May 15, 1963: Gordon Cooper Launched in Space - First American to Spend More than 1 Day in Space.

Today in the 20th Century, on May 15, 1963, astronaut Gordon Cooper is launched into space. Thirty-four hours after the launch and after orbiting the earth 22 times, Cooper becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space. He was part of the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission which was the final manned mission of the Mercury program. Faith 7, the capsule Cooper used to orbit the earth, landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on the afternoon of May 16, 1963. Watch this NASA film that documents Mercury's final mission.