Friendship 7 (2) - 28 January 2014

On 20 February 1962, the Mercury-Atlas Friendship 7 capsule, with John Glenn on board, orbited the Earth three times before returning to the Atlantic near Grand Turk. A replica capsule is part of a display in the slightly incongruous surroundings of that island's Cruise Center shops and this example is a short distance away outside the island's airport. The Eurodam, on which we had arrived at Grand Turk, can be seen in the background. Our guide suggested that this was the original capsule but conceded that it might be another replica. Online resources place the actual original in the National Air and Space Museum, Washington.

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