Chris Calle (American, B. 1961) "Gordon Cooper - Final Mercury Mission" Signed lower right. Mixed Media on Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of The Gambia 25th Anniversary of the Moon Landing stamps issued August 16, 1994.

Although originally scheduled to take off on May 14, 1963, Mercury 9 experienced radar malfunctions and an engine problem that delayed its launch until the following day. On May 15, Air Force Major General Gordon Cooper manned his spacecraft, which he called Faith 7. Its liftoff was as flawless as that of Wally Schirra's Sigma 7 just seven months earlier. Once Cooper was in orbit, he marveled at the detail he could make out from such a vantage point. He later recalled seeing the wake of a boat on the Nile as well as tendrils of smoke from villages in the Himalayas. Thrilling scenes such as those, combined with his floating, weightless arms, kept Cooper from getting the full seven and a half hours scheduled for his rest. Yet this was the least of his problems. During Faith 7's 19th orbit, an indicator light warned that "G" forces were building early. Two revolutions later, it was determined that the spacecraft's automatic stabilization and control system had lost all power. Later Cooper revealed, "I was privately pleased. I was glad for this chance to do the job myself and I was certain by now that I really had the thing nailed." His confident approach proved successful. Nearly 34 hours after its liftoff and following 22 orbits of Earth, Faith 7 safely landed four miles from its target, marking the final mission of the Mercury Project and taking man another step closer to the Moon.

Image Size: 7.25 x 6 in.
Overall Size: 12.75 x 11.25 in.
Unframed.
(B14799)

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