From the early days of Project Mercury, this small artifact originates from Spacecraft 3, one of 20 production spacecraft, numbered 1 through 20, ordered by NASA from McDonnell Aircraft Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Approximately 2.25” tall and encased in a now-yellowed plastic cube perched upon a 3.5”-tall wooden base. A small plaque affixed to the front reads: “Project Mercury Capsule No. 3 Nov. 8, 1960.” This piece was once part of the first flight of a standard Mercury capsule.Spacecraft 3 was launched on a Little Joe rocket on November 8, 1960, on a mission to test the emergency escape system. The mission was a failure and the capsule nearly destroyed, with this item salvaged from the wreckage and displayed in its current form by a McDonnell engineer. RRAuction COA.
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