Cosmic Coffee Time with Andrew Prestage
Cosmic Coffee Time with Andrew Prestage
#73 NASA’s Project Mercury Monument has turned 60! It’s a tribute to America's first attempt at human space flight. The monument has a time capsule that is scheduled to stay sealed for 500 years! Let’s check out what's inside.
Project Mercury was NASA’s first attempt at human crewed space flight. It sent Alan Shepard into space, and John Glenn into orbit, among four other landmark flights over 5 years. By 1963 it was done, and NASA was ready to launch Gemini, its next project. But being such a groundbreaking project, in 1964 NASA paid tribute to Mercury with a four metre high stainless steel monument with a time capsule that would remain sealed beneath it until the year 2464, five centuries later.
What was so significant about Mercury? And what’s inside this time capsule? We could wait another 440 years, or just listen!
Follow Cosmic Coffee Time on X for some special content
You can request a topic for the show! Or even just say hi!
We'd love to hear from you.
Email us!