English: A three-axis prototype controller, giving pitch, yaw and roll control to the capsule pilot, circa 1962. It has a striking resemblance to the Mercury controller, with a set of linkages that would control variable valves on the SE-6 thrusters. As the design progressed through Gemini to Apollo, the physical linkages gave way to a fly-by-wire system, much like the modernization of automobiles. The artifact has been in the family of an Apollo test engineer for many years, a prized memento with its hand-carved wooden grip.