ROCKETS, MISSILES, & LAUNCH VEHICLES A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Mercury-Redstone Launch of Shephard's Freedom 7 A modified version of the Redstone missile used in NASA's initial effort to launch astronauts into space. In most respects, the Mercury-Redstone was similar to its missile relative. In fact, the vehicle was selected for the Mercury Project because of its proven track record of safety and reliability. The Mercury-Redstone incorporate additional safety features, as well as an upgraded Rocketdyne engine. About 800 engineering changes were also made to the production version of the Redstone to qualify it as a manned space launch vehicle. These included extending the fuel tank by about 2 meters to increase the burn time and thus achieve increased speed and altitude. Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut, was launched aboard a Mercury-Redstone from Cape Canaveral Launch Pad 5 on May 5, 1961, on mission MR-3. A nearly identical flight designated MR-4 carried Virgil Grissom on Jul. 21, 1961. Mercury-Redstone mission performance in support of suborbital manned flights MR-3 and MR-4 was so successful that two similar flights which would have been designated MR-5 and MR-6 were cancelled. length 25.5 m diameter 1.8 m thrust 348,000 newtons Related entry    • Mercury-Atlas Related category    • ROCKETS, MISSILES, AND LAUNCH VEHICLES Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP