The Freedom 7 Capsule

Via: smithsonian

On May 5, 1961, this capsule was launched atop a Redstone rocket nearly 7 stories high, reaching a velocity of 5180 mph (8,336 kph) and an altitude of 116 miles (186 km). The suborbital flight had a duration just over 15 minutes.

The cargo inside this titanium can measuring 6 feet wide? U.S. Navy Commander Alan Shepard, the first American to travel into space. Shepard named the capsule "Freedom 7" to commemorate the seven Mercury astronauts.