Souvenir Bank Commemorating "First U.S. Astronaut Space Flights," 1963
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Artifact Overview
This souvenir bank, shaped like a space capsule, commemorated the U.S. flights of astronauts Alan Shepard (May 5, 1961) and John Glenn (February 20, 1962). President John F. Kennedy's vision to explore the "new frontier" of space ignited the public's imagination. For children in the 1960s, the idea of space flight was wondrous. For parents, it had the added value of encouraging children to save money.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Bank (Container)
Date Made
1963
Subject Date
1961-1962
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
2013.57.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Plastic
Color
Copper (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 5 in
Diameter: 4 in
Inscriptions
Top: SAVE / HAVE
Side, middle: UNITED STATES
Side, near bottom: REDSTONE ATLAS / ASTRONAUT CAPSULE / PROJECT MERCURY
Bottom, around edge: FIRST U.S. ASTRONAUT SPACE FLIGHTS
Bottom, left side: SUB / ORBITAL / ALAN B. SHEPARD JR. / COMMANDER U.S.N. / MAY 5, 1961 / HEIGHT 115 MILES / SPEED 5100 M.P.H. / DISTANCE 302 MILES
[below line]: WEIGHT 1 TON / DIAMETER 74.5 IN.
Bottom, right side: ORBITAL / JOHN H. GLENN JR. / LT. COLONEL U.S.M.C. / FEB. 20, 1962 / HEIGHT 160 MILES / SPEED 17,545 M.P.H / 3 EARTH ORBITS
[below line]: HEIGHT 108 IN. / REDSTONE ATLAS
Bottom, near bottom edge: FREEDOM 7 / BEACON / FRIENDSHIP 7
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