Mercury-Atlas 2
![]() Launch of MA-2 | |||||
Mission type | Test flight | ||||
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Operator | NASA | ||||
Mission duration | 17 minutes, 56 seconds | ||||
Distance travelled | 2,305 kilometres (1,432 mi) | ||||
Apogee | 183 kilometres (114 mi) | ||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||
Spacecraft | Mercury No.6 | ||||
Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft | ||||
Launch mass | 1,154 kilograms (2,544 lb) | ||||
Start of mission | |||||
Launch date | February 21, 1961, 14:10 UTC | ||||
Rocket | Atlas LV-3B 67-D | ||||
Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-14 | ||||
End of mission | |||||
Landing date | February 21, 1961, 14:28 UTC | ||||
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Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) was launched unmanned on February 21, 1961 at 14:10 UTC, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.[1]
Test objectives for this flight were concerned with the ability of the spacecraft to withstand reentry under the temperature-critical abort conditions and with the capability of the Atlas to meet the proper injection conditions. Convair had promised to deliver thicker-skinned Atlas vehicles for subsequent flights, however Missile 67D was the last of the thin-skinned model and so it had to be modified for the Mercury mission, incorporating a stainless steel reinforcing band installed around the vehicle between stations 502 and 510. A thin sheet of asbestos was installed between the reinforcing band and the tank skin. This modification was installed as a precaution against the type of failure which had occurred on the previous MA-1 flight. The booster's flight path was also modified somewhat from Mercury-Atlas 1, being placed on a more shallow trajectory so as to reduce aerodynamic loads.
The Atlas lifted into a clear blue February sky quite different from the cloudy, foggy weather of the MA-1 flight. Everyone in the blockhouse waited nervously for the vehicle to pass through the critical Max Q zone. When it did so successfully, there was "enormous jubilation" from the launch team. MA-2 flew a successful suborbital mission that lasted 17 minutes 56 seconds. Altitude reached was 114 miles (183 km), speed, 13,227 mph (21,287 km/h). All test objectives were fully met, the only problems being a bit of propellant slosh. The capsule was recovered 1,432 miles (2305 km) downrange. Peak acceleration was 15.9 g (156 m/s²). Mass 1,154 kg.
Mercury spacecraft #6 and Atlas #67-D were used in the Mercury-Atlas 2 mission. The Mercury capsule is currently displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX.[2]
References
- ↑ Loyd S. Swenson Jr., James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander (1966). "This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201". NASA Special Publication-4201 in the NASA History Series. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2007-08-23. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Mercury spacecraft #6 display page on A Field Guide to American Spacecraft website".
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.