When Did a Mercury Capsule First Orbit the Earth and Who Was On Board To Pilot the Spacecraft?
On September 13, 1961, a Mercury capsule was launched into orbit and, after one complete revolution, landed safely. On board was a simulation of an astronaut. Afterwards, a Mercury capsule successfully carried the chimpanzee Enos twice around Earth. Despite the astronauts’ test pilot experience NASA first intended for them to be
