Mercury-Atlas 9 capsule recovery. Faith 7 capsule, containing pilot Gordon Cooper, being recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by the crew of the USS Kearsarge. This capsule was mounted to the top of the Atlas rocket that carried the Mercury 9 mission into orbit. Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) was the last manned spaceflight of the US Mercury program. The mission was successful with Cooper completing 22 orbits in the Faith 7 spacecraft before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Photographed on 16th May 1963.