Mercury-Redstone 3 facts for kids

Mercury-Red-stone 3, or Freedom 7, was the first United States human spaceflight, on May 5, 1961, piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard. It was the first crewed flight of Project Mercury. The project had the ultimate objective of putting an astronaut into orbit around the Earth and return him safely. Launch date: May 5, 1961 Rocket: Redstone MRLV MR-7 Landing date: May 5, 1961 Member: Alan Shepard Recovered by: USS Lake Champlain Manufacturer: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation

Images for kids

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  Launch of MR-3 on May 5, 1961

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  President Kennedy watching the flight on TV together with the First Lady, Vice President Johnson and others

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  Alan Shepard in Freedom 7 spacecraft before launch

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  Photo taken by 70 mm Earth-Sky Camera mounted on the spacecraft

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  HUS-1 helicopter from USS Lake Champlain recovering Alan Shepard from the Freedom 7 capsule

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  Alan Shepard on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain after recovery of Freedom 7

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  Freedom 7 formerly on display at the U.S. Naval Academy (now displayed at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia)

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  Commemorative patch

See also

In Spanish: Mercury Redstone 3 para niños