# @nasaartemis on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C6wNTjruzzV
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/17330650-nasaartemis-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/legacy-do/736d46500486fd83b0f098331c6ccbbd137581edbfb1b9bcbebade955f881ea7.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-05-09T15:46:08.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA Artemis (@nasaartemis) — https://gondola.cc/nasaartemis

## Caption

#TBT Scooping up an astronaut 🧑‍🚀 ⁣
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In this image from May 5, 1961, a Marine helicopter picks up Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard and his Freedom 7 capsule in the Atlantic Ocean after the first American sub-orbital flight. Only 11 minutes after landing, he was onboard the U.S. Navy carrier Lake Champlain, where he took a congratulatory phone call from President John F. Kennedy.⁣
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Engineers said the spacecraft was in such great shape it could be reused. (Doctors said Shepard could be used again too.)⁣
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The main scientific objective of Project Mercury was to determine humanity’s capabilities in a space environment. The pioneering legacy of Project Mercury and all those who worked on it led to the Apollo Moon landings in the late 60s and early 70s.⁣
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Image description: A Marine helicopter flies above a dark-colored capsule that is floating in the Atlantic Ocean. The blades of the helicopter are creating ripples in the water around the capsule. The water is a dark cerulean blue and the sky overhead is light blue and filled with clouds. The word “Marines” can be read on the side of the dark green helicopter.⁣
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Credit: NASA⁣
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#Throwback #NASAHistory #Freedom7 #MercuryProgram #NASA #STEM #Astronaut #Apollo #Artemis #Moon

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 6,556
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- **Comments:** 25

## Tags

nasahistory, mercuryprogram, freedom7, throwback, apollo, tbt, nasa, stem, moon, artemis, astronaut

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