MERCURY-REDSTONE 3

In the next week or so, the Project Mercury's third Redstone launch will take place at Cape Canaveral. In this connection, James E. Webb, Administer or National Aeronautic and Space Administration, stated:

"Our nation's space program will soon enter a new era - man's participation in the exploration of space by our first astronaut. The upcoming Mercury-Redstone flight is an important step in the U.S. Program - a step that will lead on to man's ultimate conquest of this new and hostile environment. It is also a most serious step; for it cannot be taken without the risk to human life. It is the kind of risk that Lindbergh took when he crossed the Atlantic, that Chuck Yeager took in the X-1's first supersonic flight, and test pilots Scott Crossfield, Joe Walker, and Bob White have taken in their flights in the X-15 airplane. I am confident that in Project Mercury every reasonable pre-caution has been taken to minimize this risk. My very best wishes for success to the Mercury team that has worked so hard to bring this day about. To all astronauts who volunteered and to the one making this flight, let me say 'Godspeed'."

Mercury's first manned space flight is to take place approximately one hour after daybreak at Cape Canaveral, Florida, after a 2-day countdown operation. Maximum hold time on any given day will be 5 hours. The flight may be postponed from day to day for 5 days.

The one-ton-plus spacecraft, boosted by a modified Redstone launch vehicle, will follow a ballistic arc with a range of 290 statute miles, and a maximum altitude of 115 statute miles. The flight time - lift-off to splash - will be about 15 minutes.

Primary mission test objectives include:

1. 1. Familiarizing a man with a brief but complete space flight experience including lift-off, powered flight, weightless flight, entry and landing phases of space flight.
2. 2. Evaluation man's ability to perform useful functions during spaceflight by (a) demonstrating manual control of the spacecraft attitude before, during and after retrofire and (b) using voice communications during flight.
3. 3. Studying man's physiological reaction during space flight.

General objectives include the continued qualification of the Mercury spacecraft and its systems for manned flight, and to provide training for ground support and recovery forces for future manned flights. During the flight the pilot will be subjected to approximately "6g" through the powered portion of the flight, approximately 5 minutes of weightlessness after separation from the launch vehicle and approximately 11g during reentry into the earth's atmosphere.

The spacecraft which stands about 9 feet high and 6 feet across its blunt base will be launched vertically on a path slightly south of east.

Here is the normal or planned mission profile: The Redstone engine will be shut down about two and a half minutes after liftoff when the vehicle has achieved a speed of about 4500 miles per hour in a climbing attitude about 40 degrees above the horizontal. At engine cutoff, the escape tower clamp ring is separated and both the escape rocket and tower jettison rocket are fired to remove the tower.

Ten seconds after the engine cutoff, a clamp ring securing booster and spacecraft will be separated. Three 350 pound-thrust solid propellant rockets at the base of the spacecraft will be fired to separate the spacecraft from the launch vehicle. The pilot's periscope is then extended. At the same time, the autopilot swings the spacecraft around so the blunt end is forward and tilted slightly upward, 14.5 degrees above the horizontal, the same position the craft is to maintain in orbital flights. Thirty seconds before the craft reaches peak altitude, the astronaut will manually control the altitude of the craft moving it into retrorocket firing position - 34 degrees above the horizontal - and will hold this altitude manually while the retrorockets are fired. It must be noted that the retrorockets are not needed for reentry in this ballistic flight but will be fired to test their operation in space and to provide pilots with flight experience in controlling the retrofire maneuver. The astronaut will be able to maneuver the craft for a short period of time before he establishes the reentry attitude and retracts the periscope. After the periscope is retracted, control of the craft's flight attitude returns to the automatic mode.

When the "g" forces of reentry build up to at least ".05g", the spacecraft starts revolving in a slow top-like motion at two revolutions per minute.

At 21,000 feet, a pressure sensitive switch deploys a drogue parachute and automatically scatters radar reflective "chaff."

At 10,000 feet, the antenna fairing at the neck of the spacecraft is released, automatically deploying the main landing parachute. Concurrent with the main chute deployment, an underwater charge is ejected to aid recovery forces, the UHF recovery beacon is turned on, remaining hydrogen peroxide, used to control the position and roll of the spacecraft is jettisoned. The periscope is extended so the pilot may check visually on his parachute; should the main chute fail to work, the pilot can jettison the main chute and deploy a reserve landing parachute. During the decent, valves open to allow outside air into the cabin.

Upon landing, an impact switch jettisons the parachute, releases flourescein sea-marking dye, turns off instrumentation recorders and transmitters. The pilot, however, will still have a voice radio link to Mercury recovery forces.

The spacecraft will be picked up by the Mercury Recovery Forces. These forces include and aircraft carrier and two destroyers in the prime landing area. Search aircraft will also be deployed in the prime landing area. Other ships and forces will be deployed along the intended path of flight to provide recovery incase of undershot or overshoot.

If the flight and recovery are normal, a helicopter will lift the craft out of the water and place it on the carrier's flight deck. The pilot may elect to remain in the spacecraft until it is onboard the carrier. He may also climb out of the spacecraft side hatch, inflate a liferaft and be picked up by the helicopter.