Mercury Couch (Glenn)

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. The museum displays a training couch created for John Glenn.