Echoes Among the Stars: The Original Website
The First Era in Space, 1957-1975
Mercury: Faith 7
May 15 - May 16, 1963
Keeping the Faith
Gordon Cooper trains for his flight aboard the Mercury capsule Faith 7. While NASA’s training regimen simulated many of the physical situations that might arise during a mission, only the quiet courage of each astronaut could adequately prepare him psychologically for the unprecedented nature of his journey. NASA photo.
Faith 7: The Long Ride
The final mission in the Mercury series, the flight of Faith 7 was also the U.S. space program’s first long-endurance spaceflight. Aimed at gathering medical data about the effects of weightlessness on the human body, the mission profile called for Gordon Cooper to orbit the earth twenty two times. Along the way, he became the first astronaut to sleep in space. NASA photo.
Glad to be Back
Gordon Cooper smiles at the end of his Faith 7 Mercury mission. He spent nearly thirty five hours in space, providing an early glimpse into the future as the U.S. space program ‘graduated’ from the single occupant Mercury capsule to the two- and three- man crews of the Gemini and Apollo projects. NASA photo.
