Mercury-Redstone 1A

Mercury-Redstone 1A
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	Mercury-Redstone 1A
Spacecraft mass	2,720 lb (1,230 kg)[1][note 1]
Crew size	Unmanned
Call sign	MR-1A
Launch vehicle	Mercury-Redstone
Launch pad	Cape Canaveral, Launch Complex 5
Launch date	December 19, 1960, 16:15 GMT
Landing	December 19, 1960, 16:30 GMT
Mission duration	00:15:45
Number of orbits	Suborbital
Apogee	210.3 km (130.7 mi)
Distance traveled	378.2 km (235.0 mi)
Maximum velocity	7,900 km/h (4,900 mph) (Mach 6.46)
Peak deceleration	122 m/s² (12.44 g)
Related missions
Previous mission Subsequent mission MR-1 MR-2

Mercury spacecraft #2, used on both the MR-1 and MR-1A missions.

Mercury-Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched on December 19, 1960 from LC-5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission objectives of this unmanned suborbital flight were to qualify the spacecraft for space flight and qualify the system for an upcoming primate suborbital flight. The spacecraft tested its instrumentation, posigrade rockets, retro rockets and recovery system. The mission was completely successful. The Mercury capsule reached an altitude of 130 miles (210 km) and a range of 235 miles (378 km). The launch vehicle reached a slightly higher velocity than expected - 4,909 miles per hour (7,900 km/h). The Mercury spacecraft was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by recovery helicopters about 15 minutes after landing. Serial numbers: Mercury Spacecraft # 2 together with the escape tower from Capsule # 8, and the antenna fairing from Capsule # 10 were reflown on MR-1A. Redstone MRLV-3 was used. Flight time 15 minutes 45 seconds.

Current location

Mercury spacecraft #2, used in both the Mercury-Redstone 1 and Mercury-Redstone 1A missions, is currently displayed at the Exploration Center at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Federal Airfield, near Mountain View, California.^[2]

Mercury-Redstone suborbital flight events

MR-1A Launch

T+ Time	Event	Description
T+00:00:00	Liftoff	Mercury-Redstone lifts off, onboard clock starts.
T+00:00:16	Pitch Program	Redstone pitches over 2 deg/s from 90 deg to 45 deg.
T+00:00:40	End Pitch Program	Redstone reaches 45 deg pitch.
T+00:01:24	Max Q	Maximum dynamic pressure ~575 lb/ft² (28 kPa).
T+00:02:20	BECO	Redstone engine shutdown - Booster Engine Cutoff. Velocity 5,200 mph (2.3 km/s)
T+00:02:22	Tower Jettison	Escape Tower Jettison, no longer needed.
T+00:02:24	Capsule Separation	Posigrade rockets fire for 1 s giving 15 ft/s (4.6 m/s) separation.
T+00:02:35	Turnaround Maneuver	Capsule (ASCS) system rotates capsule 180 degrees, to heat shield forward attitude. Nose is pitched down 34 degrees to retro fire position.
T+00:05:00	Apogee	Apogee of about 115 miles (185 km) reached at 150 miles (240 km) downrange from launch site.
T+00:05:15	Retrofire	Three retro rockets fire for 10 seconds each. They are started at 5 second intervals, firing overlaps. Delta V of 550 ft/s (168 m/s) is taken off forward velocity.
T+00:05:45	Retract Periscope	Periscope is automatically retracted in preparation for reentry.
T+00:06:15	Retro Pack Jettison	One minute after retrofire retro pack is jettisoned, leaving heatshield clear.
T+00:06:20	Retro Attitude Maneuver	(ASCS) orients capsule in 34 degrees nose down pitch, 0 degrees roll, 0 degrees yaw.
T+00:07:15	.05 G Maneuver	(ASCS) detects beginning of reentry and rolls capsule at 10 deg/s to stabilize capsule during reentry.
T+00:09:38	Drogue Parachute Deploy	Drogue parachute deployed at 22,000 ft (6.7 km) slowing descent to 365 ft/s (111 m/s) and stabilizing capsule.
T+00:09:45	Snorkel Deploy	Fresh air snorkel deploys at 20,000 ft (6 km). (ECS) switches to emergency oxygen rate to cool cabin.
T+00:10:15	Main Parachute Deploy	Main parachute deploys at 10,000 ft (3 km). Descent rate slows to 30 ft/s (9 m/s)
T+00:10:20	Landing Bag Deploy	Landing Bag Deploys, dropping heat shield down 4 ft (1.2 m).
T+00:10:20	Fuel Dump	Remaining hydrogen peroxide fuel automatically dumped.
T+00:15:30	Splashdown	Capsule lands in water about 300 mi (500 km) downrange from launch site.
T+00:15:30	Rescue Aids Deploy	Rescue aid package deployed. The package includes green dye marker, recovery radio beacon and whip antenna.

Notes

1. ^ This is the weight of the spacecraft after separation from the booster, including all spacecraft consumables. It excludes the escape tower, which was jettisoned before spacecraft separation, and the spacecraft-booster adapter, which remained attached to the booster. Note that Mercury spacecraft #2 lacked some of the equipment present in the spacecraft used on the manned Mercury flights.

References

• This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201
• NASA NSSDC Master Catalog

1. ^ Korando, R. D. (February 6, 1961) (PDF). Mercury Capsule No. 2 Configuration Specification (Mercury-Redstone No. 1). St. Louis, Missouri: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. pp. 7–9. Report number NASA-CR-137390. http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19740075935_1974075935.pdf. 
2. ^ "NASA Ames Exploration Center". NASA Ames Research Center. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/exploration.html. Retrieved 2009-05-14. 

See also

• Splashdown

External links

• "Space Progress: 'Man-In-Space' Capsule Recovery Successful", a December 22, 1960 Universal-International newsreel briefly covering the Mercury-Redstone 1A mission. Courtesy of the Internet Archive.
• Mercury spacecraft #2 display page on "A Field Guide to American Spacecraft" website.