 presented a challenge to man. Many secrets remain locked in space, secrets that have puzzled men for centuries. The search for knowledge about space is underway. Hundreds of scientific rockets and satellites have been launched. As the information is collected from space, it is made available to people all over the world. Already startling and practical advances in many scientific fields have resulted from scientific instruments in the rockets and satellites. Now, man himself is to follow these mechanical devices. Cape Canary, Florida, May 5, 1961. U.S. Mercury astronaut Alan B. Shepherd enters his spacecraft. Very shortly, he will be on his way into space. As the hatch goes on, two big questions come to your mind. Is the vehicle ready? Are you ready? Before the flight, Shepherd had this to say. I think the one thing that strikes me as I look back on the training program is that I have really developed a feeling of confidence, a confidence in the people with whom I work, a confidence in the systems with which I am dealing and will have to deal in flight, and of course, a confidence in myself. You're confident, but you're human and you go over the program just one more time. A feeling of confidence. It began to grow from the day you and your six fellow astronauts were selected from hundreds of volunteers, confidence in the people of Project Mercury, the spacecraft and the launch vehicle, and confidence in yourself. You were involved in the design of the Mercury system almost from the beginning, contributed ideas and modifications. You worked with the engineers, came to know the components and systems like you know your own car, and you followed the tests, test after test after test to make sure the design did what it was supposed to do. While research and development was underway, you went through almost two years of training. You flew mission after mission in a trainer just like the craft you're sitting in today, became completely familiar with every control and instrument. An academic program informed you and the other pilots on astronautics, space mechanics, and space flight. Kept you briefed on all new developments in the project. Zero gravity flights in aircraft accredited you with the condition of weightlessness you would encounter in flight. You got in a lot of centrifuge time too. Today's flight won't submit you to any G-forces you haven't experienced before. The program simulated every possible situation. You know you're ready to react almost automatically. You practice controlling the craft attitude by manual control of pitch, roll, and yaw jets. That will be part of your mission today. And you're confident that you can do it. You piled up plenty of experience into three-dimensional rotation. You know that even if tumbling situations occur after separation, you can bring the craft under control with your manual control system. There were continuing flights in high-performance aircraft. They were important to you too. You're an experienced test pilot, flying as your business in any type of craft. You remember extensive training in escape and survival techniques. There is always this slight chance the spacecraft may land outside the pre-planned area. As you sit in the spacecraft, waiting for launch, you know your training has covered every conceivable eventuality, every emergency, no matter how unlikely. Jack Mercury got underway. Production of Redstone launch vehicles began at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Careful, individual production of vehicles earmarked for Mercury from the day the first bolt came into the plant. The Redstone was available, and with modifications it would do the job. At the McDonnell Aircraft Company plant at St. Louis, just three months after project inception, prototype spacecraft production was begun. A few short months later, production spacecraft were being completed. Your trips to the production points were important. You became thoroughly familiar with the Mercury systems. The closer you got to the system, the more confident you became. You followed the flight test program closely. Components, then systems, then prototypes, then production craft, a pyramid of testing, a pyramid of tests that would lead to manned flight. You knew that data and know-how was being gathered to reduce the risk element. Three forces were exercised. Procedures were developed to locate the craft and retrieve it. It became obvious that the craft would not be in the water very long after landing. A chimpanzee named Ham, and two monkeys successfully flown in the spacecraft indicated the feasibility of manned flight. This was behind, and you knew everything humanly possible had been done to minimize risk to you and to the other astronauts. It was time now for manned ballistic flight, Mercury Redstone 3, at Cape Canaro Launch Pad 5. Preparations for the MR3 flight began weeks before launch day. You went out and watched the Redstone slowly, carefully raised into place on the launch pad. You knew that you might be the pilot. For about 10 days prior to meeting with the spacecraft, the Redstone underwent exhaustive tests, inspections, and simulated launch operations. This vital part of the mission, the launch vehicle, must be as near-perfect as man can make it before the spacecraft is installed. You and your fellow astronauts followed the test program closely. As being checked, the spacecraft underwent test procedures at Hangar-S several miles from the launch pad. Test the electrical systems, the mechanical systems, communications, instrumentation, the sequential system. Verify flight readiness. You participated in many of the tests and checkouts yourself. You had worked closely with the vehicle for many months. If possible, you got even closer to it during the days just before launch. You worked with the Mercury engineers and technicians as they prepared the craft. The feeling of confidence in the mission became even stronger. Your fellow astronauts worked with the same team effort that it prevailed over the two years of getting ready. You couldn't be everywhere at once, but they could cover for you. And as you sit in the spacecraft, you know everything is as ready as it can possibly be. They covered the control center, the blockhouse, the launch vehicle, the tracking stations. They kept a finger on the pulse of the operation. The spacecraft was checked out in a pressure chamber capable of 120,000-foot altitudes to test the environmental control system. And then, you were added to the system. You made sure that your pressure suit and the life support system were working properly. You knew that you weren't just going for the ride. You would be required to gather information, make practical contributions, make sure you collected usable data. You remember the final days in Hanger S, the retro rocket package being installed. And you know the care, the attention to every detail that went into the final servicing. The escape tower with its solid propellant rocket. The system which will pull the spacecraft safely clear of the launch vehicle before a catastrophic failure, either on the pad before launch, during the launch, or while the vehicle is in powered flight. It's a reassuring thought as you go through your pre-launch countdown. When each spacecraft system has been thoroughly checked out, a complete simulated launch and flight operation was run to make certain all the systems worked together, as well as individually. And then, the Mercury spacecraft was moved to the launch pad to be mated with its launch vehicle. At the pad, the spacecraft was raised to position on top of the vehicle. Now you knew that the final round of testing was at hand. This flight will provide added qualification for the spacecraft and its systems in space, and train a pilot for later, atlas-boosted orbital flights. After mating, the testing began to make certain the launch vehicle, spacecraft, and blockhouse work together properly. The launch countdown was checked step by step, and the complete MR-3 system was verified to confirm flight readiness. Complete flight missions from lift-off through landing, both for normal and for emergency cases were flown electronically. The spacecraft was heavily instrumented to provide pertinent data during the flight. Throughout this period, all the elements of the mission made their preparations. Recovery forces, tracking stations, the Mercury Control Center rehearsed the mission again and again. You and your fellow astronauts rehearsed your parts, went through the procedures over and over. Three days before launch, a go-no-go review board evaluated the flight readiness of all the mission elements. Spacecraft, launch vehicle, pilots, tracking stations, recovery forces, everything. The decision? Go. The recovery forces were dispatched and on their way to their stations downrange. May 1, 1961. Less than two-and-a-half years from project Mercury initiation. Countdown for a manned flight was in progress. That's a day that you will never forget. MR-3 followed a split countdown, about four hours the first day, a little over six hours the second day. This procedure helps reduce personnel fatigue. Hydrogen peroxide fueling. This is used in the spacecraft attitude control system. The first day's countdown was completed with this operation. Very early in the morning, May 2, the final countdown is underway. Liquid oxygen for the launch vehicle. Before this operation, a meeting had been held to review the weather situation. The weather was marginal, but the decision? Go. At the Mercury Control Center, every detail of the countdown and status of all other elements, the recovery forces in the tracking stations was carefully monitored. The Mercury Operations Director manages the entire flight from the center. Systems checks were completed in the spacecraft. Launch vehicle checks were also completed. The recovery forces were on station in a line along the flight path, ready to retrieve the craft, even if there should be an undershoot or an overshoot. You remember the final physical at Hanger S. The feeling that now, at last, the time was almost at hand. And you remember the feeling of confidence that you had. Confidence that all systems were ready and that you were ready too. Before leaving the Hanger for the launch pad, you had sensor leads attached to your body. These leads would provide telemeter data on your body functions and reactions during the flight. Mercury flights are designed to provide comprehensive information about man during space flight. Information that can be used by people all over the world in their own research projects. And then, it happened. You remember the let down feeling you got when the Spockbox gave the word. Test number 108, MR3, was scrubbed because of weather. A let down feeling, yes, but it was reassuring to know that the mission would not go unless everything was right. Then it was Friday, May 5th, three days later and the countdown was proceeding again. You remember the feeling you had that this was the day. There'd be no scrub today. The mission would go. You remember the ride to the pad in the transport van. You had rehearsed the procedure before, taken the ride to the pad and climbed into the spacecraft. But this time, you knew it was the real thing. Those the system is as ready as human effort can make in the Mercury Control Center and the Blockhouse monitor Shepherd's physiological status during the countdown. Astronaut Gordon Cooper, assigned to the Blockhouse during the launch operation, stays in direct voice contact with Shepherd. He is pulled back. The emergency vehicle known as the cherry picker is raised into position. An armored car is located at the pad. It can operate in any terrain. At the viewing stands about two miles away, hundreds of press, radio, and television representatives stand by to witness the launch. A helicopter stands by to take a doctor anywhere he might be needed. Astronauts Carpenter and Chirac take off to make direct aerial observation of the early portion of your flight. An amphibious vehicle is standing by, ready to move out if necessary to make a close-in recovery. The recovery force helicopters are airborne. All elements of the mission have reported ready to the control center and the launch is go. Ballistic arc, peaking at about 115 mile altitude. The spacecraft landed 300 miles downrange. The complete flight took 16 minutes and gave Alan Shepherd about five minutes of weightlessness. After the spacecraft landed, Shepherd and the craft were on the Lake Champlain. Complete and detailed information on the flight and on Alan Shepherd was recorded from launch to recovery. Information to be made available to scientists and interested people the world over. Minutes after the flight, Shepherd received a well-done from the president on behalf of the people of the United States. A well-done accepted by Shepherd as a representative of all the people in Project Mercury. Project Mercury, another step in man's search for knowledge. Freedom 7, another step toward man in space.