posted 11-10-2024 07:00 AM               

At 60 years, monument to NASA's Project Mercury still stands, but what of its time capsule?

A 60-year-old tribute to America's first human spaceflight program is standing up to the test of time, but what about the contents of its time capsule not to be opened until 2464?

The Project Mercury Monument located at the Cape Canaveral launch pad from where NASA astronauts first flew into Earth orbit was dedicated on Nov. 10, 1964 "to the thousands of men and women of the free world who contributed to the success" of the United States' "pioneering man-in-space program." The primary feature of the installation is a 13-foot-tall (4-meter) sculpture of the symbol for the planet Mercury with the number "7" at its center representing the nation's original seven astronauts.

posted 11-11-2024 10:34 AM               

A big thanks always goes out to collectSPACE member Chuck Reitter (Watts Way), who back in May sent me a pile of archival documents and photos that he scanned from from his father's estate. Roy Reitter was a McDonnell Aircraft administrative engineer on site at the Cape during Mercury and Gemini.

The documents, presented below, inspired and informed the article:

• General Dynamics News Release: Project Mercury Monument Dedication and Unveiling Information, Nov. 10, 1964

• General Dynamics tri-fold: The Project Mercury Monument, Cape Kennedy, Florida

• Agenda: Mercury Monument Dedication

• Remarks by Dr. Edward C. Welsh, Executive Secretary, National Aeronautics and Space Council At the Dedication of the Project Mercury Monument

• Project Mercury Monument binder (photos): cover, folder, time capsule plaque, time capsule plaque (inverse), time capsule caption, medallion

• McDonnell: Report on the Project Mercury Monument Dedication and Unveiling, Nov. 9, 1964

• The Cocoa Tribune: Cape Mercury Site Dedicated Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1964

• Orlando Sentinel: Cape Marker Honors First Astronauts, Nov. 11, 1964