Mercury program
A program of rocket-powered flights undertaken by the United States with the goal of putting a man in orbit around the Earth. Each Mercury flight carried one astronaut. The program ran from 1961 to 1963 and was named after the Roman god Mercury, the messenger of the gods.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
notes for Mercury program
The first United States suborbital flight was made by Alan Shepard in 1961.
notes for Mercury program
In 1962, John Glenn made the first orbital flight by an American astronaut.
Words nearby Mercury program
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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