A Liberty Bell 7 Mercury Spacecraft Component
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:2867787 |
This is an original component from the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft, recovered from the Atlantic Ocean on July 20, 1999, from a depth of 16, 043 feet. The recovery was financed by the Discovery Channel. This component was removed during an extensive restoration conducted by the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas. It could not be reinstalled in the spacecraft because of the corroded condition of the component to which it was originally attached.It was sold pu...blicly to offset restoration and exhibition expenses. The Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft was piloted by Virgil “Gus” Grissom in an historical July 21, 1961, 15-minute suborbital flight. It was the second time an American was launched into space. During splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, the explosive-powered hatch blew prematurely. Grissom was fortunate to have escaped before it sank. Grissom was one of the original NASA Mercury 7 astronauts. He died in an Apollo launchpad fire in 1967. This component appears to be a double connector of some type, encased in an acrylicblock tapered from 2” to 2 ½” in width, 7” in length, and 5” in height. It is in perfect condition. When originally made available forpublic, it probably had a certificate of authenticity signed by the President and CEO of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Max L. Ary. He is currently the Director of the Stafford Air & Space Museum located in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Iwill ship for free in the United States.
