How to Colonize an Asteroid: Technologies

Manned Space Craft: Mercury

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 On May 5, 1961 a Mercury space capsule, launched on a Redstone Missile, made Alan Shepard Jr. the first american in space.

 The goal of project Mercury was to safely orbit and recover a man from space, and assess the ability of humans to function in space.

Mercury was a tiny, one man space capsule with an open ended life support system. Oxygen and water were supplied from cannisters, and urine was collected in a bag. Crude as it was, it paved the way for NASA's manned space program.

 There were a total of 6 manned launches between 1961 and 1963.

Link to {NASA's Mercury page.}