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Mercury 8 Pacific Splash Downs supported by Navy Tankers Link to Photos |
| Sigma
7 (MA-8) On October 3,
1962, Walter
Schirra
became the third American to orbit the Earth. He completed six orbits
in Sigma
7, for
a total flight time of 9 hours and 13 minutes. Schirra carefully
managed fuel and electricity, paving the way for long-duration flights.
His flight was considered a textbook success. He re-entered the
atmosphere and splashed down 4.5 mi (7.2 km) from the aircraft carrier
USS Kearsarge, about 275 mi (442 km) northeast of Midway Island in the
Pacific Ocean.
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