McDonnell
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation built the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft that carried America''s first astronauts to space. The Mercury capsule, designed for a single astronaut, proved that humans could function in space. The two-person Gemini capsule demonstrated rendezvous, docking, spacewalks, and long-duration flight -- all techniques essential for the Apollo lunar missions. McDonnell merged with Douglas in 1967 and later with Boeing in 1997.
