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Article: Mercury Program
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- Space Sciences
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Mercury Program
In ancient Rome, Mercury was the mythical messenger of the gods. His winged helmet and sandals represented his ability to run extremely fast. Ancient astronomers immortalized him by giving the name Mercury to the planet that circled the Sun in the shortest amount of time. In 1958 speed was very much on the minds of the managers of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Speed was critical to meeting the goal of the Mercury program: to launch an astronaut into orbit and safely return him to Earth.
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To achieve that goal NASA would have to accelerate a vehicle containing an astronaut, life support equipment, and other systems to more than 29,000 kilometers ...