America’s First Manned Spacecraft!

The dream of manned spaceflight became a reality in the early 1960's. Flying solo aboard the Mercury™ capsule, six brave American Astronauts helped pioneer mankind's early exploration of space. Riding powerful rockets, they would experience extreme acceleration during the rapid ascent into space and reach speeds up to 27,500 kilometres per hour. Early suborbital flights lasted about 15 minutes, whilst later orbital missions would circle the earth every 90 minutes. Upon re-entry, the ablative shield on the outside of their capsule would save them from temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius. Once in Earth's atmosphere, a large parachute would slow them and their capsule to a safe speed, allowing a splash down in the ocean. The successful Mercury™ program paved the way for more ambitious manned spaceflight programs, which eventually saw man walk on the moon.

• Parts and decals to make two Mercury™ Spacecraft

• Choose from three different flight modes - launch, orbit or re-entry

• Detailed Mercury™ capsule with shingles and bolts finely reproduced

• Parts to build boilerplate, porthole or window versions of the capsule

• Finely engraved recessed panel lines

• High quality water-slide decals included

• Display stands included

• Photo-etch parts included