Crewed spacecraftRecovered
Friendship 7
Mercury spacecraft
Vehicle and mission dossier
Mercury-Atlas 6
Mercury-Atlas 6, also known as Friendship 7, was the first American orbital spaceflight. John Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral on February 20, 1962, completed three orbits of Earth, manually assisted spacecraft control, and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds.
Flight profile
- Flight date
- February 20, 1962
- Mission duration
- 4 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds
- Orbits
- 3
- Inclination
- 32.5 degrees
Places and recovery
Vehicle record
- Manufacturer
- McDonnell Aircraft
- Status
- Recovered after
- Mission type
- Orbital test flight
Flight objectives
- Place an American astronaut into Earth orbit for the first time.
- Verify Mercury spacecraft systems during orbital flight, , and recovery.
- Evaluate astronaut performance during three Earth orbits.
- Recover astronaut and spacecraft safely after Atlantic .
Flight timeline
- February 20, 1962Mercury-Atlas 6 beginsFriendship 7 began Mercury-Atlas 6 to Place an American astronaut into Earth orbit for the first time.
- OperationsVerify Mercury spacecraft systems during orbital flight, , and recoverySpacecraft: Friendship 7 Mercury ; : Atlas LV-3B; Primary work: Crewed orbital , spacecraft control, observation, reentry, and recovery
- Defining resultMercury-Atlas 6: Place an American astronaut into Earth orbit for the first timeMercury-Atlas 6, also known as Friendship 7, was the first American orbital spaceflight.
- February 20, 1962Mercury-Atlas 6: CompletedRecover astronaut and spacecraft safely after Atlantic .
People Who Flew Aboard This Spacecraft
Photo Archive
Documented views of this individual vehicle, with source and credit retained alongside each image.