Aurora 7 was a manned space capsule launched by NASA on May 24, 1962, as part of the Mercury program. It was the sixth crewed flight in this program and carried astronaut Scott Carpenter into orbit around the Earth. The mission lasted about 4 hours and 54 minutes, during which Carpenter completed three orbits. The capsule was notable for its use of a new navigation system, which allowed Carpenter to control the spacecraft's trajectory more precisely. After re-entry, Aurora 7 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, where Carpenter was safely recovered by the USS Intrepid.