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Monday, December 23, 2024

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 meters) sculpture of the symbol for the planet Mercury with the number “7” at its center representing the nation’s original seven astronauts.

The symbol was made by Washington Steel of Pennsylvania using the same metal alloy as the company developed for the Atlas rockets that launched four of NASA’s Mercury astronauts from Launch Complex-14 (LC-14).

Roger Lewis, president of General Dynamics, presents a medallion to NASA astronaut Wally Schirra commemorating his service to Project Mercury, America’s first human spaceflight program, during a Nov. 10, 1964 dedication ceremony for the Project Mercury Monument outside the Cape Canaveral launch pad where Schirra lifted off for Earth orbit. (Image credit: NASA)

“The monument is standing up surprisingly very well,” said James Draper, director of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum, in an interview with collectSPACE.com. “The Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is one of the worst preservation environments in the world. We contend with challenges every day out here at the museum. We have intense sun; the salty ocean breeze — not only salty, but ionized; bad and intense tropical storms; exotic pests; and high humidity. All kinds of things that don’t bode well for the preservation of anything.”

“I’m astonished with the preservation of the Mercury monument,” said Draper. “So whatever that steel is, it’s some sort of miracle metal. I have inspected it fairly thoroughly and can’t find any active corrosion or rust, while everything else on the Cape rots without significant attention.”



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