Life Raft, Mercury

Mercury astronauts had to be prepared to make emergency landings anywhere on sea or land under their orbital track. In case of a splashdown at sea, each astronaut was provided with a survival kit that included a liferaft. One Mercury astronaut did use his raft, Scott Carpenter, who landed 400 km (250 miles) past his intended landing zone at the end of his 3-orbit, 5-hour Mercury-Atlas 7 mission on May 24, 1962. He waited in his raft until rescue aircraft and ships arrived.

Transferred from NASA in 1977.