Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Launch Complex 14 ( LC - 14 ) is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , Florida . LC - 14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches , including the " Friendship 7 " flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth . History . LC - 14 is most well known as the launch site for NASA ' s Mercury - Atlas 6 flight , which made Glenn the first American in orbit . It was also the launch site of the remaining three Mercury - Atlas flights and various unmanned Atlas launches . Later , it was the site for Atlas - Agena launches for the Agena Target Vehicle s for Project Gemini . Following decommissioning and abandonment as an active launch site , LC - 14 slowly fell into decay . The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean created an ideal environment for corrosion of metal components , and the complex ' s red metal gantry structures were dismantled for safety purposes in the 1970s . Restoration . In 1997 , the 45th Space Wing embarked on a partial restoration of LC - 14 under the aegis of the 45th Operations Support Squadron and its commander , Lt . Col . Dennis Hilley , USAF . Although extensive repairs were made by Boeing and Johnson Controls , with additional assistance from Lockheed Martin and Brown and Root , the restoration utilized no military construction or military operations and maintenance funding was effected strictly with military , DoD civilian , NASA civilian , DoD contractor and NASA contractor volunteers . Several months later , the exterior and interior of the original blockhouse and its nearby astronaut parking area had been restored , with the blockhouse converted into a conference facility for military , NASA and contractor use . Present at the dedication in May 1998 were former Mercury astronauts Colonel Gordon Cooper , USAF ( Ret . ) and Commander Scott Carpenter , USN ( Ret . ) ; Mrs . Betty Grissom , widow of Lt . Col . Gus Grissom , USAF ; and comedian Bill Dana , known for his " José Jiménez , the reluctant astronaut " character . The character caught on among the seven Mercury astronauts . Among other Mercury astronauts , former U . S . Senator ( and Colonel , USMC ( Ret . ) ) John Glenn could not attend due to preparations for his then - pending Space Shuttle flight ( STS - 95 ) , and Captain Wally Schirra , USN ( Ret . ) could not attend due to a scheduling conflict . Deke Slayton had died in 1993 , while Rear Admiral Alan Shepard , USN ( Ret . ) extended his regrets due to illness . Largely unknown at the time was that Shepard was suffering from terminal leukemia , and he died shortly after the dedication . In addition to the total interior renovation , the blockhouse contains historical documents , photos and memorabilia from Project Mercury , as well as photos of the blockhouse area before , during and after the restoration . Future improvements to the pad itself are also planned as time and contributory funding permits . The entrance road to LC - 14 is marked by several memorials and signs commemorating Project Mercury and the four of six manned Mercury missions launched there . This includes a large sculpture of the Project Mercury symbol constructed of titanium , under which is buried a time capsule containing technical documents of the Mercury program . The time capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2464 , 500 years after the official conclusion of the program . With its withdrawal from operational status , a memorial marker in granite was also placed at the beginning of the concrete ramp that leads to LC - 14 ' s launch pad ; and two outdoor kiosks were erected to contain historical photos .