1963-05-15 USA Mercury Atlas MA-9 (Faith 7)

A cover from "SpaceCraft" featuring Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7), postmarked at Cape Canaveral on May 15, 1963. This cover is signed by Gordon Cooper and commemorates the final manned orbital flight of Project Mercury.

Photo: Gordon Cooper exiting the transfer van as he arrives at the launch pad.

Photo: On May 14, 1963, Cooper remained inside the capsule for nearly six hours before officials decided to postpone his planned flight.

Photo: The MA-9 mission was rescheduled and successfully launched on May 15, 1963.

A Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) cover from "Swanson," postmarked at Cape Canaveral on May 15, 1963. This cover is signed by Christopher C. Kraft Jr., the flight director for all manned Mercury missions.

Photo: Alan Shepard, the backup pilot for the MA-9 mission, acted as CAPCOM during Gordon Cooper's flight at the Mercury Control Center.

The reverse side of the above cover bears the signatures of the crew at the Pacific Missile Range Tracking Facility. During the Mercury missions, the capsule communicator (CAPCOM) was the primary contact for the pilot. Scott Carpenter fulfilled the role of CAPCOM in Kauai, Hawaii, during Gordon Cooper's flight.

Photo: Five of the second-generation astronauts gathered to listen to Gordon Cooper's flight. They are seated in the center row, from left to right: John Young, James Lovell, Charles Conrad, Frank Borman, and Neil Armstrong.

Photo: Cooper captured images of the Earth's curvature and China during his spaceflight.

Photo: An illustration depicting the re-entry of the MA-9 spacecraft.

Photo: The recovery of Cooper's "Faith 7" capsule by the USS Kearsarge.

USS Kearsarge recovery ship Captain's cover featuring a magenta ship cachet and the captain's corner card. The cover is machine canceled and bears the signatures of Gordon Cooper and commanding officer E. P. Rankin.

Photo: Gordon Cooper emerging from the "Faith 7" capsule.

USS Kearsarge recovery ship Captain's cover featuring a black ship cachet and the Captain's corner card. It is hand-canceled and bears the signature of the commanding officer, E. P. Rankin. The cover includes a 4¢ stamp known as a "Dag Hammarskjöld invert" stamp.

Photo: Gordon Cooper waves to the enthusiastic sailors on the deck of the USS Kearsarge as he steps out from his "Faith 7" capsule.

A cover featuring a USS Kearsarge ship's cachet in magenta, postmarked on May 16, 1963, and signed by Gordon Cooper.

Photo: Gordon Cooper walks along a red carpet, passing by saluting sailors on the hangar deck of the USS Kearsarge.

A rare MA-9 USS Kearsarge Beck CREW Cover, with only 25 covers existing that lack the "B" number printed. It is signed by the Commanding Officer, E. P. Rankin.

Photo: Crew members aboard the USS Kearsarge are seen observing and photographing the charred "Faith 7" capsule.

A cover featuring the "Salute to U.S. Pacific Fleet Recovery Force" cachet (by Carlson), postmarked with a machine cancel from the USS Kearsarge. This cover is signed by the Commanding Officer, E. P. Rankin.

Photo: Gordon Cooper relishes Navy cuisine aboard the USS Kearsarge, sharing lunch with the ship's chief petty officers. The astronaut remarked, "It is a rare privilege to be invited to eat with the chiefs."

A USS Kearsarge recovery ship cover featuring a magenta ship cachet. This unusual cover displays both machine and hand cancels from the USS Kearsarge.

Two covers from the USS Kearsarge feature different postmark variations. Both show the format "month, day, year, time slug", which contrasts with the more common "day, month, time slug, year" format. Notably, the bottom cover shows an inverted year in its postmark.

Photo: On June 12, 1963, James Webb announced that there would be no further flights for Project Mercury.

Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) cover from "Swanson," postmarked at Cape Canaveral on May 15, 1963, and signed by James Edwin Webb, who served as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1961 to 1968.