Tag: Liberty Bell 7

Artist’s Talent Broke into the All-Male World of Pad Operations

Artist’s Talent Broke into the All-Male World of Pad Operations

In early 1962, preparations were underway for John Glenn’s historic flight as the first American to orbit the Earth. He named his Mercury spacecraft “Friendship 7,” and he wanted the illustrator who created the design for the logo to paint it on his capsule. In doing so, artist Cecelia Bibby stepped into what was otherwise an all-male domain.

Grissom’s Mission Demonstrated Spaceflight is a Perilous Endeavor

Grissom’s Mission Demonstrated Spaceflight is a Perilous Endeavor

In the summer of 1961, NASA was ready to launch its second piloted spaceflight. It was the next step in Project Mercury’s program to study human capabilities during space travel. Two months earlier, Alan Shepard’s textbook sub-orbital mission made it look easy. But, the splashdown and recovery of the encore flight dramatically demonstrated it is a perilous endeavor requiring attention to detail and extensive preflight training.