Mercury-Atlas 2

Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) was an uncrewed test flight of the Mercury program using the Atlas rocket. It launched on February 21, 1961, at 14:10 UTC, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States.^[1]

Mercury-Atlas 2

Launch of MA-2
Mission type	Test flight
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 (1961-02-21UTC14:10Z) UTC
Rocket	Atlas LV-3B 67-D
Launch site	Cape Canaveral LC-14
End of mission
Landing date	February 21, 1961, 14:28 (1961-02-21UTC14:29Z) UTC
Project Mercury Mercury-Atlas series ← Mercury-Atlas 1 Mercury-Atlas 3 →

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. This was the first Mercury-Atlas flight in which a full Flight Safety Review Board was convened to overview Atlas launches since MA-1 and discuss any malfunctions that could be relevant to Project Mercury.

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 some propellant slosh, which was registered on telemetry data as a slight increase in LOX tank pressure between T+85 and T+122 seconds and a higher than normal rate of engine gimbaling as the autopilot attempted to counteract this. The flight control program would be modified on subsequent Mercury-Atlas launches to reduce bending modes. The capsule was recovered 1,432 miles (2,305 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]

See also

• Splashdown