New arrival representing the Mercury Atlas 9, USAF astronaut Gordon Cooper, held last and longest Mercury mission. #spacegeek | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

[⚛️] Voilà d'incroyables images restaurées du lancement de la mission Mercury-Atlas 8 le 3 Octobre 1962 ! 🤩 Les plus avertis reconnaitront à l'image le lanceur Atlas, ancêtre du lanceur Atlas V moderne qui a emmené dernièrement Perseverance sur Mars ! 🚀 Ici elle emmenait l'astronaute américain Walter Schirra pour la 5 mission spatiale habitée américaine de l'histoire, devenant alors le 9ème humain à aller dans l'espace ! 👨‍🚀 | Futura explore l'espace

Atlas rockets lifted some of the first US astronauts and satellites into Earth orbit in the 1960s. Atlas also was the first American nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. Atlas and its US Air Force managers and technicians played vital roles in both the space race with the Soviet Union and in early nuclear deterrence. The Atlas booster family continues to launch space missions in the 21st century. See the CONVAIR LV-3B / SM-65D ATLAS in the Missile Gallery! #spacegeek | National M

Imagens do lançamento do Mercury-Atlas 4 e do seu voo orbital, realizado em 13 de setembro de 1961. Esse foi o primeiro voo orbital do projeto Mercury. Créditos: NASA/Jason Major | Ned Oliveira / Astronomia