Appendix D
Flight Data Summary
The information in this revised flight data summary is taken from various sources according to the authors' best estimate of reliability. The basic format was made by Jack C. Heberlig for the NASA-MSC newspaper issue of "Mercury Program Summary," October 3-4, 1963, then republished as MSC Fact Sheet No. 201 and in Mercury Project Summary, NASA SP-45, pages 50-51. But in expanding this chart, converting it to commonly understood units, and judging each rnission's success or failure in the light of the overall program objectives, the authors have returned to the primary classified postlaunch memorandum reports for most of the figures herein.
The sixth column of the table shows the originally scheduled January 1959) launch date. This early schedule represented optimistic planning in that it assumed a trouble-free preparation and flight program. As the program progressed, some flights were eliminated, others added, and objectives expanded, based on experience gained.
| Mission | Pilot | Date m/d/y | S/C No. | L/V No. | 'Orig.' scheduled in January 1959 | Orbits/period min:sec | Weightless time hr:min:sec | Flight duration hr:min:sec | Apogee/perigee, st. miles | Range, max., st. miles | Velocity max.- spa., fix. mph | Max. q, psf | Max. g | Primary objective | Results SC/LV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L/J-1 | ----- | 8/21/59 | BP | ----- | 7/59 | ----- | ----- | 0:00:20 | 0.4 | 0.5 | ----- | ----- | ----- | Max. q abort and escape | F |
| Big Joe | ----- | 9/9/59 | BP | 10-D | 8/59 | ----- | ----- | 0:13:00 | 95 | 1,496 | 14,857 | 675 | 12 | Ablation heatshield | S/F |
| LJ-6 | ----- | 10/4/59 | BP | ----- | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:05:10 | 37 | 79 | 3,075 | 3,400 | 5.9 | Capsule aerodynamics and integrity | P |
| LJ-1A | ----- | 11/4/59 | BP | ----- | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:08:11 | 9 | 11 | 2,022 | 168 | 16.9 | Max. q abort and escape | P |
| LJ-2 | 'Sam' monkey | 12/4/59 | BP | ----- | 9/59 | ----- | 3:13 | 0:11:06 | 53 | 194 | 4,466 | 2,150 | 14.8 | Primate escape at high altitude | S |
| LJ-1B | 'Miss Sam' | 1/21/60 | BP | ----- | 11/59 | ----- | 0:28 | 0:08:35 | 9 | 12 | 2,022 | 1,070 | 4.5 | Max. q abort and escape | S |
| Beach abort | ----- | 5/9/60 | 1 | ----- | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:01:16 | 0.5 | 1 | 976 | ----- | ----- | Off-the-pad escape | S |
| MA-1 | ----- | 7/29/60 | 4 | 50-D | 11/59 | ----- | ----- | 0:03:18 | 8.1 | 6 | 1,701 | ----- | ----- | Qualify S/C-Atlas combination | F |
| LJ-5 | ----- | 11/8/60 | 3 | ----- | 12/59 | ----- | ----- | 0:02:22 | 10.1 | 14 | 1,785 | 1,420 | 6 | Qualify MAC S/C at max. q | F |
| MR-1 | ----- | 11/21/60 | 2 | MR-1 | 10/59 | ----- | ----- | 0:00:02 | 0 | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | Qualify S/C-Redstone combination | F |
| MR-1A | ----- | 12/19/60 | 2A | MR-3 | Insert | ----- | 5:30 | 0:15:45 | 130.7 | 235 | 4,909 | 560 | 12.4 | Qualify systems for suborbital | S |
| MR-2 | 'Ham' chimp | 1/31/61 | 5 | MR-2 | 12/59 | ----- | 6:40 | 0:16:39 | 157 | 422 | 5,857 | 575 | 14.7 | Primate suborbital and auto abort | S/P |
| MA-2 | ----- | 2/21/61 | 6 | 67-D | 1/60 | ----- | ----- | 0:17:56 | 114 | 1,432 | 13,227 | 991 | 15.9 | Qualify MA interface | S |
| LJ-5A | ----- | 3/18/61 | 14 | ----- | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:23:48 | 7.7 | 18 | 1,783 | 1,580 | 8 | Max. q escape and impact | P |
| MR-BD | ----- | 3/24/61 | BP | MR-5 | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:08:23 | 113.5 | 307 | 5,123 | 580 | 11 | Perfect MR booster | S |
| MA-3 | Robot | 4/25/61 | 8 | 100-D | 2/60 | ----- | ----- | 0:07:19 | 4.5 | 0 | 1,177 | 880 | 11 | Quick test of S/C-Atlas orbit | F |
| LJ-5B | ----- | 4/28/61 | 14A | ----- | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:05:25 | 2.8 | 9 | 1,780 | 1,920 | 10 | Max. q escape and sequence | S/P |
| MR-3 | Shepard: Freedom 7 | 5/5/61 | 7 | MR-7 | 1/60 | ----- | 5:16 | 0:15:28 | 116.5 | 303 | 5,134 | 580 | 11 | Evaluate man-in-space | S |
| MR-4 | Grissom: Liberty Bell 7 | 7/21/61 | 11 | MR-8 | 2/60 | ----- | 5:18 | 0:15:37 | 118.3 | 302 | 5,168 | 610 | 11.1 | Corroborate man-in-space | P/S |
| MA-4 | Robot | 9/13/61 | 8A | 88-D | 3/60 | 1/88:19 | 1:32:28 | 1:49:20 | 142.1/98.9 | 26,047 | 17,526 | 975 | 7.7 | S/C environmental control in orbit | P |
| MS-1 | ----- | 11/1/61 | NA | Insert | ----- | ----- | 0:00:43 | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | F |
| MA-5 | 'Enos' chimp | 11/29/61 | 9 | 93-D | 3/60 | 2/88:26 | 3:04:38 | 3:20:59 | 147.4/99.5 | 50,892 | 17,530 | 1,012 | 7.7 | Primate test of ECS in orbit | P/S |
| MA-6 | Glenn: Friendship 7 | 2/20/62 | 13 | 109-D | 4/60 | 3/88:29 | 4:48:27 | 4:55:23 | 162.2/100 | 75,679 | 17,544 | 982 | 7.7 | Evaluate man-in-orbit | S |
| MA-7 | Carpenter: Aurora 7 | 5/24/62 | 18 | 117-D | 5/60 | 3/88:32 | 4:39:32 | 4:56:05 | 166.8/99.9 | 76,021 | 17,549 | 967 | 7.8 | Corroborate man-in-orbit | S |
| MA-8 | Schirra: Sigma 7 | 10/3/62 | 16 | 113-D | 6/60 | 6/88:55 | 8:56:22 | 9:13:11 | 175.8/100 | 143,983 | 17,558 | 964 | 8.1 | Man-machine in orbit for 9 hours | S |
| MA-9 | Cooper: Faith 7 | 5/15/63 | 20 | 130-D | 8/60 | 22.5/88:45 | 34:03:30 | 34:19:49 | 156.9/100.3 | 546,167 | 17,547 | 974 | 7.6 | Manned 1-day mission in orbit | S |