MISSION NAME
Mercury-Atlas 6 6
Status
Success
DATE
20 FEB 1962
LAUNCH PROVIDER
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Launch Pad
Space Launch Complex 14
Description
Mercury-Atlas 6 was the third crewed spaceflight for the United States. The spacecraft, named Friendship 7, completed three orbits making John Glenn the first United States astronaut to orbit Earth. The mission lasted for 4 hours, 55 minutes & 23seconds.
Atlas LV-3B
Rocket Description
The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.