NEWS R E L E A S E

b,

NATIONAL AERONAUTK=S AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

I S P O H STREET. NORTHWEST . WASHINGTON 2 s . 0 . C .
TELEPHONES: DUDLEY 2-6S2S EXECUTIVE S-32.0

Cape Canaveral P r e s s Room: Sunset 3-7626

J u l y 13, 1961

NOTE TO EDITORS:
Attached i s t h e p r e s s kit for t h e second manned
Mercury s u b o r b i t a l launch, Kexury-Redstone 4, o r
" L i b e r t y B e l l . :' The material i n t h e k i t i s f o r r e l e a s e
Sunday, J u l y 16, 1961.
The k i t contains f o u r s e c t i o n s :
1. MR-4 Design Changes
2. Mission P r o f i l e
3. Launch Chronology
:. GiGcove:-;, Forcen
An a d d i t i o n a l s e t of background p i e c e s i s a v a i l a b l e
a t t h e HASA Hews Center in t h e S t a r l i t e Motel, Cocoa Beach,
Floricia, and a t YASA O P I i n idashin&tGn. They a r e :
1. The Ground Crew
2. Astronaut Training Program Summary
3. I n s i d e the P i l o t ' s Cabin
4. "IF" - A Study of Contingency Planning
f o r Mercury Mission
5. The Launch Vehicle
Telephone numbers a t t h e NASA News Center a t Cocoa
Beach are: Sunset 3-7626, -79 -8, and -9 and Sunset 3-7620.

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NEWS R E L E A S E
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATtON
I 5 2 0 H STREET. NORTHWEST . W A S H I N G T O N 2 5 . 0. C .
TELEPHONES: DUDLEY 2 - 6 3 2 5 . EXECUTIVE 3-3260

FOR RELEASE: July 16, 1961

Sunday A.M,
R " ; : L , I ~ S ENO, 61-152
biR.-Li DESIGN CHANGES

The United St.atzs w i 1 L attempt; a second manned space

flight in the next few days.

Then why bo'chcr w i 5 i a second i n m m d suborbital flight?

Didn't Astronaut Shepard and a carefully curried spacecraft
called Freedom 7 prove out the Yercury-Redstone system?
Freedom 7 die that and. more. Most importantly, Shepard
proved that nar, could. riot o ~ l yexist in space but perform
useful tasks there as well. An item-by-item listing of all
the things Mercury-Redstone 3 proved would fill a small
library.
That hard-won data, however, mus% stand the test of
time and later flights. Each item becomes a dot on a
scientific-engineering knowledge curve. Each flight adds
significantly, if nct historically, to man:s understanding
of the strange enviromenf, of space.
The MR-4 spacecraft, nicknamed Liberty Bell, will b e
qGite similar to - h e Freedom 7 craft. It too will weigh
about two tons at liftoff; measure six feet across its
blunt bottom and stand nine feet high. It too will be
fitted out with a 16-foot escape tower; its titanium
pressure cabin housed ir: a "shingled" skin of a temperature-
resistant alloy.
Most of the ma;:or systems will be the same -
environmental control, escape, communications, heat shield,
landing apparatus.

.. _._I ... "..I_ -. . _____.. . . _... . . ..

 B u t t h e r e also w i l l be s i g n i f i c a n t changes i n
"Liberty B e l l . I i These changes appear i n t h e s p a c e c r a f t
n o t because of any f a i l i n g of t h e Freedom 7 c r a f t b u t
as dramatic evidence of the conc:wi+eacy concept used
throughout F r o j e c t &J.ercGrY.

T h i s concept finds ilexea?,ch developgent, design,

engineering, manufactui-ing and. l'li.c_;htt e s t p:mceeding
simultaneously i n a n e f f o r t to ac:ii.eve tlie p r o j e c t ' s
g o a l s i n t h e s h o r t e s t p o s s i b l e t i m e span. Improve-
ments are introduced I n t h e production l i n e a t the
e a r l i e s t f e a s i b l e t i m e but a t a p o i n t which w i l l n o t
d e l a y t h e f l o w of prcjduc'cloi? v e h i c l e s .

Most of the deslgn changes in " L i b e r t y Bell"

were p u t into production Inore than (? year ago -
many of them suggested by t h e Mercury a s t r o n a u t s
s h o r t l y a f t e r they j o i n e d t h e Mercury team more
t h a n two years ago.

A y e a r ago Freedom 7 was i n t h e advanced pro-

d u c t i o n stage while Liberty Bell had n o t y e t s t a r t e d
down t h e production l i n e of McDoia~ellA i r c r a f t Corp.,
NASA's prime c o n t r a c t o r Tor Mercury s p a c e c r a f t . Thus
i t was p o s s i b l e t o make the following changes i n t h e
L i b e r t y B e l l c r a f t , a copy of which i s d e s t i n e d t o
c a r r y t h e first American i n t o orbit:

WINDOW -- A n enlarged I I p i l o t o5servation window"

r e p l a c e s two six-inch c i r c u l a r p r t s used i n Freedom 7.
The trapezoid-shaped window measures 19 inches high,
11 inches a c r o s s t h e base and 74 inches a c r o s s the t o p .
It i s l o c a t e d d i r e c t l y above t h e p i l o t .

The window w i l l be used as a n a v i g a t i o n a l a i d ,

j u s t as the s p a c e c r a f t ' s periscope and i n f r a r e d sensing
equipment are used. It will permit a d i r e c t view of
t h e horizon, thereby allowing t h e a s t r o n a u t t o deter-
mine the s p a c e c r a f t ' s a t t i t u d e . With r e f e r e n c e l i n e s
i n s c r i b e d on the four-pane window, t h e p i l o t should
be able t o hold t h e capsule p r e c i s e l y a t t h e r e q u i r e d

- 2 -
34-degree a t t i t u d e f o r f i r i n g of retFograde (braking)
r o c k e t s a t t h e peak of h i s f l i g h t .

Obviously the window should provide a b e t t e r view

of t h e Earth, cloud cover and perhaps stars. A t peak
t r a j e c t o r y , t h e p i l o t ' s Earth view, depending on cloud
cover, may take i n v a r i o u s Caribbean i s l a n d s and much
of t h e United S t a t e s ' E a s t Coast.

PILOT TASKS -- I f a l l goes w e l l , t h e MR-4 p i l o t

won't have t o work as hard o r as f a s t as d i d Alan B.
Shepard, Jr. While t h e MR-4 p i l o t i s programmed t o
perform many of the same s p a c e c r a f t c o n t r o l f u n c t i o n s ,
he should have more time t o l o o k around i n s i d e and
o u t s i d e the capsule.

During Shepard's f i v e minutes of w e i g h t l e s s

f l i g h t , he c a r r i e d out many more tasks than are u s u a l l y
attempted i n a similar period i n a i r c r a f t f l i g h t t e s t
work. For i n s t a n c e , Shepard used the manual c o n t r o l
system one a x i s a t a time: F i r s t p i t c h , then yaw,
t h e n r o l l . T h i s was done because a p i l o t had never
c o n t r o l l e d a c r a f t i n space b e f o r e . It was desirable
t o a s s e s s h i s c a p a b i l i t i e s i n p r e c i s e steps.

Since Shepard encountered no d i f f i c u l t i e s i n

t h e s e maneuvers, the MR-4 p i l o t w i l l simply f l i p a
switch and p u l l a special 'TI' handle on h i s l e f t
console, p l a c i n g a l l three axes of s p a c e c r a f t a t t i t u d e
a t h i s command. But a t t h i s p o i n t , the p i l o t probably
w i l l c a l l f o r only one o r two a t t i t u d e s h i f t s .

RATE STABILIZATION AND CONTROL SYSTEM -- A f t e r

r e t r o f i r e , the p i l o t w i l l switch t o a n o t h e r new
system of manual c o n t r o l being f l i g h t - t e s t e d f o r t h e
f i r s t time - Rate S t a b i l i z a t i o n and Control System
(RSCS).

- 3-
 I n t h e s t r a i g h t manual system used i n Shepard's f l i g h t ,
the hand c o n t r o l l e r served d i r e c t l y t o open and c l o s e 6 gas
j e t s a t the base and neck of t h e s p a c e c r a f t which t u r n t h e
c r a f t about on i t s axes, T h i s type of con-tral., wh.ile h i g h l y
r e l i a b l e , does not o f f e r very precise X;taiieu.ver c m t r o l e

I n L i b e r t y B e l l , the pilot w i l l have t h e use of a

similar manual c o n t r o l system, He can a l s o e l e c t t o switch
t o RSCS. W i t h t h e l a t t e r system, t9e pSloSFs hand motions
a r e t r a n s l a t e d i n t o e l e c t r i c a l s i g m l s w i t h i n a "black
box. ri These e l e c t r i c a l s i g n a l s then open o r c l o s e solenoid
valves c o n t r o l l i n g t h e g a s j e t s , The s p a c e c r a f t ' s response
w i l l be similar to t h a t of a m3dern high speed a i r c r a f t and
should provide much more p r e c i s e control,
The MR-4 mission a s t r o n a u t K L P ~ e x e r c i s e t h e Rate
S t a b i l i z a t i o n and Control System f o r the f i r s t time following
r e t r o f i r e a t about 5-1/2 minutes a f t e r Paunch. He w i l l stay
on this c o n t r o l mode ford the remainder of the f l i g h t .
The MR-3 capsuie was made t o s p i n slowly, a t 2
r e v o l u t i o n s per minute, ctwing reens;ry 1. c n i s "roll rate"
T$

w i l l n o t be employed i n t h e MR-4 flight,

HATCH -- Uglike t h e i ~ e c ~ a ~ ~ i c s l l y - ~ p eside
r z t e hd a t c h
on Freedom 7, t h e MH-4 s p a c e c r a f t i s equipped w i t h a hatch
secured by explosive b o l t s , just as She pilot's canopy i s
secured i n a high performance a l r c r t z f t , , T3e a s t r o n a u t
can j e t t i s o n the hatch by pasking B pllxnger b u t t o n i n s i d e
t h e spacecraf'$ o r 'by p u l l i n g a c a 9 l e . The h a t c h may also
be removed by recovery tezms, The explosive charge has
been added as an a d d i t i o n a l pilot safety device t o i n s u r e
easy and rapid escape i n the event of an emergency. When
j e t t i s o n e d , the hatch may t r a v e l '~.pt o 25 f e e t from t h e
spacecraft.
INSTRWIENT PANEL -- Major deslgn changes have been
made i n t h e MR-4 panel wizh i n s t m m e n t gr,ompfngs f u n c t i o n a l l y
rearranged a t the suggextiofi of tfie a s t r o n a u t s f o r quicker
and easier r e f e r e n c e , I l l u s t r a t i o n s of the MR-3 and MR-4
instrument p a n e l s a r e a v a i l a b l e t o i l l u s t r a t e changes.
Notable among t h e changes i s t h e a d d i t i o n of an e n u n c i a t o r
(audio warning) panel on the r i g h t ,
ASTRONAUT PERSONAL EQUIPMENT -- The a s t r o n a u t f l i g h t
s u i t and b i o i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n are the same i n design and
f u n c t i o n as equlpment t e s t e d dinring t h e Shepard f l i g h t ,
w i t h s e v e r a l minor exceptions:

(1) Nylon-sealed b a l l bearir,g r i n g s have been f i t t e d

a t the glove connections of t h e a s t r o n a u t ' s s u i t ,
p e r m i t t i n g 360 degrees of w r i s t a c t i o n when t h e s u i t
i s i n f l a t e d . Addftion of the B. F. Goodrich Company-

-+ -
 developed quick-removal wrist rings required no
suit modifications.
(2) New voice tnlcroyhones by Electro-Voice, have
been included as an integral part of the pilot's
plastic helmet. The new microphones are expected
to insure greater reliability and higher quality
performance by cancelling out the inverter noise
which reduced the qmlity of voice transmissions
on the Freedom 7 flight.

(3) Additional protective foam plastic will cushion

the pilot's helmet in the astronaut's contour flight
couch to reduce ncrZse and vibration during powered
flight.
SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT -- A new lightweight, radar-
reflective life raft will be carried in the Liberty Bell.
Made of Mylar ( f o r air r e t e a t i o n ) and Nylon (for strength),
the three-pound, fwr-OT;UEce raft weighs 45 percent less
than the earlier version. It features three water ballast
buckets fcr flotation stability and a deflatable boarding end
which may be reinflated by an o r a l inflation tube following
boarding. Developed j o i r . t l y by the NASA's Langley Research
Center and the Space Task Groug, management element for
Mercury, the raft is made of the same material used in Echo
satellite balloons, The raft is internatfonal orange, and
the inside has been alwniinised, making it radar reflective.
Other MR-4 changes include:
(1) Aerodynamic streanllining of the spacecraft-to-
Redstone three-piece cl,mp ring fairing to reduce vibrations
during transonic flight and "Max Q" (the point at which the
highest airloads are imposed on the Mercury-Redstone
B
This
design was successfully flight-tested in the March 1 , 1961,
Little Joe launch f r m Wallops Island, Virginia.
( 2 ) A new launch angle resulting in a flight trajectory
with approximately one m2le higher altitude and three miles
shorter range than programmed for %he Shepard flight. The
Freedom 7 spacecraft hit a peak altitude of 115 statute miles and
landed 302 statute miles downrange. Winds and last minute program
changes invariably alter slightly the final altitude and distance
figures.
General purpose of t h e Mercury-Redstone program is to
advance the qualification of the spacecraft and train astro-
nauts for later orbital flights.
 Principal objectives of the MR-4 mission are:
(1) To familiarize a p i l o t with a brief but complete
space flight ex erience, including liftoff, powered flight,
weightlessness ]iapproximately 5 minutes) , atmospheric reentry,
landing, and

(2) To further evaluate a pilot's a b i l i t y to perform as

a functional unit during space flight by (a) demonstrati
wnual control of the craft during weightless periods,
using the spacecraft observation window and periscope for
(3
attitude reference and recognition of ground check points,
and (c) studying man's physiological reactions during space
flight

. .k
 MR-4 Mission P r o f i l e

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. -- Intensive p i l o t rehearosals

f o r MR-4, using a c t u a l f l i g h t hardware, have been going
on for more t h a n a month.
A t t h e same time, the Redstone b o o s t e r has been
undergoing exhaustive checkout. Several weeks ago,
b o o s t e r and s p a c e c r a f t were mated on Pad 5.
Before any launch, scores of mission s i m u l a t i o n s
a r e run using t r a i n i n g f a c i l i t i e s a t P r o j e c t Mercury
Headquarters, Langley F i e l d , V a . , azd Cape Canaveral.
A t t h e Cape, a p i l o t can " f l y " a Mercury s p a c e c r a f t i n
a s p e c i a l l y designed a l t i t u d e - p r e s s u r e chamber i n the
Mercury hangar.
I n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r ckraxber ivxs t o space-equivalent
a l t i t u d e , p i l o t s are subjected t o p r e f l i g h t p h y s i c a l s ,
equipped w i t h medical s e n s o r s and assisted i n t o t h e i r 20-
pound f u l l - p r e s s u r e s u i t s .
About two weeks before launch, three days go i n t o
simulated f l i g h t t e s t s using t h e mission s p a c e c r a f t a t
t h e pad. The medical t r a n s f e r van c a r r i e d an a s t r o n a u t
and aeromedical a t t e n d a n t from the Mercury hangar t o
t h e pad. Wearing h i s f l i g h t gear, a Mercury p i l o t went
up t h e g a n t r y and entered the s p a c e c r a f t . A r e a l i s t i c
countdown and simulated Mercury f l i g h t followed w i t h
ground f l i g h t c o n t r o l l e r s a t t h e i r s t a t i o n s .
During t h e early simulations, t h e g a n t r y remains
a g a i n s t t h e v e h i c l e and the side h a t c h of the s p a c e c r a f t
i s n o t c l o s e d . However, a f i n a l mission "dry run" at
T minus three days i n c l u d e s s e c u r i n g the s i d e hatch,
purging t h e p i l o t ' s cabin w i t h oxygen and p u l l i n g away
the gantry.
During the week preceding f l i g h t , t h e mission w a s
rehearsed repeatedly, b o t h i n t h e v e h i c l e and i n a
Link-type s p a c e c r a f t s i m u l a t o r (Mercury Procedures T r a i n e r )
i n the Mercury Control Center a t t h e Cape. Three days
b e f o r e f l i g h t , two p i l o t s go on a low-residue d i e t .
About 7 a.m. t h e day b e f o r e launch, the f l i g h t
countdown w i l l begin. I t ' s approximately a 12-hour
count which i s broken i n half t o avoid crew f a t i g u e .
The i n i t i a l hours a r e l a r g e l y devoted t o s p a c e c r a f t
checks. I n t h e booster, c e r t a i n electromechanical
v e r i f i c a t i o n s are made. F i n a l l y t h e " b i r d " i s f u e l e d
and work i s suspended i n t h e e a r l y afternoon.

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 Here i s t h e Mercury-Redstone rocket a t a glance:
Weight -- 33 t o n s a t l i f t o f f , i n c l u d i n g s p a c e c r a f t .
Height -- 58 f e e t ; w i t h s p a c e c r a f t , 83 f e e t . Thrust --
78,000 pounds. P r o p e l l a n t s -- Fuel, '75 p e r c e n t e t h y l
a l c o h o l and 25 p e r c e n t water; o x i d i z e r , l i q u i d oxygen
(temperature of which i s -297 degrees F . ) . Rocket
development and design by N A S A ' s Marshall Space F l i g h t
Center, H u n t s v i l l e , Ala. , and launched by MSFC I s Launch
Operations D i r e c t o r a t e . Major Redstone c o n t r a c t o r s --
C h r y s l e r Corp. , North h e r i c a n Aviation, I n c . and
Sperry Rand Corp.

The count resumes about midnight i f the weather

appears f a v o r a b l e . F i r s t b i g i t e m i n t h e l a s t half
of t h e " s p l i t " count 1s l o x i n g -- loading l i q u i d oxygen
i n t o the Redstone.

A t 1 a.m., t h e l i g h t s w i l l go on i n the crew

q u a r t e r s on t h e s e c o n d floor of t h e Mercury hangar.
After a shower and a shave, t h e p i l o t w i l l have
breakfast. He will have a wide s e l e c t i o n of t h i n g s
t o eat, p o s s i b l y s t e a k , s t r a w b e r r i e s , cookies and
skim milk.

F o r t y minutes a f t e r he i s wakened, he w i l l be
given a p r e - f l i g h t p h y s i c a l . About 35 minutes
w i l l be spent p l a c i n g medical s e n s o r s a g a i n s t t a t t o o e d
r e f e r e n c e marks on h i s body. Then he c l i m b s i n t o
h i s pressure s u i t .

T-170 minutes: The a s t r o n a u t l e a v e s t h e hangar

i n a medical van, t o g e t h e r w i t h a procession of e s c o r t
v e h i c l e s and begins t h e 15-minute t r i p t o the launching
site.

The a s t r o n a u t ' s s u i t w i l l be purged w i t h oxygen during

t h e t r a n s f e r period, and as t h e p i l o t relaxes i n a r e c l i n -
i n g couch, continuous medical data will be observed a t
t r a i l e r consoles.
 T-155 minutes: The pilot's final briefing is
conducted. The medScal van will have halted near
the Mercury-Redstone.
Fifteen minutes are devoted then to donning his
gloves and checking his 22essu-c.esuit for leaks. An
additional five minutes elapse as the pilot and his
attendants go up the gantry.
T-120 minutes: The pilot enters the craft through
the side hatch and adjusts himself in the contour couch.
Communications m d biomedical leads are connected.
Restraint harnesses are secured about his shoulders
t o r s o , and knees. At T-99 minutes, the astronaut's
helmet visor is closed and 'che suit is inflated to
5 pounds pe? square inch. Another suit leakage check
is run. Then a button is depressed on the side of
the pilot's helmet, exhausting suit pressure.
The suit wiil n o t be 5i?!:lzbted during the flight
unless cabin pressure f a l l s , So the suit serves as
a backup "pressure chamber" providing the proper gaseous
environment to sustain l i f e in t h e e-rent cabin pressure
fails.
Installation of the spacecraft's side hatch begins
about T-80minutes. Tlie operation takes 20 minutes. A
f l o w of cold oxygen is f o r c e d into tke cabin. Leakage
checks are condu.c+,edto ixsure that the cabin is
properly sealed!.
T-55 minutes: Spacecraft technicians leave a d
the gantry is moved away from the launch vehicle. The
count proceeds.
T-4 minutes: All spacecraft systems are checked.
T-2 m-lnutes: Onboard cameras and tape recorders
are started. Are astronaut serving as capsule communicator
in the blockhouse announces that all Further communications
between the spacecraft and the ground will be.by radio.
Freon flow (spacecraft cabln coolant) is stopped.
T-35 seconds to lift-off - in rapid sequence:
The test conductor announces "Capsule umbilical dropped,I!
Other controller voices announce:
Periscope OK
Vent valves closed
me1 tank pressurlzed
LOX tank pressurized
Vehicle Power
 Boom d r o p
I g n i t ion
Main stage
Lift-off
During boosted fLiglit, t h e p i l o t w i l l monitor c a r e f u l l y
b o o s t e r and s p a c e c r a f t prfomnalzce and talk wit'n a r o t h e r
a s t r o n a u t - t h e capsule comniunicator i n t h e Mercury
Control Center.
I f t h e mission i s no-mal, t h e Reds5one engine w i l l
be s h u t down about two and a h a l f ir,inutc?s artex, l i f t -
off when t h e v e h i c l e has achieved a meed of some
4900 m i l e s p e r h0u.r. It w i l l be climbing a t an a n g l e of
40 degrees. At engine c u t o f f , b o t h t h e escape rocket
and tower j e t t i s o n rocket above the c a p s u l e w i l l be
f i r e d a u t o m a t i c a l l y t o remove t h e tower.
Ten seconds af'te-., engine cutoff', a clamp r i n g
s e c u r i n g b o o s t e r and spa@eci-a?.'twill be sepxrated. Three
350-pound-thmast so1.3-G pope!.lank r o c k e t s a t the base of
the s p a c e c r a c t i r i l l 3c iYiwi t o scpmzte s p a c e c r z f t from
Redstone. By now the sprceci-a-Ct i s 35 m i l e s h l g h .
The p i l o t ' s p e r i s c o p e extends. At t h e same time,
t h e a u t o p i l o k swings the spaceci?a-Pt .+l:L-o:inC! s o t h e b l u n t
end i s fommi-d ani"!t i l t e d uptmrd 311 Cegrees i n s t e a d of
14 degrees as i n t h e Freedom 7 f l i ~ h t .
A t peak altititde - abotzt 115 milles - the a s t r o n a u t
w i l l be c o n t r o l l i n g t h e a t t i t u d e of t h e c r a f t and w i l l
manually hold the c r a f t a t (211: a t t i t u d e of 34 degrees.
This w i l l be t h e desix-+?edatti5uude f o p retyof'ire i n
o r b i t a l f l i g h t s . Although r e t r o r o c k c t s are not needed
for r e e n t r y i n s u b o p b i t a l f l i g h t s , t h e y w i l l be f i r e d
t o t e s t t h e i r o p e r a t i o n i n space and t o p o v l d e p i l o t s
w i t h f l i g h t experience i n c o n t r o l l i n g t h e r e t r o f i r e
maneuver. The a s t r o n a u t t h e n w i l l be a S l e t o maneuver
t h e c r a f t f o r a few miautes b e f o r e he establishes
the reentry attitsde.
During r e e n t r y , the p i l o t w i l l 5ake about 11 g ' s ,
roughly twice t h e g-load he gets during the powered
phase of Redstone-boosted f l i g h t .
A t 21,000 f e e t , a p r e s s u r e s e n s i t i v e switch deploys
a drogue parachute and a u t o m . t i c a l l y s c a t t e r s radar
r e f l e c t i v e " c h a f f . I'
A t 10,000 f e e t , t h e antenna f a i r i n g a t t h e neck of
t h e s p a c e c r a f t releases, deploying the main l a n d i n g
parachute. Concurrent w i t h main c h u t e deployment, an
underwater charge i s e j e c t e d t o a i d r e c o v e 3 f o r c e s , t h e
UHF recoveqr beacon i s tu-Ted on, remaining hydrogen
peroxide - f u e l for t h e spacecL-aft contTol system -
is jettisioned.
.( 14.
. -

The pilot may use the periscope or t h e observation window

t o v i s u a l l y check h i s p a r a c h u t e . Should t h e main chute f a i l , he
can j e t t i s o n i t and deploy a r e s e r v e landing parachute. During
descent, valves open to allow o u t s i d e a i r i n t o t h e cabin.
Upon landing, a n impact switch j e t t i s o n s t h e main parachute,
r e l e a s e s f l u o r e s c e n t sea-marking dye, t u r n s o f f i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n
r e c o r d e r s and t r a n s m i t t e r s . The p i l o t , however, s t i l l has a
voice r a d i o l i n k t o Mercury recovery f o r c e s .
The s p a c e c r a f t w i l l be picked up by t h e Mercury Recovery
Forces. These include an a i r c r a f t c a r r i e r and two d e s t r o y e r s i n
t h e prime landing a r e a . Search a i r c r a f t w i l l a l s o be deployed i n
t h e prime landing a r e a . Other s h i p s w i l l be deployed along t h e
intended p a t h of f l i g h t t o provide f o r recovery i n case of
undershoot o r overshoot.
I f t h e f l i g h t and recovery are normal, a h e l i c o p t e r w i l l l i f t
t h e c r a f t out of t h e water and p l a c e it on t h e c a r r i e r ' s f l i g h t
deck. T h e p i l o t may e l e c t t o remain i n t h e s p a c e c r a f t u n t i l it
i s on board t h e c a r r i e r o r climb out t h e s p a c e c r a f t s i d e hatch
and b e picked up b y h e l i c o p t e r .
 LAUNCH CHRONOLOGY

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. - Two types of Mercury s p a c e c r a f t

have been used i n t h e f l i g h t t e s t program. First series
of shots used f u l l - s c a l e b o i l e p p l a t e models of t h e capsule
t o check out b o o s t e r - s p a c e c r a f t intcgr*a.l;ior^and t h e escape
system. Second phase of t h e development f i r i n g program
used Mercuky capsules b u i l t t o production s t a n d a r d s .
This i s t h e chronology of t e s t f i r i n g s :
September 9, 1959: Dig 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 of t h e Mexvury concept. Capsule survived
high heat and a i r l o a d s and w a s s u c c e s s f u l l y recovered.

October 4, 1959: L i t t l e Joe 1. F i r e d a t NASA's

Wallops S t a t i o n , VirgZniz, t o check matchllng of b o o s t e r
and s p a c e c r a f t . E i g h t s o l i d - p r o p e l l a n t r o c k e t s producing
250,000 l b . of t h r u s t drove the v e h i c l e .

November 14, 1959: Lriktle Joe 2. Also f i r e d from

Wallops S t a t i o n , was an e v a l u a t i o n of the l o w - a l t i t u d e a b o r t
conditions.
December Ll, 1959: L i t t l e Joe 3. F i r e d at Wallops
St.ation t o check h i g h - a l t i t u d e pei3'oimance o f the escape
system. Rhesus moiikey Sam v ~ a sused as test xu-bject.
January 21, 1960: Little J o e 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, u s i n g Rhesus monkey Miss Sam as a t e s t s u b j e c t .
May 9, 1960: Beach A b o r t T e s t . McDonncllrs f i r s t
production capsule and i t s escape r o c k e t system were
f i r e d i n an off-the-pad a b o r t escape r o c k e t system ( c a p s u l e 1 ) .
J u l y 29, 1960: Mercury-Atlas 1. T h i s was t h e first
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 m a x i m u m a i r l o a d s and a f t e r b o d g 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 unsuccessful
because of b o o s t e r system malfunction (capsule 4 ) .
November 8, 1960: L i t t l e J o e 5. T h i s was a n o t h e r i n
the L i t t l e J o e s e r i e s from Wallops S t a t i o n . Purpose of the
s h o t was t o check t h e production capsule i n an a b o r t s i m u l a t i n g
the most s e v e r e L i t t l e J o e b o o s t e r and t h e s h o t was unsuccessful
(capsule 3 ) .
12
, -

November 21, 1960: Mercury-Redstone 1. T h i s was t h e

f i r s t unmanned Redstone-boosted f'ligl?~, but premature engine
c u t o f f a c t i v a t e d t h e emergency escape system when t h e booster
was only about one in,ch o f f the pad. The b o o s t e r s e t t l e d
back on t h e pad and was damaged s l i g h t l y . The capsule was
recovered for re-use ( c a p s u l e 2 ) .
December 19, I96C: Mercupy-Xedstone 1 A . T h i s s h o t
was a r e p e a t of t h e November 2 1 attempt and was completely
s u c c e s s f u l . Capsule reached a peak a l t i t u d e of 135 s t a t u t e
mLles, covered a h.orizonta1 dist,mce of 236 s t a t u t e miles and
was recovered s u c c e s s f u l l y ( c a p s u l e 2 ) .
January 31, 1961: Mercury-Redstone 2. T h i s was the-
Mercury-Redstone s h o t which c a r r i e d Ham, t h e 37-lb. chimpanzee.
The capsule reached 155 s t a t u t e miles a l t i t u d e , landed 420,
s t a t u t e miles downrange, and was recovered. During the landing
phase, t h e parachuting capsule was d r i f t i n g as i t s t r u c k t h e
water. Impzct of t h e angled'bilow I?larmed the suspended h e a t
shield. a g a i n s t E bu:idle of pokte?. TrJLws, which drove a b o l t
through the p r e s s u r e b ~ l l ~ l ~ c acausing
d, t h e capsule t o l e a k .
Ham was rescued b e f o r e the capsule had taken on t o o much
water ( c a p s u l e 5 ) .
- February 21, ,1961: Mercury-A%las 2. T h i s Atlas-
b o o s t e d capsule s h o t was to check m a x i m h e a t i n g and i t s
e f f e c t during t h e worx'c r e - e n t r y design c o n d i t i o n s . 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 h i g h e r
t h a n planned and t h e hea5ing vms comespondingly 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 izbout 13,000 mph. Shot was s u c c e s s f u l ( c a p s u l e 6 ) .
March 18, 1961: L i t t l e J o e 5 A . T h i s was a r e p e a t of
t h e u n s u c c e s s f u l L i t 5 l e J o e 5; i t was f i r e d a t Wallops
S t a t i o n and w a s only marginally s u c c e s s f u l ( c a p s u l e 1 4 ) .
A ril 25 -1961: PIercuiy-Atlas 3. T h i s was an Atlas-
booste --%--E-
s o t attempting to orbit t;he capsule w i t h a "mech-
a n i c a l astroiiau..t" aboard. But 4-0 sec. a f t e r , launching,
t h e b o o s t e r was destroyed by r a d i o command given by t h e
range safety o f f i c m 0 The capsule was recovered and w i l l
be f i r e d again ( c a p s u l e 8 ) .
A p r i l 28, 1961: L i t b l e J o e 5B. This, was t h e t h i r d
attempt t o check the escape systern under worst c o n d i t i o n s ,
u s i n g a L i t t l e Joe 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 t h i s t i m e t h e shot was
a complete success ( c a p s u l e 1 4 ) .
May 5. 1961: Mercury-RedsSone 3. This Redstone-
boosted s h o t c a r r i e d 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 downmnge d i s t a n c e of 302 s t a t u t e m i .
F l i g h t was s u c c e s s f u i ( c a p s u l e 7 ) .
13
 MR-4 RECOVERY OPERATIONS
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. - Ships, planes, helicopters and
ground vehicles W i l l be deployed in a rlmber cf areas to pick
up the MR-4 spacecraft and pilot, 'I'hese m ? a s include Cape
Canaveral, to cover the possibility of a.r, a * x x t while the
vehicle is either on o r just off t h e pad; near Cape Canaveral,
for an abort during the early stages of flight; and the entire
flight path from Cape Canaveral to beyond the predicted landing
point In case of a late abort.
The Task Force assigned to recover the astronaut and space-
craft will be under the command of Rear Admiral 3 . L. Chew. The
forces will be made up of units from the Destroyer Force, Naval
Air Force, Fleet Marifie Force, Service Force, Mine Force, USAF
A i r Rescue Service, and the A i r F G P CMissile
~ Test Center. Many
of the units have taken part i n e a r l i e r r e ~ o v e r yexercises.
Past experience and close coordination with NASA in the develop-
ment of procedures and techniques for safe but expeditious
recovery have been developed over the past two years.
Admiral Chew, Commacder Destroye? Flotilla ZOVR and
Commander Project Mercury Recovery Fcrce, will exercise command
of the Recovery Force from the Recovery Corz'crol Room located in
the National Aeronautics ar~dS p c e A?~-flizistrstionMercury Control
Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The T a e k Force is comprised
of several Task Groups, each under an individual commander.
A Task Group dispersed a l m g the t r e c k and in the predicted
landing area will be under the comman9 cbf Rear Adrr.iral J. E.
Clark, Commander Carrier Division 16 who will fly his flag
in the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CVS 15). The units of
this group are:
15) commanded 5y Cape. 1-1. E. Cook, Jr.
commanded by Cdr. J. I;. Rothermel
USS Kony by Cdr. F. C. Dunham, Jr.
USS Conway by Cdr.,R. N. Keller
USS Strom Cdr. W. D. Mlllar
USS Lowry by Cdr, 9. P. Carpenter
Air support for this group will be pmvided by Patrol
Squadron 5 P2V's commanded by Cdr. R. H. Casey, Z r . , USN, and
supplemented with USAF Air Rescue Service Aircraft. Carrier and
shore-based helicopters will be provided from the veteran recovery
unit, Marine Air Group 26, commanded by Col. P. T. Johnson, USMC.
A group positioned off shore consists of two minecraft and a
rescue salvage vessel under the command of LCDR J. G. Everett.
Another group located at Cape Canaveral consisting of numerous land
vehicles and small craft from the Air Force Missile Test Center will
be under the command of Lt. Col. Harry E. Cannon, USAF, of the Air
Force Missile Test Center.
- $4-