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| Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) launch cover with "SpaceCraft" illustrated cachet cancelled at Cape Canaveral, May 15, 1963, signed by Gordon Cooper. This was the last Project Mercury manned orbital flight. |
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| Photo: Gordon Cooper leaving the transfer van at the launch pad on May 14, 1963. |
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| Photo: Cooper waited in the capsule for almost six hours before officials postponed his scheduled flight on May 14, 1963. |
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| Photo: MA-9 rescheduled to launch on May 15, 1963. |
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| Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) launch cover with a "Swanson" illustrated cachet cancelled at Cape Canaveral, May 15, 1963, signed by Christopher C. Kraft Jr. the flight director of all manned Mercury missions. |
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| Photo: Alan Shepard, the backup pilot for the MA-9 mission, served as CAPCOM for Gordon Cooper's flight at the Mercury Control Center. |
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| The back of the above cover signed by crew at the Pacific Missile Range Tracking Facility. In the Mercury missions, the capsule communicator (CAPCOM) was the main person to communicate with the pilot. Scott Carpenter served as CAPCOM in Kauai, Hawaii, for Gordon Cooper's flight. |
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| Photo: Five of the second generation astronauts listened to Gordon Cooper's flight. |
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| Photo: Gordon Cooper photographed the curvature of earth and China. |
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| Photo: A sketch of Gordon Cooper's re-entry. |
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| Photo: Recovery of Gordon Cooper's "Faith 7" capsule by USS Kearsarge. |
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| USS Kearsarge recovery ship Captain's cover with ship cachet in magenta and Captains's corner card. Machine cancelled and signed by Gordon Cooper and commanding officer, E. P. Rankin |
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| Photo: First look of Gordon Cooper after his capsule's hatch blew off. |
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| Photo: Gordon Cooper crawling out of the "Faith 7" capsule. |
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| USS Kearsarge recovery ship Captain's cover with ship cachet in black and Captains's corner card. Hand cancelled and signed by commanding officer, E. P. Rankin. The 4¢ stamp is a "Dag Hammarskjöld invert" stamp. |
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| Photo: Gordon Cooper waved to seaman on the deck of the USS Kearsarge as he stepped out from the "Faith 7" capsule. |
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| USS Kearsarge recovery ship cover with ship cachet in magenta. Hand cancelled and signed by Gordon Cooper. |
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| Photo: Gordon Cooper walked along the red carpet on the deck of the USS Kearsarge. |
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| A rare MA-9 USS Kearsarge Beck CREW Cover, only 25 covers without the "B" number printed exist. Signed by the Commanding Officer, E. P. Rankin. |
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| Photo: Crewmen of USS Kearsarge viewing and photographing the scorched "Faith 7" capsule. |
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| Cover with "Salute to U.S. Pacific Fleet Recovery Force" cachet (Carlson). USS Kearsarge machine cancelled, signed by the Commanding Officer, E. P. Rankin. |
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| Photo: "TIME FOR NAVY CHOW FOR AN ASTRONAUT. Air FOrce Maj. Gordon Cooper samples Navy chow aboard the carrier Kearsarge during lunch Friday with the ship's chief petty officers. America's newest astronaut told them "it is a rare privilege to be invited to eat with the chiefs." AP Wirephoto. May 18, 1963." |
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| USS Kearsarge recovery ship cover with ship cachet in magenta. An unusual cover with dual USS Kearsarge machine and hand cancels. |
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| Unusual and rare USS Kearsarge postmark variations - month, day, year (second cover with an inverted year) and time slug. |
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| Photo: James Webb announced no more Project Mercury flight on June 12, 1963. |
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| Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) launch cover with a "Swanson" illustrated cachet cancelled at Cape Canaveral, May 15, 1963, signed by James Edwin Webb, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (from 1961 to 1968). |
