feb 20, 1962 - Mercury-Atlas 6
Description:
The Atlas rocket was one of the first line of rockets focused on sending human crewed rockets into space. Piloted by John Glenn, Mercury-Atlas 6 became the first crewed orbital spaceflight on February 20, 1962.The Mercury-Atlas 6 was a 1 and 1/2 stage rocket, and weighed 260,000 pounds. It was about 94 feet tall, and had a diameter of 10 feet.
The main goal of the flight was to have John Glenn orbit the earth and then return him safely to earth after re-entry.
Added to timeline:
Date:
feb 20, 1962
Now
~ 63 years ago