Proj 7969 Goodyear Credit - © Mark Wade

Goodyear's proposal for the Air Force initial manned space project was a 2.1 m diameter spherical vehicle with a rearward facing tail cone and ablative surface. Flaps were deflected from the cone during re-entry for increased drag and control.

The capsule would be launched by an Atlas or a Titan, plus a Vanguard upper stage into a 650 km orbit for a five day mission. Deorbit would be accomplished by a retrorocket providing a 240 m/sec braking impulse. An ablative heat shield was planned. In case of booster failure during ascent to orbit the capsule would be ejected. The spacecraft had a ballistic coefficient (W/CdA) of 250 kg per square meter. Landing precision was within a 1300 km diameter footprint. It was expected that a first manned orbital flight could be achieved 24 months after a go-ahead at a cost of $ 100 million.

Design Life: 5 days. Typical orbit: 650 km at 28 deg inclination. Length: 2.13 m (6.98 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.13 m (6.98 ft). Mass: 900 kg (1,980 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Titan-Vanguard.

• Baker, David, The History of Manned Spaceflight, Crown, New York, 1981. The best overview of America's manned space programs up to Skylab. Information and details not available anywhere else. Unfortunately out of print and difficult to locate.

• Grimwood, James M., Project Mercury: A Chronology, NASA Special Publication-4001.