Mercury Couch

The Mercury spacecraft, under certain conditions, could subject its pilot to high G loads. Langley researchers experimented with a couch which was custom-molded for each individual. Taken to the Navy's centrifuge at Johnsville, it allowed a test subject to endure G loads of over 20Gs, more than double those expected during the Mercury flights.

Couches were made for each of the Mercury 7 astronauts. During my first visit the the museum, it displayed a Mercury couch, although the astronaut for whom it was made was not indicated (other couches which I've seen have had the astronaut's name stencilled onto it, so this may be a development couch).

The couch had been taken off exhibit by the time of my subsequent visits.