Restored space rocket arrives in Miami Valley; ODOT cameras capture its journey

DAYTON — Drivers may have caught a glimpse of a large rocket on Ohio roadways Monday.

The rocket was on its way to the Miami Valley after being restored at Thomarios in Summit County, according to a social media post from the museum.

It will be on display in the National Museum of the United States Air Force with installation starting April 29.

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According to the post, the rocket emulates the launch vehicle for United States Air Force Major L. Gordon Cooper’s Mercury-Atlas 9 mission from May 15 to 16, 1963.

This mission was the final and longest Mercury mission. It lasted more than 34 hours, according to NASA.

The museum said Cooper orbited the Earth 22 times in his spacecraft Faith 7.

“He experienced six times the force of gravity during launch and orbited the Earth at more than 17,000 mph,” the post said.

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