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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 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 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 mission.

Mercury spacecraft # 6 used in the Mercury-Atlas 2 mission, is currently displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX.^[2]

References

^ "This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201". NASA Special Publication-4201 in the NASA History Series. 1966. p. 4. Retrieved 26 June, 2013. {{cite web}}: |chapter= ignored (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |authors= 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.

This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201

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 [[File:S61-01226.jpg|thumb|left|Launch of MA-2 (NASA)]]
-[[Mercury program|Mercury]]-[[Atlas LV-3B|Atlas]] 2 (MA-2) was launched unmanned on February 21, 1961 at 14:10 UTC, from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14|Launch Complex 14]] at [[Cape Canaveral]], [[Florida]]. 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 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&nbsp;km), speed, 13,227&nbsp;mph (21,287&nbsp;km/h). All test objectives were fully met. The capsule was recovered 1,432 miles (2305&nbsp;km) downrange. Peak acceleration was 15.9 ''g'' (156&nbsp;m/s²). Mass 1,154&nbsp;kg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch10-7.htm |title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201 |authors=Loyd S. Swenson Jr., James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander |publisher=NASA Special Publication-4201 in the NASA History Series |chapter=10 |page=4 |year=1966 |accessdate=26 June, 2013 }}</ref>
+[[Mercury program|Mercury]]-[[Atlas LV-3B|Atlas]] 2 (MA-2) was launched unmanned on February 21, 1961 at 14:10 UTC, from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14|Launch Complex 14]] at [[Cape Canaveral]], [[Florida]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch10-7.htm |title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201 |authors=Loyd S. Swenson Jr., James M. Grimwood, Charles C. Alexander |publisher=NASA Special Publication-4201 in the NASA History Series |chapter=10 |page=4 |year=1966 |accessdate=26 June, 2013 }}</ref>
+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 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&nbsp;km), speed, 13,227&nbsp;mph (21,287&nbsp;km/h). All test objectives were fully met. The capsule was recovered 1,432 miles (2305&nbsp;km) downrange. Peak acceleration was 15.9 ''g'' (156&nbsp;m/s²). Mass 1,154&nbsp;kg.
 Mercury spacecraft # 6 and Atlas # 67-D were used in the mission.

Mercury-Atlas 2
End of mission

Revision as of 23:38, 26 June 2013

References

See also