., .

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NEWS R E L E A S E
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
1520 H STREET, NORTHWEST .
WASHINGTON 2 5 , D. C.
TELEPHONES: DUDLEY 2 - 6 3 2 5 .
E X E C U T I V E 3-3260

FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY A.M.'S

August 20, 1961
RELEASE NO. 61-182
MERCURY-ATLAS 4
The most comprehensive test to date -- orbital
flight and re-entry on a completely automatic basis
the next step in Project Mercury.
-- is

The flight test, directed by NASA's Space Task

Group, calls for one Earth orbit of a Mercury spacecraft
carrying special instrumentation and a "crewman" simulatorJ .
Labeled Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4), the flight is the fouyth
in the Atlas-boosted series of Mercury flights. The space-
cra-ft (No. 8) is the same one flown in the MA-3 one-orbit
aytempt of April 25, 1961, in which the launch vehicle was
destroyed by the Range Safety Officer after about 40 seconds
of flight :Wheril the booster failed to program properly.
If completely successful, the MA-4 mission will :
1. Acheive, . orbit for the first time.
~ CI

2. Prove the spacecraft can withstand the

2,000-degree (F.) heat of re-entry eight times longer
than in any previous Mercury flight test.
3.. Demonstrate the ability of the modified
Atlas launch vehicle to release the Spacecraft at the
precise speed, altitude and flight path angle for
orbital flight.
4. Prove the integrity of the spacecraft and
its interralated on-board systems on a fully automatic
basis for nearly two hours -- the pro3ect time lapse
from lift off to splash after one orbit.
5. Exercise for the first time the world-wide
Mercury tracking, data-gathering and communication
network.
6 . Check the ablity of the braking rocket
system to bring down the craft from orbit.
 MISSION PROFILE
Mercury Atlas-4 w i l l be launched be5ween 7 a . m . and
noon one day t h i s week, a two-day, s p l i t countdown. I n
any case, t h e f l i g h t w i l l not occur b e f o r e Tuesday. Here
i s t h e f l i g h t plan:
It w i l l be launched on a heading of about 70 degrees -
j u s t north o f e a s t from Cape Canaveral. An i n t e r n a l
programer i n t h e Atlas will uide t h e ' v e h i c l e from l i f t - o f f u n t i l
s t a g i n g o c c u r s , All of tge Atlas l i q u i d p r o p e l l a n t engines
a r e i g n i t e d before l i f t - o f f .
A t s t a g i n g , about 2-& minutes a f t e r l i f t - o f f , t h e two
b o o s t e r engines w i l l drop o f f and t h e s u s t a i n e r and v e r n i e r
engines w i l l continue t o a c c e l e r a t e t h e v e h i c l e . Staging
occurs a t an a l t i t u d e of about 4 1 miles and a s l a n t range
of about 56 miles from t h e launch pad.
During t h e f i r s t two and one-half minutes of f l i g h t ,
an e l e c t r o n i c b r a i n , c a l l e d t h e Abort Sensing and
Implementation System (ASIS) i s capable of sensing t r o u b l e
and can t r i g g e r t h e MERCURY escape rocket to p u l l t h e
s p a c e c r a f t away from t h e Atlas launch-vehicle.
A f e w seconds a f t e r s t a g i n g , and assuming t h e f l i g h t
i s proceeding as planned, a three-piece clamp r i n g connecting
t h e 16-foot escape-rocket tower t o t h e s p a c e c r a f t w i l l
s e p a r a t e and both t h e escape and tower j e t t i s o n rockets w i l l
be f i r e d t o c a r r y t h e tower away from t h e v e h i c l e .
After s t a g i n g , t h e ASIS w i l l continue t o watch f o r
t r o u b l e . If a s i g n i f i g a n t d e v i a t i o n should occur, t h e
system would a b o r t t h e mission by r e l e a s i n g t h e s p a c e c r a f t -
to-launch vehicle clamp r i n g and f i r i n g t h e ' posi-grade
rockets on t h e base of t h e s p a c e c r a f t .
About f i v e minutes a f t e r l i f t - o f f , t h e r a d i o i n e r t i a l
guidance system, measuring speed i n terms of f e e t p e r
second, a l t i t u d e and f l i g h t p a t h angle, w i l l r e c e i v e a
command from t h e ground t o s h u t down t h e s u s t a i n e r and
v e r n i e r engines. A s t h e engines s h u t down t h e s p a c e c r a f t -
to-booster clamp r i n g i s r e l e a s e d and t h e posi-grade
r o c k e t s f i r e t o s e p a r a t e t h e c r a f t from t h e Atlas.
After a f e w seconds of automatic damping(remova1 of
any attitudechanging motions), t h e s p a c e c r a f t w i l l swing
180 degrees s o t h a t t h e b l u n t f a c e of t h e c r a f t i s
t r a v e l i n g forward. O r b i t a l f l i g h t a t t i t u d e i n which t h e
b l u n t f a c e i s turned forward and upward, 34 degrees above
t h e h o r i z o n t a l , w i l l be assumed automatically. From t h a t
p o i n t on during o r b i t a l f l i g h t t h e a t t i t u d e c o n t r o l
system w i l l b e t r i g g e r e d by horizon sensors t o maintain
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the proper a t t i t u d e wath regard t o the E a r t h % s u r f a c e ,
If a l l goes well, the Mercury s p a c e c r a f t w i l l be i n s e r t e d
i n t o o r b i t i n t h e v i c i n i t y of Bermuda. By that time the
v e h i c l e w i l l be a t an a l t i t u d e of approximately 100 M l e s and
traveling a t a speed of about 17,400 miles p e r ~ O U P . At;
engine out-off, the c r a f I1t will have been subjected t o more
than seven and one-half G tt Re-entry n cf It will be about 12.
The o r b i t i n g phase of the mission w i l l 1as.t; approximately
110 minutes and w i l l c a r r y the Mercury c r a f t around t h e Earth
a t a l t i t u d e s ranging from 154 statute m i l e s o f f the w e s t coast
of A u s t r a l i a t o 100 miles, i n s e r t i o n a l t i t u d e near Bermuda.
A t about 42,000 feet, a s i x - f o o t diameter drogue para-
chute w i l l be deployed t o s t a b i l i z e t h e c r a f t and a t about
10,000 feet the antenna fairing above the s p a c e c r a f t c y l i n d r i c a l
s e c t i o n w i l l be j e t t i s o n e d t o deploy t h e 63 foot r i n g s a i l - t y p e
main landing parachute. Upon landing, t h e main parachute will
be j e t t i s o n e d along with a s p e c i a l block of balsa wood f o r
f l o t a t i o n , t o provide f o r recovery. Unlike l a t e r production
s p a c e c r a f t , t h i s one does n o t have a landing bag nor does it
have a j e t t i s o n a b l e hatch l i k e t h e one on Liberty B e l l 7 .
On-board e l e c t r i c a l equipment w i l l be shut down on landing
and l o c a t i o n aides w i l l be a c t i v a t e d . Helicopters w i l l be
used f o r recovery.
Near t h e end of t h e first o r b i t as t h e c r a f t approaches
the west c o a s t of Mexico, an on-board timing device will f i r e
the r e t r o - r o c k e t s t o begin t h e r e - e n t r y i n t o the Earths
atmosphere leading t o a landing approximately 200 s t a t u t e
miles east of Bermuda, A r a d i o command t o f i r e t h e braking
r o c k e t s will be s e n t from the Guaymas, Mexico, t r a c k i n g s t a t i o n
as a back-up t o the on-board timer.
During t h e brakAng o r r e t r o - r o c k e t f i r i n g , the automatic
c o n t r o l system will hold the c r a f t i n t h e proper a t t i t u d e .
S h o r t l y a f t e r the r e t r o - r o c k e t s are f i r e d , the exhausted retro-
rocket package will be J e t t i s o n e d and t h e s p a c e c r a f t will
a u t o m a t i c a l l y assume t h e re-entry a t t i t u d e . The c r a f t w i l l
begin t o encounter the more dense atmosphere of the earth a t
about 345 s t a t u t e miles e a s t of Savannah, Georgia, a t an
a l t i t u d e of 55 miles.
A t t h i s p o i n t , temperatures w i l l s t a r t mounting on the
s p a c e c r a f t s a b l a t i v e heat shield.
On a nominal mission, peak heating -
about 2,000 degrees -
would occur a t 37 miles a l t i t u d e while the s p a c e c r a f t is
moving a t n e a r l y 15,000 miles per hour. All t o l d , the c r a f t
must s u s t a i n temperatures i n this neighborhood f o r s i x t o seven
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minutes - about e i g h t times longer than during Atlas-boosted
b a l l i s t i c f l i g h t s l i k e Big Joe and MA-2. T h i s i s due t o t h e
f l a t t e r o r b i t a l r e - e n t r y angle, only 2 degrees i n t h i s mission
as c o n t r a s t e d t o 6 or 7 degrees i n e a r l y Mercury-Atlas
ballistic flights.
Almost coincident w i t h t h e heat p u l s e i s a dramatic reduction
i n capsule speed. Between 46 miles and 1 2 miles a l t i t u d e -
covering a s l a n t d i s t a n c e of 460 miles - s p a c e c r a f t speed
should go from 17,000 mph down t o 1,350 mph i n a l i t t l e over
three minutes.

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 . .
.. /r

THE MA-4 MERCURY SPACECRAFT

The s p a c e c r a f t i n t h i s t e s t i s similar t o t h e one i n

which the U. S. Mercury Astronauts w i l l f l y i n o r b i t a l f l i g h t .
Since t h i s i s t o be the f i r s t o r b i t a l f l i g h t of a Mercury
c r a f t , a mechanical "crewman" simulator w i l l r e p l a c e man i n
t h e c o c k p i t . The "crewman" simulator w i l l consume oxygen,
expel carbon dioxide and fill t h e cabin w i t h heat and moisture
much as a man would i n t h e course of normal breathing.
On t h i s f l i g h t , two 45-minute voice tapes w i l l broadcast
p r e p h M e d messages t o s t a t i o n s i n t h e world-wide network
of t r a c k i n g s t a t i o n s t o check on HF and UHF transmissions.
The s p a c e c r a f t , measuring s i x f e e t a c r o s s i t s widest
diameter and n i n e f e e t from the b l u n t heat s h i e l d t o the
t o p of i t s parachute container, w i l l c o n t a i n a l l of t h e
complex space-age equipment which makes i t p o s s i b l e t o f l y
t h e complete o r b i t a l mission on an automatic basis. I n
a d d i t i o n t o t h e standard on-board systems through which t h e
p i l o t can c o n t r o l t h e vehicle, e l e c t r o n i c equipment and sensing
devices have been i n s t a l l e d t o t r y t o d u p l i c a t e man's judge-
mental and c o r r e c t i v e capacity.
Physically, t h e s p a c e c r a f t looks much the same as the
Freedom 7 c r a f t which Alan Shepard flew on t h e f r e e w o r l d ' s
f i r s t manned space f l i g h t .
The two-ton ( a t launch) Mercury c r a f t w i l l contain a l l
of t h e systems necessary t o support manned space f l i g h t .
MA-4 s p a c e c r a f t w i l l have a f u l l y o p e r a t i o n a l a t t i t u d e
c o n t r o l system on-board. The task, i n t h i s case, has of
course been complicated because t h e r e i s no man aboard.
The manual s i d e of the c o n t r o l system has been closed o f f .
But the automatic r e a c t i o n c o n t r o l system w i l l be operated,
d r i v e n by sensing devices t o attempt t o c o n t r o l t h e a t t i t u d e
of the c r a f t throughout i t s f l i g h t on an automatic basis.
MA-4 s p a c e c r a f t w i l l have a complete l i f e support system,
capable of supporting man i n space.
Other mechanical devices w i l l be on-board t h e MA-&
s p a c e c r a f t t o attempt t o reproduce t h e a c t i o n s of man. A
tape recorder, located i n t h e v i c i n i t y of what would be the
p i l o t ' s head w i l l record t h e n o i s e s of f l i g h t i n t o space
and back t o earth. A s p e c i a l c o l o r camera w i l l be pointed
out one of t h e two p o r t h o l e s t o record t h e view. Another
camera w i l l look through the p i l o t ' s periscope while a t h i r d
one records instrument panel readings.
S p e c i a l instrumentation has been i n s t a l l e d i n t h e MA-4
s p a c e c r a f t t o record v i b r a t i o n , a c c e l e r a t i o n s , and temperature.
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 THE ATLAS LAUNCH VEHICLE

The launch v e h i c l e t o be used i n t h i s t e s t i s an Atlas

D model, one of s e v e r a l Atlases e s p e c i a l l y modified f o r use
i n the Mercury f l i g h t t e s t program.
P r i n c i p l e d i f f e r e n c e s i n t h e Mercury-Atlas and t h e
m i l i t a r y v e r s i o n of t h e v e h i c l e include: (1) modification
of the payload a d a p t e r s e c t i o n t o accomodate t h e P r o j e c t
Mercury s p a c e c r a f t ; ( 2 ) s t r u c t u r a l strengthening of t h e
upper neck of t h e Atlas (following t h e unsuccessful Mercury-
Atlas I f l i g h t t e s t , J u l y 29, 1960, t o provide f o r t h e i n c r e a s e
i n aerodynamic s t r e s s i m osed on t h e Atlas when used f o r
P
Mercury missions) and ( 3 i n c l u s i o n of an automatic Abort
Sensing and Implementation System (ASIS) designed t o sense
d e v i a t i o n s i n t h e performance of the Atlas and t r i g g e r t h e
Mercury Escape System b e f o r e an impending c a t a s t r o p h i c
failure.
The Atlas measures 65 ft. from its base t o t h e Mercury
adapter s e c t i o n and i s 93 f e e t o v e r a l l , incI.uding t h e Mercury
P
s p a c e c r a f t and its esea e system. Maximum diameter of t h e
Atlas ( s u s t a i n e r engine is 10 f t . T o t a l thrust a t l i f t - o f f
i s on the order of 360,000 lbs.
A l l f i v e engines a r e i g n i t e d a t t h e time of launch -
the sus$ainer (60,000 pounds thrust), t h e two b o o s t e r engines
(150,000 pounds thrust each) which a r e outboard of t h e
s u s t a i n e r at t h e base of t h e v e h i c l e and two small v e r n i e r
engines which a r e used f o r minor course c o r r e c t i o n s during
powered f l i g h t .
The Atlas i s constructed of thin-gage metal and maintafns
s t r u c t u r a l r i g i d i t y through p r e s s u r i z a t i o n of i t s f u e l tanks.
During the f i r s t minute of f l i g h t , t h e Atlas consumes more
f u e l than a commercial j e t a i r l f n e F during a. t r a n s c o n t i n e n t a l
run.

ASTRONAUT PARTICIPATION
I

P r o j e c t Mercury*s team of seven a s t r o n a u t s w i l l p a r t i c i p a t e

i n t h e MA-4 mission as f l i g h t c o n t r o l l e r s from f a r - f l u n g vantage
t t Carpenter w i l l i@iptilte from t h e
i n Mubhea, Austra Astronaut n. '
Gordon Caruper; 'Jr e IstatioAed 86 "@he M@rCurys i t e a t Pt.
Arguello, C a l i f o r n i a . Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr. w i l l
monitor the r e t r o - f i r e a c t i o n from t h e Guaymas, Mexico s t a t i o n .
Astronaut Donald K. Slayton wfll monitor launch, i n s e r t i o n ,
landing and recovery from Mercuryvs Bermuda s t a t i o n . Astronauts
Alan B. Shepard, Jr., John H. Glenn and V i r g i l I. "Gus" Grissom
w i l l p a r t i c i p a t e i n f l i g h t operations from Cape Canaveral.
- 6 -
. .

THE NETWORR

During the flight, information from tracMng and

ground instrumentation points around the globe will
pour into NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center at
Beltsville, Md., at the rate, in some cases of more
than 1,000 bits per second. Upon almost instantaneous
analysis, the information w i l l be relayed to the Cape
for action
The Mercury network, because of the man factor,
demands more than other tracking systems. Mercury
missions will be accomplished in the short span of
a few hours. This requires instantaneous communication.
Tracking and telemetered data must11 be collected,
processed and acted upon as near real" time as
possible. The position of the vehicle must be known
continuously from the moment of lift-off.
After injection in orbit, or2ital elements must be-
computed and predictions of look information gassed
to the next tracking station so it can acquire the capsule.
Data on the numerous capsule systems must be sent
back to Earth and presented in near actual time to
observers at various stations. And during the recovery
phase, capsule impact location predictions will have to
be continuously revised and relayed to recovery forces.
An industrial team headed by Western Electric Company
recently turned over this global network to the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The other team members are Bell Telephone Laboratories,
Inc.; The Bendix Corporation; Burns and Roe, Inc.; and
International Business Machines Corporation. At the
same time, the Lincoln Laboratory of Massachusetts
Institute of Technology also has advised and assisted -
NASA on special technical problems relating to network.
The network consists of 18 stations. Mercury Control
Center at Cape Canaveral connects to the other 17 stations
through a data processing and switching center at Goddard.
The system's communications path, if stretched end-to-
end, would circle the globe two and a half tinms. It
comprises 140,000 actual circuit miles --100,000 miles of
teletype, 35,000 miles of telephone and over 5,000 miles
of high-speed data circuits.
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 A 1 1 18 stations are fully apera%iorxL Linked across
t h e A t l a n t i c are: Gape 6anavera14 Grand. Bahma Island,
Grand Turk I s l a n d , Bermuda, Brand Canary Island, and a
s p e c i a l l y f i t t e d s h i p i n mid-Atlan$ic.
The network i n c l u d e s African s i t e s a t Kana, Nigeria,
and Zanzibar, a s h i p i n the Snd1a.n Ocean, A u s t r a l i a n
s t a t i o n s a t k c h e a and bJoomeraJ Canton I s l a n d i n mid-
P a c i f i c and Kauai I s l a n d , Hawhii. The system also t a k e s
i n s t a t i o n s a t Point Arguello, C a l i f o r n i a ; Guaymas, Mexico;
White Sands, New Mexico; Corpus ChZaisti, Texas; and Eglin,
Florida
Some 20 p r i v a t e and public c o m i c a t i o n agencies
throughout t h e world provided leased %and l i n e s and over-
s e a s radio and cable f a c i l i t i e s ,
During every major Mercury launch, t h e a t t e n t i o n of
some 15 NASA F l i g h t C o n t r o l l e r s is focused on dozens of
consoles and wall d i s p l a y s i2 ?,he operations room of t h e
Mercury Control Center a$ Gape Canaveral, T h i s mom i s
the c o n t r o l p o i n t f o r a l l information t h a t will flow
throygh t h e world-wide tracking and s o m n i c a t i o n system.
I n this room NASA F l i g h t C o n t m l l e r s make all v i t a l
d e c i s i o n s required, and i s s u e or d e l e g a t e a l l commands.
I n t h e f i f t y - f o o t square ~ o o mabout
~ 100 types of
information register a t various Times on the i n d i c a t o r s
of t h e consoles and a huge range-status map. O f t h e s e
100 q u a n t i t i e s , 10 show biomedical condition, approxi-
mately 30 r e l a t e t o life sugpcm% f a c i l i t i e s and about 6s
give readings on s p a c e c r a f t equipmen%, T h i s information
.flows i n on high-speed data c i r c u i t s from computers a t t h e
Goddard Center, on d i r e c t t e l e t y p e c i r c u i t s from remote
sites, and by booster m,d spacecraft telemetry relayed
over r a d i o and wire c i l a c u i t s ,

1, Radar data: Triggers bhe Cape Canaver%%LBM

9090 which rnmitoaas the s p a c e c r a f t * s f l i g h t
path and p r e d i c t s its impact p o l n t i f t h e
mission must be aborted,
1 .

3. Telemetm data: Reports check points, e.g., lift-

off, booster separation*
These data are transmitted f r o m Canaveral to Goddard
where IBPl709O's compare the spacecraft trajectory to a
predetermined flight ptth -- and,'flash the results back to
Canaveral. This is a real time operation -- that is, the
system receives, moves it over 2,000 miles, analyzes,
predicts and displays data so quickly that observers and
controllers follow events as fast as they happen.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The system carries telephone, teletype and high-speed
data (1,000 bits per second) information. It can accept a
message from a distant site and deliver it to the final
destination -- regardless of location --
in a little over
one second.
The radio teletype facilities use Single Sideband
transmitters, which are less susceptible to atmosphere
interference. All circuits, frequencies and paths were
selected only after a careful study of data accumulated
over 25 years by the National Bureau of Standards on the
various propagation qualities of many radio paths.
Submarine cables to London (via New Pork), to Hawaii
(via San Francisco), and to Australia (via Vancouver, B.C.)
are included in the Mercury communications network.
The Mercury Voice Network has a twofold mission:
. Provide Mercury Control Center (MCC) "realtime"
information from world-wide tracking stations having
the orbiting Mercury capsule in view.
. Provide a rapid means for dealing with emergency
situations between MCC and range stations during a
mission.
The network is essentially a private line telephone system
radiating from GSFC to MCC and the project's world sites.
These lines are used during an orbit mission $0 exchange
verbal information more rapidly than c a n be done by teletype.
Conversations are recorded both at Goddard and Mercury Control
for subsequent playback. When not used for orbit exercises,
the circuits are utilized for normal communication operations.
- 9 -
 LAUNCH CHRONOLOGY

Two t y p e s of M e ~ c u r yspacecraft have been used i n

t h e f l i g h t t e s t program. F i r s t s e r i e s of s h o t s used f u l l -
s c a l e " b o i l e r p l a t e " models of t h e capsule t o check o u t
booster-spacecraft i n t e g r a t i o n and the escape system.
Second phase of" the development f i r i n g program used
Mercury Capsules b u i l t t o production standard-s.
T h i s i s the chronology of t e s t f i r i n g s :
September 9, 1959; Big Joe, NASA-produced r e s e a r c h
and development capsule, launched on an Atlas from Cape
Canaveral --
t e s t v a l i d a t i o n o f the Mercury concept.
Capsule survived high heat and a i r l o a d s and was sucess-
f u l l y recovered,,
October 4, 1959: Little Joe 1. Fired a t NASA's
Wallops S t a t i o n , V i r g i n i a , t o check matching of b o o s t e r
and spacecraft e E i g h t soiid-propellant rockets producing
250,000 l b s . of thrust drove t h e v e h i e l e ,
November 4, 1959: L i t t l e Joe 2. Also f i r e d from
Wallops S t a t i o n , was an evaluation o f t h e low-altitude
abort- conditions.
December 4, 1959: L i t t l e Joe 3. F i r e d a t Wallops
S t a t i o n t c check h i g h - a l t i t u d e performance of t h e escape
system. Rhesus monkey Sam was used as t e s t s u b j e c t .
January 21, 1960: L i t t l e Joe 4. F i r e d at Wallops
S t a t i o n t o e v a l u a t e t h e escape system under high a i r -
loads, using Rhesus monkey Miss Sam as a t e s t s u b j e c t ,
May 9, 1960: Beach Abort T e a t . McDonnell's first
production capsule and i t s escape socket system were
f i r e d i n an off-the-pad a b o r t escape rocket system (capsule l),
J u l y 29, 1960: Mercury-Atlas 1. T h i s was the f i r s t
Atlas-boosted f l i g h t , and was aimed a t q u a l i f y i n g the
capsule under maximum afrloads and afterbody h e a t i n g r a t e
during r e e n t r y c o n d i t i o n s , The capsule contained no
escape systems and no t e s t s u b J e c t , Shot was unsuccessful1
because of b o o s t e r system malfunction (capsule 4)
November 8, 1960: L i t t l e Joe 5. T h i s w a s another i n
the Btt l e Joe series from Wallops S t a t i o n , Purpose of t h e
s h o t was t o check the production capsule i n an a b o r t
simulating the most severe L i t t l e Joe b o o s t e r and the s h o t
was unsuccessful (capsule 3 )
November 21, 1960: Mercury-Redstone 1. T h i s w a s the
f i r s t unmanned Redstone-boosted f l i g h t , but premature engine
c u t o f f a c t i v a t e d the enlergency escape system when the b o o s t e r
10
 was only about one inch off t h e pad. The b o o s t e r setZled
back on the pad and was damaged $lightly. The capsule wa8
recovered for re-use (capsule 2).
December 19, 1960: Mercury-Redstone 1 A . This shot
was a r e p e a t or the B6vember 21 attempt and was completely
successfL11. Capsule reached a peak a l t i t u d e of 135 s t a t u t e
3.
miles, covered a h o r i z o n t a l d i s t a n c e of 2 6 s t a t u t e miles
* a n d was recovered s u c c e s s f u l l y (capsule 2
January 31, 1961: Mercury-Redstone 2. This was t h e
Mercury-Reastone 'shot which c a r r i e d Ham, t h e 137-lb.
chimpanzee. The capsule reached 155 s t a t u t e m i l e s a l t i t u d e ,
landed 420 s t a t u t e m i l e s downrange, and was recovered. During
the landing phase, the parachuting capsule was d r i f t i n g as
i t s t r u c k t h e water.. Impact of t h e angle blow slammed the
sudspended heat s h i e l d against a bundle of p o t t e d wires, which
drove a b o l t through t h e pressure bulkhead, causing t h e
capsule t o leak. Ham was rescued before t h e capsule had
taken on too much water (capsule 5).
February 21, 1961: Mercury-Atlas 2. This Atlas-
boosted capsule' s h o t \ was t o check maxixnum heating and i t s
e f f e c t d u d n g the worst re-entry design conditions. Peak
a l t i t u d e was 108 s t a t u t e miles; r e - e n t r y angle was h3,gher
than planned and t h e h e a t i n g was correspondingly worse than
a n t i c i p a t e d . It landed 1425 s t a t u t e miles downrange. Maximum
speed was about 13,000 mph. Shot was s u c c e s s f u l (capsule 6 ) .
Mamh 18, 1961: L i t t l e Joe 5A. T h i s was a repeat of
t h e unsuccessful W. t t l e Joe 5; i t was f i r e d a t Wallops
S t a t i o n and was only marginally s u c c e s s f u l (capsule 14)
25,t;961: Mercury-Atlas 3. This was an Atlas-
booste s o a emgting t o o r b i t t h e capsule with a "rnech-
a n i a a l a s t r o n a u t " aboard. But 40 sec. a f t e r launching,
the boosrter was destroyed by r a d i o command given by t h e
range saf'ety o f f i c e r . The capsule was recovered and will
be f i r e d again (capsule 8).
A p r i l 28, 1961: L i t t l e Joe 5B. T M a was t h e third
attempt t o check the escape system d e ? worst conditions,
using a L i t t l e ' J o e b o o s t e r f i r e d from Wallops S t a t i o n .
Capsule reached 40,000 f t . , and this time t h e s h o t was a
complete suocess (eapsule 14) .
May 5, 1961: Mercury-Redstone 3. T h i s Redstone-boosted
s h o t carried- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. on a b a l l i s t i c
f l i g h t path reaching a peak a l t i t u d e of 115 s t a t u t e m i . and
a downrange d i s t a n c e of 302 s t a t u t e m i . P l i g h t was success-
f u l \~CWSUl@ 7).
July 21, 1961: Mercury-Redstone 4. This s u c c e s s f u l
flight ~~ e d ' Astronaut V i r g i l I. "G,us" Grissom-t o an
altitU4et of 118 s e a t u t e nkiles and 303 miles downrange. The
capsule sank d e s p i t e h e l i c o p t e r recovery e f f o r t s . (capsule 11).
- 11 - .- END
c

NEWS R E L E A S E
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
1520 H STREET, NORTHWEST . W A S H I N G T O N 2 5 , D. C .
TELEPHONES: DUDLEY 2 - 6 3 2 5 * EXECUTIVE 3 - 3 2 6 0

FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY A.M.'S

August 20, 1961
CORRECTION TO: .- /-/--\ ...
RELEASE NO.
I
i MERCURY-ATLAS

F i r s t f u l l paragraph on be c o r r e c t e d t o
read as follows:
If a l l goes well, t h e Mercury s p a c e c r a f t w i l l be
i n s e r t e d i n t o o r b i t i n t h e v i c i n i t y of Bermuda.' By
that time the v e h i c l e w i l l be a t an a l t i t u d e of approx-
imately 100 miles and t r a v e l i n g a t a speed of about
17,400 m i l e s p e r hour, A t engine cut-off, t h e c r a f t
w i l l have been subjected t o more than seven and one-half
Re-entry "G" w i l l be about 8,-

The second f u l l paragraph on Page 3 should be c o r r e c t e d

t o read ,as follows:
The o r b i t i n g phase of the mission w i l l l a s t
approximately 110 minutes and w i l l c a r r y t h e Mercury
c r a f t around t h e Earth a t a l t i t u d e s ranging from about
150 s t a t u t e miles off the west c o a s t of A u s t r a l i a r
Tdbmiles, i n s e r t i o n a l t i t u d e n e a r Bermuda.