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MR-1 Press Kit
MR-1 Press Kit
WASHINGTON 25. D. C.
ANNEX 1, ITEM 2
m-l FLIGHT TEST PROFILE
NOV7 1960
ANNEX 11, Item 3
ANNEX I, Item 4
SPACE TASK GROUP FACT SHEET
I. BACKGROUND
The Space Task Group, a unit of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administrationts Goddard Space Flight Center, is located at
Langley Field, Virginia. The group came into existence in the
Fall of 1958 with specific responsibility for putting a manned
satellite into orbit with subsequent safe recovery to investigate
man's capabilities in a space environment. During the year
preceding formation of the task group, several members of the
NASA Langley Research Center staff had conducted experimental and
theoretical studies into problems of manned space flight,
Dr. T. Keith Glennan, NASA Administrator, ordered that the
task group be organized, and the Langley Center released a number
of scientists to the group. These men formed bts nucleus,
11. ORGANIZATION
The group is headed by a Project Director, Robert R. Gilruth,
who was an Assistant Director of the Langley Research Center before
he was appointed to his present post, Associate Project Director
for Research and Development is Charles J. Donlan. Mr, Walter C,
Williams is Associate Director f o r aerations and acts as Operations
Director during flight tests.
Chief of the Operatl,oazsDivision is Charles W. Mathews, Maxime
A, Faget heads the Plight Systems Division. James A . Chamberlin
is Chief of the Engineering Division.
Scope of the Operations Division includes launching, flight
operations, recovery, ground support, and developmental testing,
The Flight Systems Division work involves heat shielding,
structures, navigation, rocket boosters, escape, life support, and
systems integration.
Areas of the work within the Engineering Division are design
engineering, specifications, contract negotiation, and contract
monitoring.
Continuous informational and operational liaison is maintained
with the Defense Department.
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111, FACILLTIES AVAILABLE TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAM
. . . .
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
WASHINOTON 25, D. C.
ANNEX I, Item 5
i n t h e l a u n c h i n g of t h e e a r l y E x p l o r e r s a t e l l i t e s . That v e r s i o n of
t h e r o c k e t was known as J u p i t e r - C .
b. Engine -- The e n g i n e used i n t o d a y ' s f l i g h t was of t h e
l a t e s t Redstone e n g i n e d e s i g n (A7), modified f o r t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n .
U s i n g alcohol and l i q u i d oxygen, t h e t h r u s t l e v e l of t h e e n g i n e i n t h i s
l a u n c h i n g was 78,000 pounds. P r o v i s i o n s were b u i l t i n t o t h e e n g i n e t o
a l l o w for t h e e x t r a b u r n i n g t i m e . There a r e m a j o r improvements i n t h e
p e r o x i d e system which d r i v e s t h e f u e l and l i q u i d oxygen pumps and
provides t h r u s t control. The s t a b i l i t y of t h e u n i t was a l s o improved,
and a n a n t i - f i r e h a z a r d p r o v i s i o n w a s a d d e d .
c. I n s t r u m e n t Compartment -- A new i n s t r u m e n t compartment ( u p p e r
Mercury-Redstone c o n f i g u r a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g a r e s e a r c h model of t h e
spacecraft.
I n a g r u e l i n g s u r v i v a l t e s t , one of t h e Mercury-Redstone e n g i n e s
was r e p e a t e d l y c a p t i v e - f i r e d f o r a t o t a l d u r ' a t i o n of a b o u t 15 times
t h e n o r p a l b u r n i n g t i m e of t h e r o c k e t .
I n a f i n a l t e s t program, t h e Mercury s p a c e c r a f t which was launched
t o d a y was s h i p p e d t o t h e Marshall C e n t e r f o r e x t e n s i v e c o m p a t i b i l i t y
t e s t s with t h e booster under controlled, laboratory conditions. These
c h e c k s i n c l u d e d e l e c t r i c a l and m e c h a n i c a l areas, and a l o n g s e r i e s of
c h e c k s t o e x c l u d e t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of r a d i o f r e q u e n c y i n t e r f e r e n c e
between t h e s p a c e c r a f t and b o o s t e r s y s t e m s . T h i s s e q u e n c e o f check-
o u t s i n c l u d e d a s i m u l a t e d countdown, l a u n c h and f l i g h t , u s i n g t h e same
c h e c k o u t and f i r i n g p a n e l s which w i l l be u s e d a t C a n a v e r a l f o r t h e
a c t u a l c h e c k o u t and l a u n c h o p e r a t i o n s .
AERODYNAMICS AND TRAJECTORY
I n t h e b a s i c d e s i g n of t h e Mercury-Redston v e h b c l e , t h e M a r s h a l l
C e n t e r conducted s p e c i a l s t u d i e s , t h e o r e t i c a l l y and by means of
wind t u n n e l models, on t h e aerodynamic b e h a v i o r of t h e new v e h i c l e .
The C e n t e r a l s o p r e p a r e d t h e t r a j e c t o r i e s t o be f l o w n i n t h e Mercury-
Redstone s e r i e s and c a l c u l a t e d t h e s a f e t y c o n d i t o n s u n d e r which t h e
r o c k e t c o u l d be f i r e d a t t h e A t l a n t i c Missile Range.
140 s e c o n d s . S h o r t l y a f t e r c u t o f f , t h e Mercury s p a c e c r a f t i s
s e p a r a t e d from t h e b o o s t e r (combined t a n k and e n g i n e s e c t i o n s p l u s
t h e i n s t r u m e n t compartment) by t h e i g n i t i o n of e x p l o s i v e b o l t s which
release t h e c o n n e c t i n g clamp r i n g . T h i s i s i m m e d i a t e l y f o l l o w e d by
t h e f i r i n g of t h r e e small s o l i d p r o p e l l a n t r o c k e t s on t h e b a s e of t h e
spacecraft.
The s e p a r a t i o n o c c u r s a t a n a l t i t u d e of: a b o u t 50 s t a t u t e m i l e s ,
B o t h t h e r o c k e t body and t h e s p a c e c r a f t c o n t i n u e on s e p a r a t e
ballistic trajectories. The s p a c e c r a f t w i l l l a n d a t a b o u t 200 s t a t u t e
miles, h a v i n g r e a c h e d a maximum a l t i t u d e of a b o u t 120 s t a t u t e m i l e s .
The r o c k e t body s h o u l d h i t t h e 'Eea some 20 m i l e s beyond t h e s p a c e c r a f t .
INDUSTRIAL PARTICIPATION
Hundreds of i n d u s t r i a l f a b r i c a t o r s and s u p p l i e r s a r e cont;-rlbuting
t o t h e Mercury-Redstone program.
The f i r s t two of t h e e i g h t r o c k e t s t o be p r o v i d e d for P r o j e c t
Mercury by t h e Marshall C e n t e r were assembled a t t h e C e n t e r . MSFC
also f a b r i c a t e d many of t h e components; m a j o r s t r u c t u r a l components
were m a n u f a c t u r e d by t h e Reynolds Metals Company, S h e f f i e l d , Alabama.
The f i n a l s i x r o c k e t s i n t h e s e r i e s a r e b e i n g f u r n i s h e d t o Marshall
by t h e C h r y s l e r C o r p o r a t i o n Missile D i v i s o n , D e t r o i t .
C h r y s l e r C o r p o r a t i o n a l s o c o n d u c t e d a m a j o r r e l i a b i l i t y program
under c o n t r a c t t o MSFC.
The Rocketdyne D i v i s b n o f N o r t h American A v i a t i o n C o r p o r a t i o n ,
Canoga Park, C a l i f o r n i a , m a n u f a c t u r e d t h e e n g i n e s f o r t h e r o c k e t s .
. . -
.. .- .. .. . -
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
WASWINOTON 25, 6 . C.
ANNEX I, Item 6
are:
USS POWER (DD-839), commanded by Cdr. J . H. J o r g e n s o n
USS HANK (DD-TOZ), commanded by Cdr. M. H. O s t r a n d e r
Missile T e s t Center.
A l l h e l i c o p t e r s i n t h e f o r c e a r e based a t New R i v e r , North