Editing Project Mercury (section)

==Flights==
<div style="float: right; position: relative;width:400px; margin: 0em 0em 0.5em 2em;">
[[File:Mercury-splash-down.png|thumb|400px|Project Mercury landing sites]]
{{Image label|x=0.700 |y=0.180 |scale=400|text=<span style="color:gray;">/</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.690 |y=0.150 |scale=400|text=<span style="background:white; color:gray; font-size:11px; padding-left:2px;">Cape Canaveral</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.100 |y=0.275 |scale=400|text=<span style="color:gray;font-size:11px;">Hawaii</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.725 |y=0.190 |scale=400|text=[[File:City locator 23.svg|10px]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.610 |y=0.210 |scale=400|text=<span style="font-size:11px;">''[[Freedom 7]]''</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.730 |y=0.185 |scale=400|text=[[File:City locator 23.svg|10px]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.755 |y=0.185 |scale=400|text=<span style="font-size:11px;">''[[Liberty Bell 7]]''</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.790 |y=0.235 |scale=400|text=[[File:City locator 23.svg|10px]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.815 |y=0.225 |scale=400|text=<span style="font-size:11px;">''[[Friendship 7]]''</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.825 |y=0.250 |scale=400|text=[[File:City locator 23.svg|10px]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.850 |y=0.255 |scale=400|text=<span style="font-size:11px;">''[[Aurora 7]]''</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.025 |y=0.195 |scale=400|text=[[File:City locator 23.svg|10px]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.050 |y=0.195 |scale=400|text=<span style="font-size:11px;">''[[Mercury-Atlas 8|Sigma 7]]''</span>}}
{{Image label|x=0.020 |y=0.225 |scale=400|text=[[File:City locator 23.svg|10px]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.045 |y=0.230 |scale=400|text=<span style="font-size:11px;">''[[Faith 7]]''</span>}}
</div>
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet [[cosmonaut]] [[Yuri Gagarin]] became the first person in space on an orbital flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=332}} Alan Shepard became the first American in space on a suborbital flight three weeks later, on May 5, 1961.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=341}} John Glenn, the third Mercury astronaut to fly, became the first American to reach orbit on February 20, 1962, but only after the Soviets had launched a second cosmonaut, [[Gherman Titov]], into a day-long flight in August 1961.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=377, 422}} Three more Mercury orbital flights were made, ending on May 16, 1963, with a day-long, 22 orbit flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=640–641}} However, the Soviet Union ended its [[Vostok programme|Vostok program]] the next month, with the human spaceflight endurance record set by the 82-orbit, almost 5-day [[Vostok 5]] flight.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=476}}

===Crewed===

All of the six crewed Mercury flights were successful, though some planned flights were canceled during the project (see below).{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=640–641}} The main medical problems encountered were simple personal [[hygiene]], and post-flight [[orthostatic hypotension|symptoms of low blood pressure]].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=508}} The launch vehicles had been tested through uncrewed flights, therefore the numbering of crewed missions did not start with 1.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=638–641}} Also, there were two separately numbered series: MR for "Mercury-Redstone" (suborbital flights), and MA for "Mercury-Atlas" (orbital flights). These names were not popularly used, since the astronauts followed a pilot tradition, each giving their spacecraft a name. They selected names ending with a "7" to commemorate the seven astronauts.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=132}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=640}} Spacecraft production numbers don't match the mission order, with some capsules being reserved as backup or used in tests.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Project Mercury - A Chronology. Appendix 6 |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/app6.htm |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=history.nasa.gov}}</ref> Times given are [[UTC|Coordinated Universal Time]], local time + 5 hours. MA = Mercury-Atlas, MR = Mercury-Redstone, LC = Launch Complex.{{refn |Alexander & al., 1966, pp. 638–641. | group = n }}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2| Mission
! rowspan="2" |Spacecraft No.
! rowspan="2" | Call-sign
! rowspan=2| Pilot
! colspan=2 class="unsortable"| Launch 
! rowspan=2| Duration
! rowspan=2| Orbits
! rowspan=2| Apogee<br />mi (km)
! rowspan=2| Perigee<br />mi (km)
! rowspan=2| Max. velocity <br />mph (km/h)
! rowspan=2| Miss<br />mi (km)
|-
! time||site
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 3|MR-3]]
|7
| ''Freedom 7''
| [[Alan Shepard|Shepard]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="1"|14:34 on May 5, 1961
| style="text-align:left;" |[[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5|LC-5]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="1"|15 m 22 s
| style="text-align:right;"  |0
| style="text-align:right;"  |117 (188)
| style="text-align:center;" | —
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="6" | {{convert|5134|mph|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="1"| 3.5 (5.6)
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 4|MR-4]]
|11
| ''Liberty Bell 7''
| [[Gus Grissom|Grissom]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="2"|12:20 on Jul. 21, 1961
| style="text-align:left;" |LC-5
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="2"|15 m 37 s
| style="text-align:right;" |0
| style="text-align:right;" |118 (190)
| style="text-align:center;" |—
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="5"|{{convert|5168|mph|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="4"| 5.8 (9.3)
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 6|MA-6]]
|13
| ''Friendship 7''
| [[John Glenn|Glenn]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="3"|14:47 on Feb. 20, 1962
| style="text-align:left;" |[[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14|LC-14]]
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="3"|4 h 55 m 23 s
| style="text-align:right;" |3
| style="text-align:right;" |162 (261)
| style="text-align:right;" |100 (161)
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="4"|{{convert|17544|mph|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="5"| 46 (74)
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 7|MA-7]]
|18
| ''Aurora 7''
| [[Scott Carpenter|Carpenter]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="4"|12:45 on May 24, 1962
| style="text-align:left;" |LC-14
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="4"|4 h 56 m 5 s
| style="text-align:right;" |3
| style="text-align:right;" |167 (269)
| style="text-align:right;" |100 (161)
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="2"|{{convert|17549|mph|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="6"| 248 (400)
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 8|MA-8]]
|16
| ''Sigma 7''
| [[Wally Schirra|Schirra]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="5"|12:15 on Oct. 3, 1962
| style="text-align:left;" |LC-14
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="5"|9 h 13 m 15 s
| style="text-align:right;" |6
| style="text-align:right;" |176 (283)
| style="text-align:right;" |100 (161)
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="1"|{{convert|17558|mph|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="2"| 4.6 (7.4)
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 9|MA-9]]
|20
| ''Faith 7''
| [[Gordon Cooper|Cooper]]
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="6"|13:04 on May 15, 1963
| style="text-align:left;" |LC-14
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="6"|1 d 10 h 19 m 49 s
| style="text-align:right;" | 22
| style="text-align:right;" | 166 (267)
| style="text-align:right;" | 100 (161)
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="3"|{{convert|17547|mph|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:right;" data-sort-value="3"| 5.0 (8.1)
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
!colspan="2" | Remarks
|-
| {{Nowrap|Mercury-Redstone 3}}|| First American in space.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=341}} Recovered by [[aircraft carrier|carrier]] [[USS Lake Champlain (CV-39)|USS ''Lake Champlain'']].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=357}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 4|| Spacecraft sank during recovery when hatch unexpectedly blew off.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=373}}{{refn |It was recovered in 1999.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|pp=402–405}}| group = n }} Astronaut recovered by carrier [[USS Randolph (CV-15)|USS ''Randolph'']].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=375}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 6|| First American in orbit.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=422}} Retropack retained during reentry.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=432}}{{refn|group=n|Launch of ''Friendship 7'' was postponed repeatedly during two months; a frustrated politician compared the spacecraft-Atlas combination to "a [[Rube Goldberg machine|Rube Goldberg device]] on top of a plumber's nightmare".{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=409, 411}}}} Recovered by [[destroyer]] [[USS Noa (DD-841)|USS ''Noa'']].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=433}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 7|| Carpenter replaced Deke Slayton.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=440}}{{refn|group=n|Carpenter's overshoot of the landing site was caused by a malfunction in the automatic stabilization, which meant that retrofire was out of line with the movement of the spacecraft{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=453-454}}}} Recovered by [[destroyer]] [[USS Farragut (DDG-37)|USS ''Farragut'']].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=456}} Biggest miss.{{refn|During Carpenter's mission a seaplane from the US Air Force got to the landing site about 1½ hour ahead of the Navy ships and offered to pick him up.  This, however, was declined by the admiral in charge of Mercury recovery operations, which led to a Senate hearing about the incident.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=457}}|group=n}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 8|| The flight closest to plan.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=484}} Carried out maneuvering tests.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=476}} Recovered by carrier [[USS Kearsarge (CV-33)|USS ''Kearsarge'']].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=483}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 9|| First American in space for over a day.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=487}} Last American solo mission.{{refn|group=n|Likely to be so according to Alexander & al.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=506}}}} Recovered by USS ''Kearsarge''.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=501}}
|-
| Recovery variations|| MA6) spacecraft and astronaut hoist onboard directly; MA8) spacecraft and astronaut towed by boat to ship; MA9) spacecraft with astronaut inside flown to ship.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=353,375,433,457,483–484,501}}
|}
<gallery mode="packed">
Kennedy, Johnson, and others watching flight of Astronaut Shepard on television, 05 May 1961.png|Shepard's flight watched on TV in the [[White House]]. May 1961.
Astronaut_John_Glenn_being_Honored_-_GPN-2000-000607.jpg|John Glenn honored by the President. February 1962
USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) crew spells out 'Mercury 9' on the flight deck, 15 May 1963 (GPN-2000-001403).jpg|USS ''Kearsarge'' with crew spelling Mercury-9. May 1963.
</gallery>
{{Clear}}

===Uncrewed and chimpanzee flights===
The 20 uncrewed flights used Little Joe, Redstone, and Atlas launch vehicles.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=640}} They were used to develop the launch vehicles, launch escape system, spacecraft and tracking network.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=638–641}} One flight of a [[Scout (rocket family)|Scout rocket]] attempted to launch a specialized satellite equipped with Mercury communications components for testing the ground tracking network, but the booster failed soon after liftoff. The Little Joe program used seven airframes for eight flights, of which three were successful. The second Little Joe flight was named Little Joe 6, because it was inserted into the program after the first 5 airframes had been allocated.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=231}}{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=278}} Production spacecraft and boilerplates were used for these test flights.<ref name=":0" /> 
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
|-
! Mission{{refn | Source: Alexander & al., 1966, pp. 638–641 when nothing else is mentioned. | group = n }}
!Spacecraft No.
! Launch
! Duration
! class="unsortable" | Purpose
! Result
|-
| [[Little Joe 1]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |August 21, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000020" | 20 s
| Test of launch escape system during flight.
| Failure
|-
| [[Big Joe 1]]
|Big Joe Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |September 9, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001300" |13 m 00 s
| Test of heat shield and Atlas/spacecraft interface.
| Partial success
|-
| [[Little Joe 6]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |October 4, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000510" | 5 m 10 s
| Test of spacecraft aerodynamics and integrity.
| Partial success
|-
| [[Little Joe 1A]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |November 4, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000811" | 8 m 11 s
|Test of launch escape system during flight with boiler plate capsule.
| Partial success
|-
| [[Little Joe 2]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |December 4, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001106" |11 m 6 s
| Escape system test with primate at high altitude.
| Success
|-
| [[Little Joe 1B]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |January 21, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000835" |8 m 35 s
|Maximum-q abort and escape test with primate with boiler plate capsule.
| Success
|-
| [[Beach Abort]]
|1
| style="text-align:right;" |May 9, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000131" |1 m 31 s
| Test of the off-the-pad abort system.
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 1]]
|4
| style="text-align:right;" |July 29, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000318" |3 m 18 s
| Test of spacecraft / Atlas combination.
| Failure
|-
| [[Little Joe 5]]
|3
| style="text-align:right;" |November 8, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000222" |2 m 22 s
| First Little Joe escape system test with a production spacecraft, at max-q.
| Failure
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 1]]
|2
| style="text-align:right;" |November 21, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000002" |2 s
| Qualification of spacecraft / Redstone combination.
| Failure
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 1A]]
|2
| style="text-align:right;" |December 19, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001545" |15 m 45 s
| Qualification of spacecraft / Redstone combination.
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 2]]
|5
| style="text-align:right;" |January 31, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001639" |16 m 39 s
| Qualification of spacecraft with [[Ham (chimpanzee)|chimpanzee named Ham]].
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 2]]
|6
| style="text-align:right;" |February 21, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001756" |17 m 56 s
| Qualified Mercury/Atlas interface.
| Success
|-
| [[Little Joe 5A]]
|14
| style="text-align:right;" |March 18, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="002348" |5 m 25 s
| Second test of escape system with a production Mercury spacecraft.
| Partial success
|-
| Nowrap|[[Mercury-Redstone BD]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |March 24, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000823" |8 m 23 s
| Final Redstone test flight.
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 3]]
|8
| style="text-align:right;" |April 25, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000719" |7 m 19 s
| Orbital flight with robot astronaut.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=335}}{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=275}}{{refn|A machine that produced the same heat, vapor and CO<sub>2</sub> as an astronaut.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=309}}|group=n}}
| Failure
|-
| [[Little Joe 5B]]
|14
| style="text-align:right;" |April 28, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000525" |5 m 25 s
| Third test of escape system with a production spacecraft.
| Success
|- style="background-color:#CDE;"
| [[Mercury-Atlas 4]]
|8
| style="text-align:right;" |September 13, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="014920" |1 h 49 m 20 s
| Test of environmental control system with robot astronaut in orbit.
| Success
|- style="background-color:#CDE;"
| [[Mercury-Scout 1]]
| -
| style="text-align:right;" |November 1, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000044" |44 s
| Special satellite to test Mercury tracking network.
| Failure
|- style="background-color:#CDE;"
| [[Mercury-Atlas 5]]
|9
| style="text-align:right;" |November 29, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="032059" |3 h 20 m 59 s
| Test of environmental control system in orbit with [[Enos (chimpanzee)|chimpanzee named Enos]].
| Success
|}
{{legend|#CDE|After suborbital crewed flights}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="2"|Remarks
|-
| Little Joe 1
| Due to an electrical malfunction, the escape tower ignited ½ hour before launch and took the spacecraft with it, leaving the rocket on the ground.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=208}}
|-
| Big Joe 1
| Actually the first Mercury-Atlas flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=640}} Recovered by {{USS|Strong|DD-758|6}} 2,407&nbsp;km SE of Cape Canaveral.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=203–204}} Altitude: {{convert|65|mi|abbr=on}} Qualified ablative heatshield.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=229}}
|-
| Little Joe 6
| No additional tests{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=209}}
|-
| Little Joe 1A
|The rescue tower rocket ignited 10 seconds too late.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=210}} Recovered by {{USS|Opportune|ARS-41|6}} {{convert|11.5|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Wallops Island.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=232}}
|-
| Little Joe 2
| Carried Sam, a [[rhesus macaque]].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=210}} Recovered by {{USS|Borie|DD-704|6}} {{convert|194|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Wallops Island, Virginia; altitude: 53&nbsp;mi (85&nbsp;km).{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|pp=234, 474}}
|-
| Little Joe 1B
|Carried a female rhesus monkey named Miss Sam.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=212}}
|-
| Beach Abort
|A production spacecraft with minimal equipment was lifted from the ground by the launch escape system alone at [[Wallops Island]]. It reached an apogee of {{convert|2465|ft|km|order=flip}} and was recovered after landing. Top velocity: {{convert|976|mph|m/s|order=flip}}. Total payload: 1,154&nbsp;kg.
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 1
| Exploded while passing through max-q.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=276}} To save weight, the airframe had been made thinner since Big Joe, which led to a collapse. The next Atlas was strengthened by a temporary solution while the rest were made from the same specifications as Big Joe.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=243}}
|-
| Little Joe 5
| The clamp holding the spacecraft was deflected by air pressure; due to this and incorrect wiring, the escape tower ignited too early and further failed to separate spacecraft from launch vehicle.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=248}}{{refn|group=n| The clamp was subsequently tested by a rocket sled.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=248}}}} Altitude: {{convert|10|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=291}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 1
| Engine shutdown caused by improper separation of electrical cables;{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=298}} vehicle rose {{convert|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} and settled back on the pad.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=294}}{{refn|group=n|Immediately after the Redstone's engine shut down, the capsule's [[Launch escape system|escape rocket]] jettisoned itself, leaving the capsule attached to the booster. The escape rocket rose to an altitude of {{convert|4000|ft|m|abbr=on}} and landed about {{convert|400|yd|m|abbr=on}} away. Three seconds after the escape rocket fired, the capsule deployed its [[drogue parachute]]; it then deployed the main and reserve parachutes.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=294}}}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 1A
| First flight of Mercury / Redstone. Recovered by {{USS|Valley Forge|CV-45|6}}.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=297}} Altitude: {{convert|130|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=310}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 2
| Carried the chimpanzee Ham on suborbital flight. Recovered by {{USS|Donner|LSD-20|6}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=316}} {{convert|422|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Cape Canaveral; altitude: {{convert|157|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=638–639}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 2
| Recovered by USS ''Donner''{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=321–322}} {{convert|1432|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Cape Canaveral.
|-
| Little Joe 5A
| Tower fired 14 seconds too soon; it failed to separate the spacecraft from the rocket.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=327}}
|-
| Nowrap|Mercury-Redstone BD
| BD: Booster Development){{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=330}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 3
| Upgraded from suborbital flight. Was aborted when the Atlas continued to vertically climb instead of tilting toward orbit; escaping capsule was recovered and reused in Mercury-Atlas 4.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=337}}
|-
| Little Joe 5B
| Concluded Little Joe program.
|-style="background-color:#CDE;"
| Mercury-Atlas 4
| Completed one orbit and sent data to the ground; first orbital flight of the project.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=386-387}} Recovery by {{USS|Decatur|DD-936|6}} {{convert|176|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Bermuda]].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=389}}
|-style="background-color:#CDE;"
| Mercury-Scout 1
| Was aborted after malfunction of booster's guidance system;{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=397}} results of Mercury-Atlas 4 and Mercury-Atlas 5 were used instead.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=312}}
|-style="background-color:#CDE;"
| Mercury-Atlas 5
| Chimpanzee Enos completed a two-orbit flight, performing tasks to prove it possible for a person to function during a flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=404}}{{refn|group=n|Was given a reward in the form a banana pellet or a punishment in the form of mild electrical shocks depending on whether or not he gave the right response to a given signal; by mistake he was sometimes given shocks on right answers.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=405}}}} Last Mercury-Atlas test flight. Recovery by {{USS|Stormes|DD-780|6}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=406}} {{convert|255|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Bermuda.{{sfn|Grimwood|1963|p=169}}
|}
<gallery mode="packed">
Launch of Little Joe 1B, January 21, 1960.jpg|Little Joe 1B at launch with Miss Sam, 1960
Escape rocket of Mercury-Redstone 1-crop.jpg|Mercury-Redstone 1: launch escape system lift-off after 4<nowiki>''</nowiki> launch, 1960
Chimpanzee Ham in Biopack Couch for MR-2 flight MSFC-6100114.jpg|Mercury-Redstone 2: [[Ham (chimpanzee)|Ham]], 1961
Chimpanzee Enos before the flight of Mercury-Atlas 5 (cropped).jpg|Mercury-Atlas 5: [[Enos (chimpanzee)|Enos]], 1961
</gallery>
{{clear}}

===Canceled===
[[File:Jupiter_atlas_redstone_rockets_comparison.jpg|alt=Mercury-Jupiter (center) compared with Redstone (left) and Atlas (right).|thumb|Mercury-Jupiter (center) compared with Redstone (left) and Atlas (right).]]
Nine of the planned flights were canceled. 

Mercury-Jupiter was a proposed suborbital launch configuration consisting of a [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter missile]] carrying a Mercury capsule. Two flights were planned in support of [[Project Mercury]]. The Mercury-Jupiter 1 flight would have been a heat shield test. The Mercury-Jupiter 2 flight was planned as a maximum dynamic pressure qualification test of the production Mercury spacecraft with a chimpanzee on board.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mercury-Jupiter MJ-2 |url=http://astronautix.com/flights/merr2mj2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013154511/http://astronautix.com/flights/merr2mj2.htm |archive-date=2011-10-13 |website=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref> On July 1, 1959, less than a year after the October, 1958 program start date, the flights were canceled due to budget constraints.<ref>{{cite web |last=Grimwood |first=James M. |title=Project Mercury – A Chronology – PART II (A) Research and Development Phase of Project Mercury |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/p2a.htm |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=NASA |id=NASA SP-4001}}</ref> 

Suborbital flights were planned for four other astronauts but the number of flights was cut down gradually and finally all remaining were canceled after Titov's flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=377}}{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=474}}{{refn|group=n|Within the Mercury Project organization the suborbital flights were from the start criticized as being of little value and even compared to a circus act.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=100}}}} 

Mercury-Atlas 9 was intended to be followed by more one-day flights and even a three-day flight but with the coming of the Gemini Project it seemed unnecessary. The Jupiter booster was, as mentioned above, intended to be used for different purposes.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Mission
!Pilot
!  Planned Launch
!  Cancellation
|-
| Mercury-Jupiter 1
|
|
| July 1, 1959{{sfn|Grimwood|1963|p=81}}
|-
| Mercury-Jupiter 2
| Chimpanzee
| First quarter, 1960
| July 1, 1959{{sfn|Grimwood|1963|p=81}}{{refn|group=n|Proposed maximum dynamic pressure test for capsule.<ref name="MJ2" />}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 5
| Glenn (likely)
| March 1960{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=474}}
| August 1961{{sfn|Cassutt|Slayton|1994|p=104}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 6
|
| April 1960{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=474}}
| July 1961{{sfn|Cassutt|Slayton|1994|p=101}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 7
|
|May 1960{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=474}}
|
|-
|Mercury-Redstone 8
|
|June 1960{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=474}}
|
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 10]]
| Shepard
| October 1963
| June 13, 1963{{refn|group=n|Mercury-Atlas 10 was intended to be a three-day mission in November 1962 with extra supplies attached to the heat shield. Call-sign ''Freedom 7-II''. By January 1963, it was changed to a one-day back up mission for Mercury-Atlas 9. It was canceled after the success of the latter.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|pp=385–386}}}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 11
| Grissom
| Fourth quarter, 1963
| October 1962<ref name="Mercury-Atlas 11"/>
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 12
| Schirra
| Fourth quarter, 1963
| October 1962<ref name="Mercury-Atlas 12"/>
|}