Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

In the event of a landing outside the primary landing area, Mercury astronauts carried a variety of survival equipment aboard their spacecraft. These included food, water, knives, rope, matches, medical supplies, a radio transceiver, a compass, a rescue beacon, a radar reflector, a life vest, and a life raft similar to this one. This sea dye marker was part of the survival kit in Freedom 7, the first Mercury mission, in which Alan Shepard became the first American in space. It was packed in Survival Rucksack #2. If the astronaut shakes the powder into the sea, an orange trail forms on the ocean surface, making it easier to spot his raft.

NASA transferred Freedom 7 to the Smithsonian in 1962. This object was found inside the spacecraft in 1977.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Survival Manufacturer Presto Dyechem Co.
 Dimensions 3-D: 10.2 x 2.5 x 10.2cm (4 x 1 x 4 in.)
 Materials Synthetic Fabric
Paint
Metal
 Inventory Number A19771206000 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.