General Description

Individual Capsules

Functions During Missions

Liberty Bell 7

General Description
The Mercury capsule is a cone shaped one-man capsule.  It is 6 feet, 10 inches long and 6 feet, 2.5 inches in diameter.  It is very cramped inside.  On the bottom of the craft is a heat shield, which was to protect the capsule against the heat of entry (3000 degrees).  On the inside was one seat for a single astronaut and an instrument panel, unlike later projects, Gemini and Apollo.  The function of the capsule was to shield the astronauts from the elements of space.
 
 
 

Each of the six manned flights had a capsule for which the individual astronauts named.
[in order of launch]
Freedom 7 - Alan Shepard

Liberty Bell 7 - Gus Grissom

Friendship 7 - John Glenn

Aurora 7 - M. Scott Carpenter

Sigma 7 - Walter Schirra

Faith 7 - L. Gordon Cooper

The capsule sits on top of the launch vehicle, one of two kinds of rockets - The Redstone Rocket and The Atlas Rocket.  After launch, the capsule separates from the rocket and continues with the missions objectives - orbiting the earth.  After the mission completes its goals the capsule returns to Earth.  This is a complicated process; the capsule needs to enter the Earth's atmosphere at a specific angle to avoid burning up and becoming a fireball.  Once the capsule makes its way through the atmosphere safely it releases large parachutes to slow its decent.  Then it crashes into the ocean, floating until a rescue crew of helicopters retrieves the capsule and the astronaut, bring them back to land.
 

All six manned capsules were recovered with the exception of one, the Liberty Bell 7.  The second mission, MR-4 took Gus Grissom into space on July 21, 1961.  Upon landing in the ocean the hatch (door) to the capsule, Liberty Bell 7, exploded open.  This premature opening of the capsule caused it to take on water.  Under the weight of the water helicopters were unable to recover the Liberty Bell 7 and it sank into the ocean.  No one had seen the Liberty Bell 7 until it was recently found at the bottom of the ocean and raised back to the surface.