In this 1959 image, a technician checks the Mercury full-scale capsule model prior to testing at NASA Langley Research Center, where much of the research and development of the Mercury program was conducted.
In this 1959 image, a technician checks the Mercury full-scale capsule model prior to testing at NASA Langley Research Center, where much of the research and development of the Mercury program was conducted. Originally built in the early 1930s to test full-scale aircraft, the “30 by 60” tested many of the bombers and fighter planes used in World War II. Retired in October 1995, the “30 by 60” was one of NASA’s largest wind tunnels and is a registered National Historic Landmark.Image credit: NASA