mercuryatlas7

This shot, dated one week before MA-7 launch day, shows the artwork of Cece Bibby, an artist employed by Chrysler, who also did the insignia on MA-6 and MA-8. The MA-9 insignia was painted by B. R. Schuster, a McDonnell employee. What I find puzzling is the yellow rig that appears to be load-bearing. The cables are attached at the red clamp ring that marks the spacecraft/adapter separation point. The spacecraft was already mated to the Atlas and I do not understand what purpose such a rig would serve, at this point. UNSUPPORTED WILD GUESS: A safety back up that might prevent launch vehicle damage in the event of a loss of pressure in the Atlas tanks. The booster was often referred to as a "stainless steel balloon" and the Mercury spacecraft weighed around a ton. If the nitrogen pressure in the propellant tank (or tanks) had been lost, the weight would probably have caused the booster to collapse.

Nice shot!

MA-7 was delayed by visibility problems from ground fog and smoke that came from smoldering wildfires, in Central Florida. That's why this photo looks so dark and dismal. NASA may have fudged a bit on its own launch rules in order to avoid the kind of repetitive delays that had plagued MA-6. Visibility was important for the tracking cameras, not just the media.