Why Are They Called "Capsules"

views updated

WHY ARE THEY CALLED "CAPSULES"?

Engineers dubbed the Mercury spacecraft a "capsule" because there was barely enough room to fit the astronaut, 120 controls, fifty-five switches, and thirty-five control levers inside the spacecraft, which was only 2.9 meters (9.5 feet) long and 1.8 meters (6 feet) wide. The name stuck.