18 a
An early photograph of the future first American in orbit training for spaceflight. Mercury astronaut John Glenn is “strapped in duplication of all possible attitudes of space flight, roll, pitch and yaw” (caption).

“The multiple-axis space test inertia facility (MASTIF), fondly called the ‘gimbal rig’, simulated tumble-type maneuvers that might be encountered in space flight. Three tubular aluminum cages could revolve separately or in combination to give roll, pitch and yaw motions at speeds up to 30 revolutions per minute, greater than those expected in actual space flight. Nitrogen-gas jets, attached to the three cages, controlled the motion. NASA Lewis (now Glenn) engineers built the entire rig inside a test chamber in the research center’s old Altitude Wind Tunnel. At the center of the innermost cage, the pilot was strapped into a plastic seat, similar to that in the Mercury capsule. His head, body and legs were held in place, leaving only his arms free. The pilot actuated the jets by means of a right-hand control column. [...] From February 15 through March 4, 1960, the gimbal rig provided valuable training for all seven Project Mercury astronauts. Each experienced about five hours of simulated flight time” (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/history/mastif.html).

18 b
The capsule, Mercury Spacecraft No. 4 manufactured by McDonnell Aircraft, was unmanned and carried no launch escape system. The capsule was “being hoisted to the top of the gantry for mating with Atlas booster in preparation for a special capsule reentry test, part of a continuing progressive buildup of tests in Project Mercury, the NASA’s initial manned space flight program” (NASA caption).

“The specific test objectives were, 1.Recover the capsule, 2.Determine the structural integrity of the Mercury capsule structure and afterbody shingles under the maximum heating conditions which could be encountered from an orbital launching. 3.Determine Mercury capsule afterbody heating rates during reentry (for this purpose 51 thermocouples were installed). 4.Determine the flight dynamic characteristics of the Mercury capsule during reentry. 5.Determine the adequacy of the Mercury capsule recovery systems. 6.Familiarize Project Mercury operating personnel with launch and recovery operations” (https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/ma-1/ma-1.html).

18 c
Mercury-Atlas 1 (MA-1) was the first attempt to launch a Mercury capsule and occurred on July 29, 1960 at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14, during a storm. The Atlas rocket suffered a structural failure 58 seconds after launch at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet (9.1 km) and 11,000 feet (3.4 km) down range. Because the day was rainy and overcast, the booster was out of sight from 26 seconds after launch, and it was impossible to see what happened.

18 d
The Mercury Procedure Trainer, a full scape mock up of the Mercury spacecraft at the McDonnell Aircraft company plant in St. Louis, Missouri, was developed to give the astronaut knowledge of control and procedures in the Mercury spacecraft. While flying the Mercury mission the astronaut has at his command 122 controls which may be manually operated if conditions warrant. Under normal circumstances, the spacecraft systems would operate automatically from launch to landing.

[NASA caption] Gordon Cooper monitors instrumentation in a Mercury Procedure Trainer. In the Mercury mission, the astronaut will make his greatest contribution by detecting malfunctions and taking corrective actions to overcome them. Operation of spacecraft systems during both normal and emergency flight modes can be practiced in this Linktype spacecraft simulator.

18 e
[NASA caption] Project Mercury astronaut Donald K. Slayton adjusts the helmet of his pressure suit while preparing for training in the centrifugeuse in the Aviation Medical Acceleration laboratory in Johnsville, Pa. The centrifugeuse is used to familiarize the astronauts with the stresses they may have to undergo in space flight.

Slayton was selected to pilot the second U.S. manned orbital spaceflight, but was grounded in 1962 by atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. He then served as NASA’s Director of Flight Crew Operations, making him responsible for crew assignments at NASA from November 1963 until March 1972.

18 f
After the launch failure of Mercury Redstone 1 in November 1960, Mercury-Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched on December 19, 1960 from Launch Complex 5 at Cape Canaveral, using the same undamaged Mercury capsule atop a Redstone launch vehicle. The mission objectives of this unmanned suborbital flight were to qualify the spacecraft for spaceflight and for an upcoming primate suborbital flight. The mission was completely successful. The Mercury capsule reached an altitude of 130 miles (210 km) and a range of 235 miles (378 km). The Mercury spacecraft was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by recovery helicopters about 15 minutes after landing. The flight time was 15 minutes and 45 seconds.

18 g
[NASA caption] Project Mercury astronaut Schirra prepares for training in the Environmental Test spacecraft of the Air Crew Equipment Laboratory, Philadelphia. The test vessel was constructed especially for Mercury astronaut training.

“The environmental control systems trainer was a heavy shell mock-up with a prototype spacecraft environmental system. The device used was delivered to NASA in November 1960 and installed in a man-rated vacuum chamber at the U.S. Naval Air Crew Equipment Laboratory in Philadelphia, Pa. During December of 1960 and January of 1961, the astronauts participated in a program of system familiarization that included being exposed to a simulated reentry heat pulse and approximately 2 hours of the expected postlanding temperature. During these runs, the astronauts wore the pressure suits and became familiar with function of the suits when associated with the environmental control system” (NASA SP-45, Mercury Project Summary, p. 182).