Capsule, Mercury #15B
name: label: Manufacturer
content: McDonnell Aircraft Corp.
notes: label: Summary
content: This Mercury capsule, number 15B, is one of two left showing the complete one-man spacecraft in its orbital configuration. It includes the silver and black retrorocket package used to slow the capsule for return to Earth and the nose section containing the parachutes. The first American in space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., hoped to fly this Mercury capsule on a long-duration orbital mission in late 1963 called Mercury-Atlas 10 (MA-10). After the success of MA-9, flown by astronaut Gordon Cooper in May 1963, NASA decided to cancel MA-10 to concentrate on its next human spaceflight project, Gemini. Reflecting Shepard's hope of flying in space again, he had the name Freedom 7 II, in tribute to his historic 1961 capsule, Freedom 7, painted on the spacecraft.
label: Summary
content: In September 1967 NASA transferred the capsule to the Smithsonian Institution.
label: Alternate Name
content: Mercury Capsule 15B, Freedom 7 II
place: label: Country of Origin
content: United States of America
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Air and Space Museum Collection
label: Location
content: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
label: Exhibit Station
content: Human Spaceflight
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Air and Space Museum
identifier: label: Inventory Number
content: A19680241000
objectType: label: Type
content: SPACECRAFT-Crewed
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Materials
content: Skin & Structure: Titanium
label: Materials
content: Shingles: Nickel-steel alloy; Beryllium shingles removed
label: Materials
content: Ablation Shield: Glass fibers, resin
label: Dimensions
content: Overall: 74 in. diameter, 3000lb., 11 ft. 4 in. length (188cm, 1360.8kg, 345.4cm)