Medals of the US Space program - data and links to CoinTalk threads

The designs on these space medals provide a fascinating 10-year history of the USA space program. These low cost medals span the projects from Mercury III in 1961 through man’s first landing on the moon with Apollo 11 in 1969.

IMO this is a fun chapter in US history. I hope to add several other CT links to this thread.

 

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Mercury III
Alan B. Shepard
First US man in space
Date: May 5, 1961
Mission: Begin manned space flight
Rocket: Redstone
Orbits: Sub-orbital
Distance: 297 miles

 

Mercury IV
Virgil I. Grissom
Second US Man in space
Date: July 21, 1961
Mission: Further manned space flight
Rocket: Redstone
Orbits: Sub-orbital
Distance: 303 miles

 

Mercury VI
John H. Glenn, Jr.
First US man in orbit
Date: February 20, 1962
Mission: First manned orbit of the Earth
Rocket: Atlas D
Orbits: Three
Distance: 80,966 miles

 

Mercury VII
M. Scott Carpenter
Second US man in orbit
Date: May 24, 1962
Mission: Test various controls in orbit
Rocket: Atlas D
Orbits: Three
Distance: 81,325 miles

 

Mercury VIII
Walter M. Schirra
Third US man in orbit
Date: October 3, 1962
Mission: Test orbital free flight
Rocket: Atlas D
Orbits: six
Distance: 143,936 miles

 

Mercury IX
L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
First US long flight
Date: May 15, 1963
Mission: Determine human effects of long distance space flight
Rocket: Atlas D
Orbits: 22
Distance: 546,167 miles

 

Gemini III
Young & Grissom
First US two man flight
Date: March 23, 1965
Mission: Test Orbital Maneuverability
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits: Three
Distance: 80,000 miles

 

Gemini IV
McDivitt & White
First US space walk
Date: June 3, 1965
Mission: Attempt extra-vehicular activity
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits (revolutions): 62
Distance: 1,609,700 miles

 

Gemini V
Cooper & Conrad
First extended flight
Date: August 21, 1965
Mission: Investigate orbital rendezvous issues
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits: 120
Distance: 3,312,993 miles

 

Gemini VI
Stafford & Schirra
First space rendezvous
Date: December 15, 1965
Mission: Rendezvous with Gemini VII
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits: 17
Distance: 449,800 miles

 

Gemini VII
Lovell & Borman
Rendezvous with Gemini VI
Date: December 4, 1965
Mission: Rendezvous w/ Gemini VI & long period flight effects
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits: 206
Distance: 5,716,900 miles

 

Gemini VIII
Armstrong & Scott
First space docking to a target
Date: March 16, 1966
Mission: Rendezvous w/ Agena target vehicle
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits: 7
Distance: 181,450 miles

 

Gemini IX
Stafford & Cernan
First repeated space rendezvous
Date: June 3, 1966
Mission: Test astronaut maneuvering unit
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits: 44
Distance: 1,255,630 miles

 

Gemini X
Young & Collins
First space made vehicle
Date: July 18, 1966
Mission: Rendezvous with two orbiting vehicles
Rocket: Titan 2
Orbits 43
Distance: 1,223,370 miles

 

Apollo VII
Schirra, Eisele, & Cunningham
First Apollo flight
Date: October 11, 1968
Mission: Test new lunar command module operation
Rocket: Saturn 1B
Orbits 163
Distance: 4,075,000 miles

 

Apollo VIII
Borman, Lovell, & Anders
First manned lunar orbit
Date: December 21, 1968
Mission: Manned orbit of the moon
Rocket: Saturn 5
Orbits (Earth): 1.5
Orbits (moon): 10
Distance: 580,000 miles

 

Apollo IX
McDivitt, Scott, & Schweickart
Lunar Module Tests in earth orbit
Date: March 3, 1969
Mission: Test operation of lunar module and command with service module in orbit
Rocket: Saturn 5
Orbits: 151
Distance: 3,800,000 miles

 

Apollo X
Stafford, Cernan, & Young
Approach to moon
Date: May 18, 1969
Mission: Test module operations in lunar environment
Rocket: Saturn 5
Orbits (Earth): 1.5
Orbits (moon): 31
Distance: 830,726 miles

 

Apollo 11
Armstrong, Aldrin, & Collins
First manned moon landing
Date: July 16, 1969
Mission: Mankind’s first landing on another planet
Rocket: Saturn 5
Orbits (Earth): 1.5
Orbits (moon): 30
Distance: 952,700 miles