Mercury-Atlas 9
L. Gordon Cooper, photographed by a slow-scan television camera aboard Faith 7
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| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1963-015A |
| SATCAT no. | 576 |
| Mission duration | 34 hours, 19 minutes, 49 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 878,971 kilometers (474,606 nautical miles) |
| Orbits completed | 22 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Mercury No.20 |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft |
| Launch mass | 1,360 kilograms (3,000 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 1 |
| Members | L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. |
| Callsign | Faith 7 |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 15, 1963, 13:04:13 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas LV-3B 130-D |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-14 |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | USS Kearsarge |
| Landing date | May 16, 1963, 23:24:02 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee | 163 kilometers (88 nautical miles) |
| Apogee | 265 kilometers (143 nautical miles) |
| Inclination | 32.5 degrees |
| Period | 88.77 minutes |
| Epoch | May 15, 1963 |
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 Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr.
Project Mercury
Manned missions |
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Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final manned space mission of the U.S. Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963 from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, named Faith 7, completed 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, piloted by astronaut Gordon Cooper, then an Air Force major. The Atlas rocket was No. 130-D, and the Mercury spacecraft was No. 20. This mission marks the last time an American was launched alone to conduct an entirely solo orbital mission.
The flight of Sigma 7 had been so nearly perfect that some at NASA thought America should quit while it was ahead and make MA-8 the last Mercury mission, and not risk the chance of future disaster. NASA had pushed the first-generation Mercury hardware far enough, and taking more chances on another longer mission was not warranted; instead, they should move on to the Gemini program.
Manned Spacecraft Center officials, however, believed that the Mercury team should be given the chance to test man in space for a full day. In addition, all of the Soviet single-seat Vostok spacecraft launched after Vostok 1 lasted for more than a day, thus the Mercury 9 flight would bring the Mercury spacecraft up to the same level as that of the Soviets.
In September, 1962, NASA concluded negotiations with McDonnell to modify four Mercury spacecraft (#12, #15, #17 and #20) to a configuration that supported a one-day mission. Such changes to the spacecraft included the removal of the periscope, a redundant set of thrusters, and the addition of extra batteries and oxygen tanks.
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