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Main Parachute Segment Mission: Mercury-Redstone 3 Freedom 7   Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Launch: May 5, 1961   Landing: May 5, 1961   Duration: 15 min, 28 seconds   Comment: First American manned space flight NASA telemetry technician Harold French cut this swatch of fabric from the 63-foot, main recovery parachute that lowered Freedom 7 and Alan Shepard to a splashdown in the ocean. Hoisted and hung in a hangar bay for several days after the flight, those involved with Project Mercury (including French) cut off sections as souvenirs. A typed, signed letter by French attests the swatch's flight history. back to Artifacts © 1999-2008 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. Questions? E-mail contact@collectspace.com