The NASA Mercury programme bridged the gap between the hypersonic X15 and the twoman Gemini spacecraft which in turn led to the Apollo spacecraft. This Manual completes the Haynes Workshop manual series of US and Russian piloted space vehicles. The Mercury programme began in 1958 with the goal of putting a man into Earth orbit and returning him safely ideally before the Soviet Union. Seven astronauts were selected to train for spaceflights on the Mercury programme and they became known as the