Artifact: Scott Carpenter signed Mercury Friendship 7 space capsule model.
Manufacturer: Code 3 Collectibles.

Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 cm (capsule), 8.3 x 3 x 7.2 cm (stand).

Scale: 1:25
Weight: 217 gr (capsule), 195 gr (stand). Total: 412 gr

Description:

Mercury Friendship 7 model signed by Scott Carpenter. The Mercury capsule model is made of casted resin and the stand is made of wood.

Mercury-Atlas 7, launched May 24, 1962, was the fourth crewed flight of Project Mercury. The spacecraft, named Aurora 7, was piloted by astronaut Scott Carpenter. He was the sixth human to fly in space.

This model, however, corresponds to Mercury's spacecraft, named Friendship 7. The Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) was the first crewed American orbital spaceflight, which took place on February 20, 1962, and was piloted by astronaut John Glenn.

Artifact: NASA patch with Mercury 7 preprinted signatures presentation.
Manufacturer: AB Emblem.
Dimensions: patch: 2¾" / 68mm / Presentation: 20.2 x 25.5 cm.
Program: Mercury.

Description:

NASA AB Emblem patch presentation with preprinted Mercury 7 autographs. It was originally part of a collectors book of space patches, complete with an embroidered NASA vector patch attached above the signatures. The signatures are quite convincing and often mistaken for genuine signatures.

At the bottom of the presentation it reads: "Property of A-B Emblem Corp. May not be reproduced."

More information:

Crew Patch Reference Guide: Mercury 7

Crew Patch Reference Guide: NASA

Artifact: Guenter Wendt signed photo
Artifact Category: photograh, autograph
Dimensions: 8.9 x 12.4 cm

Description: Günter F. Wendt (also spelled Guenter Wendt; August 28, 1923 – May 3, 2010) was a German-born American mechanical engineer noted for his work in the U.S. human spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and later North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs (1961–1966) and the crewed phases of the Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo–Soyuz programs (1968–1975) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). His official title was Pad Leader.

In NASA documentary films, Wendt appears as the bespectacled, thin man in a bow-tie and white cap and coat, usually standing near the hatch, clipboard in hand; or bending over seated crew members, pulling their safety harnesses snug for launch.

Within the White Room atop the gantry on Launch Complex 39 Pad A, the Apollo 11 astronauts egress from the Apollo spacecraft after participation in the Countdown Demonstration Test. In the foreground of the photograph is Astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Pad leader Guenter Wendt talks with Neil Armstrong. Astronaut Michael Collins stands to the left of Armstrong. Credit: NASA.

More information:

Guenter Wendt - Wikipedia

Artifact: Liberty Bell 7 flown film lucite display
Artifact Category: film, lucite.
Date of use: July 21, 1961.
Manufacturer: Lucite made by Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.
Dimensions: 21.3 x 4.3 x 7.2 cm.
Weight: 561 gr.
Program: Mercury.
Flown Status: flown.

Part Nr.: 791 of 1000.

Description: This filmstrip from Liberty Bell 7 recovered from the Atlantic Ocean on July 20. 1999, from a depth of 16.043 feet, was removed during an extensive restoration conducted on the spacecraft by the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center In Hutchinson, Kansas. The pilot observation camera, in which the film was housed, dissolved over time and the film fell to the floor of the capsule where it was encased in mud and corroding debris. The 38-year exposure 10 the elements made the film unsalvageable and it could not be returned to the capsule during the restoration. Issued in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Liberty Beil 7 fight, proceeds derived from making these limited edition artifacts available was used to support the Cosmosphere’s exhibit and education programs.

The main objective of the mission was to evaluate the performance of the Mercury capsule and to test the astronaut's ability to manually control the spacecraft. During the 15-minute suborbital flight, Grissom performed a number of manual maneuvers, including pitch and roll changes, and tested the capsule's manual control system.

However, shortly after splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, the explosive bolts of the capsule's hatch unexpectedly fired, causing the capsule to flood with water and sink to the bottom of the ocean. Grissom was able to escape and was rescued by a recovery helicopter, but the spacecraft was lost.

After the hatch of Liberty Bell 7 opened prematurely, gallons of seawater entered the spacecraft. A helicopter recovery team attempted to empty the water, as seen in this photo. Seconds after this picture was taken, the Marine helicopter dropped the spacecraft because it was too heavy to continue lifting, and the capsule sank to the ocean floor. Credit: NASA.

The cause of the hatch failure has been debated over the years, with some suggesting that Grissom may have accidentally triggered the hatch release switch, while others believe it was a malfunction of the hatch mechanism itself.

A close-up of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule, recovered from the ocean floor, shows the lettering "United States" still clearly visible on its side. Credit: NASA.

Despite the loss of the spacecraft, the Liberty Bell 7 mission was considered a success in terms of the performance of the Mercury capsule and Grissom's ability to manually control it.

Item: Liberty Bell 7 flown sealing tape.
Size: 21 x 29.2 cm (presentation). 1 x 0.6 cm. (fragment).

Description: Attached to this certificate is a piece of sealing tape which formed part of the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft. It was recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean on July 20 1999 from a depth of 16,043 feet. Mercury Redstone 4 was the second US manned space mission. It launched on July 21 1961 and carried astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom on a suborbital spaceflight lasting 15 minutes 30 seconds in the Liberty Bell 7 capsule. Just after splashdown the hatch of the capsule blew resulting in it sinking into the Atlantic Ocean. It comes with a Certificate of authenticity signed by Curt Newport, Liberty Bell 7 Expedition Leader.

Item: Mercury capsule steel model.
Size: 7 x 4.5 cm.

Weight: 120 gr.

Description: This is a small model version of a Wind Tunnel Test Mercury Spacecraft possibly used during the late 1950's or backup unit.

Item: Gene Kranz Signed Training-Used Project Mercury Star Chart
Size: 27.5 x 10.1 cm.

Flight status: Unflown.

Description: Laminated, double-sided, Mercury-era star chart from the personal collection of Flight Director Gene Kranz (signed by Kranz).

This chart is one of approximately 50 similar charts that collectively comprised the Mercury “Astro-Navigation Computer.” Used in conjunction with a plastic slider in the shape of the spacecraft window (not included), these charts could be matched against the astronaut's view out the capsule window at a given mission elapsed time, thus allowing estimation of location and attitude of the spacecraft. This device was particularly important for establishing the yaw of the spacecraft during nightside portions of earth orbit (or under conditions of heavy cloud cover), when ground landmarks would not be visible. An identical device was also issued to the ground tracking stations as well as Mission Control.

Mercury Star Chart Panel - The Triumph of Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. and the Faith 7. NASA, 1963.

 
The design of these “astro-computers” changed between Mercury flights. This example is the same version used on Gordon Cooper’s MA-9 flight in May 1963.

Mercury-era star charts are quite rare, particularly with such amazing provenance. Accompanied by Certification Letter from Steve Hankow of Furthest Reaches, who sold these on behalf of Gene Kranz.

Item: Mercury 7 launch photo signed by astronauts
Size: 28 x 21.5 cm

Description: Picture of Mercury MA-6 launch by John Glenn handsigned by John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Obtained through ArtifactCloud (Florian Noller). Signed during the 40th anniversary of Project Mercury in 2012.