Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7) marked the United States' second attempt to place an astronaut into orbit. Launched on May 24, 1962, it completed three orbits around the Earth and was piloted by astronaut Scott Carpenter. The Mercury spacecraft, named Aurora 7, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using an Atlas LV-3B rocket. After 4 hours and 39 minutes in flight, the spacecraft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere but overshot the intended landing area by 250 nautical miles.
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| A MA-7 launch cover from "SpaceCraft" postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base on May 24, 1962, signed by Scott Carpenter. |
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| Photo: The "Aurora 7" capsule positioned on top of an Atlas rocket. |
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| Photo: Scott Carpenter receives a final inspection from a suit technician as he gets ready for the spaceflight. |
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A MA-7 launch cover featuring a stamped "Atlantic Missile Range Cape Canaveral Florida" along with a NASA cachet, postmarked on May 24, 1962, signed by Scott Carpenter. The "Atlantic Missile Range" (AMR) was the historical name for the extensive area over the Atlantic Ocean used for testing and launching rockets and missiles from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It played a vital role in U.S. space and defense programs, enabling launches eastward over the ocean for safety and taking advantage of Earth's rotation to gain additional speed. |
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| Photo: Scott Carpenter exiting the transfer van as he heads toward the launch pad. |
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| A MA-7 launch cover featuring a "Swanson" rubber-stamped cachet, signed by Scott Carpenter, Hermann Oberth, and Wernher von Braun. This cover is postmarked at Port Canaveral on the launch day, May 24, 1962. |
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| Photo: This image, captured by Carpenter, shows the booster rocket detaching from his spacecraft. |
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| Photo: Gatha F. Cottee, a NASA official, monitors the orbital flight path of Aurora 7 on a map at the press site in Cape Canaveral. |
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| A MA-7 launch cover from "Sokolsky," postmarked at Port Canaveral on the launch day, May 24, 1962. Scott Carpenter piloted the Aurora 7 spacecraft, completing three orbits around the Earth. The cover contains a typographical error, stating "Two" orbits instead of the correct "Three." |
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| Photo: The tethered balloon experiment aimed to measure atmospheric drag variations between perigee (100 miles) and apogee (160 miles) in orbit, while also evaluating the visibility effectiveness of different colors in space at both short and long distances. Unfortunately, the balloon failed to inflate properly, leading to the collection of no useful data. |
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A MA-7 tracking station cover featuring the "Naval Missile Facility POINT ARGUELLO LOMPOC,
CALIFORNIA" and "MA-7 ORBIT" rubber stamps, postmarked at Lompoc, California, on May 24, 1962. Point Arguello in California established contact with Carpenter as Aurora 7 flew over the west coast of the United States. The facility tracked the spacecraft during and after retrofire. However, a delay in firing the retro-rocket caused the spacecraft to overshoot its intended landing site. |
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| Photo: A map showing the landing location of Scott Carpenter after his orbital flight. |
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| Photo: The aircraft carrier Intrepid, the primary recovery ship for MA-7, is shown heading to the recovery site, where its helicopter was dispatched to retrieve Scott Carpenter after his capsule landed outside the designated area. |
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| A MA-7 Captain's Cover from the USS Intrepid, postmarked on May 24, 1962, signed by both Scott Carpenter and the ship's commanding officer, Captain J. L. Abbot Jr. |
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| Photo: Carpenter and a paramedic are seen on a life raft, awaiting recovery in the Atlantic Ocean. |
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| Photo: After spending three hours in the Atlantic, Carpenter is hoisted from the life raft. He briefly naps on the rescue helicopter while being transported to the USS Intrepid. |
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| A MA-7 launch cover featuring brief details of the helicopter recovery, signed by Commander John M "Wondy" Wondergem, the commander of Helicopter Squadron HS-3 in the Atlantic Fleet. This cover has a Port Canaveral postmark, dated May 24, 1962. |
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| Photo: Captain John M. "Wondy" Wondergem smiles as he holds up a photo of the helicopter he piloted during the 1962 recovery of astronaut Scott Carpenter. At the time, recovery missions were less precise, making it initially difficult to locate Scott Carpenter. |
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| Photo: Carpenter walks across the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid after being rescued from the sea, accompanied by an Air Force doctor. |
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| A MA-7 recovery cover from the USS John R. Pierce, a secondary recovery ship assigned to retrieve the Aurora 7 capsule. The ship successfully recovered the capsule about 6 hours and 34 minutes after its splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The two covers above are postmarked aboard the USS John R. Pierce on May 24, 1962, with the bottom cover signed by Scott Carpenter. |
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| Photo: Scott Carpenter answers questions during a news conference on May 27, 1962. |
