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| A total of only 300 covers from "SpaceCraft Swanson" were produced, with each one individually numbered on the back. This limited edition commemorative cover for Project Mercury features a Carl Swanson cachet, honoring "Freedom 7" and astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space. It was postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base on May 5, 1961, and is signed by Alan Shepard. The cover is numbered 30 out of 300, as noted on the reverse side. - RRAuction |
Project Mercury was the United States' first human spaceflight program, running from 1959 to 1963. Its goals were to send a manned spacecraft into orbit around Earth, assess human capabilities in space, and ensure the safe recovery of both the astronaut and spacecraft upon return.
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| Photo: The Mercury Seven astronauts. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard practices operating the hand controls for the space capsule. This specially contoured couch is designed to support the body and allows astronauts to endure accelerations of up to twenty times gravity, significantly exceeding those anticipated during spaceflight. |
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| Photo: A Mercury capsule was secured to a Redstone booster rocket on the third level of the Redstone gantry at Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA is planning a suborbital manned launch of Project Mercury sometime this week. The mission will involve the capsule, carrying an astronaut, making a ballistic flight over a range of 250 nautical miles, reaching a peak altitude of 115 statute miles. |
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| Photo: The interior of the MR-3 space capsule. |
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard made history as the first American astronaut in space, piloting his Mercury spacecraft, "Freedom 7," on a sub-orbital flight mission known as Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3). Shepard's 15-minute flight did not orbit the Earth; instead, it ascended and descended, reaching an altitude of just over 187 km. The flight covered more than 300 miles from Cape Canaveral, Florida, landing in the Atlantic Ocean near the Grand Bahamas, where he was retrieved by the aircraft carrier Lake Champlain.
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A MR-3 ("Freedom 7") cover from "SpaceCraft," postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base on May 5, 1961, the day of the historic mission. It includes an illustrated cachet titled "Man-in-Space/ Mission of Project Mercury" and bears the signature of Alan Shepard. From Steven R. Belasco Collection of Space Memorabilia. - Heritage Auctions |
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| Photo: Electrodes connected to Alan Shepard monitor his bodily functions during the space flight. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard dressed in his space suit, getting ready for the first American journey into space on May 5, 1961. |
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| A MR-3 cover from "SpaceCraft," postmarked at Port Canaveral on May 5, 1961, and signed by Alan Shepard. From the Family Collection of Astronaut Richard Gordon. - Heritage Auction |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard climbs into his "Freedom 7" spacecraft. |
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| Photo: Gus Grissom peers into the periscope of "Freedom 7" to give Alan Shepard a view of him. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard takes a final glance at the outside activities as his space capsule is sealed.
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| Photo: A diagram illustrating the communication and tracking system for manned Mercury spaceflights. |
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| A launch day Goldcraft cachet cover honoring the path of Shepard's historic flight aboard the Freedom 7, postmarked May 5, 1961, and signed by Alan Shepard in blue ballpoint. - RRAuction |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard is lifted from his space capsule after its landing in the Atlantic Ocean. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard disembarking from a helicopter onto the USS Lake Champlain carrier. |
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| The USS Lake Champlain served as the prime recovery ship for America’s first manned space mission. This cover, postmarked aboard the USS Lake Champlain on May 5, 1961, is signed by astronaut Alan Shepard and NASA Public Affairs Officer Alfred P. Alibrando. |
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| Photo: The "Freedom 7" capsule being lowered onto the deck of the USS Lake Champlain by recovery helicopters. |
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| Photo: America's first spaceman, Alan Shepard, glanced back at his space capsule aboard the carrier Lake Champlain. He and the capsule were retrieved from the Atlantic after the flight. |
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| A cover postmarked aboard the USS Lake Champlain on May 5, 1961, sent by a crew member on the ship. The address on the cover has been partially erased. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard departing from the USS Lake Champlain en route to the Grand Bahamas. |
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| A "Goldcraft" cover featuring the printed text "SHEPARD'S FLIGHT ENDS," postmarked at West End, Bahamas on May 5, 1961. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard at the Grand Bahamas tracking station, undergoing tests following his historic spaceflight on May 5, 1961. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard waves to the crowds during a parade from the White House to the Capitol on May 8, 1961, where he was honored by members of Congress. That day, he arrived at the White House, where President Kennedy presented him with NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal, in a ceremony in the Rose Garden. Following this, Shepard and his wife, Louise, traveled in Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's limousine for a motorcade to the Capitol. |
(Reference from
Mercury-Redstone 3)
