States (1961–63). The series began with a suborbital flight about three weeks after the Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin became the first human in space (see Vostok). Alan B. Shepard, Jr., rode a Mercury space capsule dubbed Freedom 7 on a 486-kilometre (302-mile) flight of 15-minute duration, attaining a maximum altitude of 186 km (116 miles). The Freedom 7, like its successor on the second suborbital flight, was launched by a Redstone rocket. Subsequent manned flights in the Mercury program were launched by more powerful Atlas rockets.
All capsules in the Mercury series weighed about 1,400 kg (3,000 pounds). The first U.S. manned flight in orbit was that of the Friendship 7, commanded by John H. Glenn. Launched on Feb. 20, 1962, it successfully completed three orbits and landed in the Atlantic Ocean near The Bahamas. The last Mercury flight, Faith 7, launched May 15, 1963, carrying L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., was also the longest, achieving 22 orbits before its landing and successful recovery 34 hours and 20 minutes later.
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