{"product_id":"mercury-manned-flights-flown-artifacts-cover","title":"Mercury all manned flights -  FLOWN artifacts cover","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMERCURY PROGRAM FDC WITH FLOWN ARTIFACTS FROM ALL SIX MANNED MERCURY FLIGHTS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA remarkable tribute to America’s first manned spaceflight program\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOffered here is an exceptional \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury First Day Cover containing genuine flown artifacts representing every one of the six manned Project Mercury missions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—assembled together on a single historic cover.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProject Mercury was the program that introduced the United States to human spaceflight. Between 1961 and 1963, six pioneering missions carried America’s first astronauts into space, progressing from Alan Shepard’s brief suborbital flight aboard \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFreedom 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e to Gordon Cooper’s 34-hour mission aboard \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFaith 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. These flights proved that humans could live, work, maneuver, and safely return from space and laid the essential groundwork for the Gemini and Apollo programs that followed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis extraordinary cover brings together a tangible piece of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eeach of those six historic spacecraft and missions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury-Redstone 3 – Freedom 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlan Shepard – May 5, 1961\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFlown parachute fragment\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvenance: ex-Hal French\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShepard’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFreedom 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e made him the first American to travel into space. The successful 15-minute suborbital mission marked the beginning of American human spaceflight.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury-Redstone 4 – Liberty Bell 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVirgil “Gus” Grissom – July 21, 1961\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFlown tape fragment\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvenance: ex-Curt Newport, leader of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiberty Bell 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e recovery expedition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrissom became the second American in space. Following splashdown, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiberty Bell 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e famously sank beneath the Atlantic and remained on the ocean floor for 38 years before being recovered in 1999, giving material associated with the spacecraft a particularly fascinating history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury-Atlas 6 – Friendship 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJohn Glenn – February 20, 1962\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFlown heatshield fragment\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, originating from a heatshield plug\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFriendship 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. His three-orbit flight was one of the defining achievements of the early Space Age and transformed Glenn into an international icon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury-Atlas 7 – Aurora 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScott Carpenter – May 24, 1962\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFlown retaining lanyard from the spacecraft\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCarpenter’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAurora 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e completed three Earth orbits and expanded NASA’s understanding of spacecraft operations and astronaut performance in orbit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury-Atlas 8 – Sigma 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWally Schirra – October 3, 1962\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFlown heatshield fragment\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSchirra’s six-orbit \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSigma 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e mission was regarded as one of Mercury’s most precise and technically successful flights, demonstrating increasingly sophisticated spacecraft control and operational discipline.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercury-Atlas 9 – Faith 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGordon Cooper – May 15–16, 1963\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFlown heatshield fragment\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe final Mercury mission was also its longest. Cooper completed 22 Earth orbits during more than 34 hours in space, pushing the Mercury spacecraft to its limits and helping pave the way for the more ambitious Gemini program.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn exceptional collector’s piece\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat makes this cover particularly compelling is the opportunity to own \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ematerial associated with every manned Mercury flight in one unified presentation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRather than representing a single astronaut or spacecraft, it traces the complete operational history of America’s first human spaceflight program—from the first American in space to the final and longest Mercury mission.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe variety of artifacts adds further historical interest: parachute material, spacecraft tape, a retaining lanyard, and heatshield fragments—components directly connected with the vehicles that carried the Mercury astronauts into space and returned them safely to Earth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvenance and documentation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe cover is accompanied by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecopies of the documentation establishing the source and provenance of EACH individual flown artifact\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor the serious space collector, this represents a highly unusual opportunity to acquire a single display piece encompassing \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eall six manned Project Mercury missions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, each represented by a flown artifact and supported by its respective provenance documentation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSix missions. Six spacecraft. Six flown artifacts. One cover documenting the complete manned Mercury program.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Been in Space","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58412614025480,"sku":"12dd110","price":525.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1490\/3832\/products\/12dd110.jpg?v=1481814163","url":"https:\/\/www.beeninspace.com\/products\/mercury-manned-flights-flown-artifacts-cover","provider":"BEEN IN SPACE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}