Professional Documents
Culture Documents
\1
I
' POST LAUNCH REPORT
FOR
MERCURY-ATLAS N O . 1
i
(MA-1 )-3k
I
I 1 Space T a s k Group
-
COPY .?/ OF !rL COPIES
POSTLAUNCH REPORT
FOR
MERCURY-ATLAS NO. 1
(MA-1)
Edited by :
I>- 4%
I
A l e c k C. Bond I \
P r o j e c t Engineer '2
Approved :
C h i e f . F l i g h t Systems D i v i s i o n
Approved :
C, W . Mathews
C h i e f , Operations D i v i s i o n
Authorized for P u b l i c a t i o n :
D i r e c t o r of P r o j e c t Mercury
/r
'*!
Y
Proj e c t MERCURY
T h i s P o s t l a u n c h Report is i n t e n d e d t o p r o v i d e i n i t i a l
* c o r r e l a t i o n and a q u a l i t a t i v e summary of t h e r e s u l t s of t h e
Mercury-Atlas No. 1 (MA-1) f l i g h t t e s t . I n f o r m a t i o n is
p r e s e n t e d on Mercury c a p s u l e performance, A t l a s b o o s t e r
I ',' performance and on t h e launch and recovery o p e r a t i o n s . The
c a p s u l e performance i n f o r m a t i o n p r e s e n t e d h e r e i n is d e r i v e d
from a "quick-look" a n a l y s i s of l i m i t e d d a t a a v a i l a b l e a t
t h e l a u n c h s i t e s h o r t l y a f t e r launch and as s u c h must be
considered preliminary data.
The MA-1 f l i g h t t e s t is t h e f i r s t of a s e r i e s of tests
t o be made w i t h t h e Mercury c a p s u l e onboard t h e A t l a s
b o o s t e r , The primary purpose of t h e MA-1 f l i g h t w a s t o
test t h e s t r u c t u r a l i n t e g r i t y of t h e Mercury c a p s u l e and
i t s heat p r o t e c t i o n e l e m e n t s d u r i n g r e e n t r y from a c r i t i c a l
abort condition.
i
Subject Page
1.0 SUMMARY 1
7.0 RESULTS 11
7.1 Launch O p e r a t i o n s 11
7.2.1 Trajectory 15
7.2.2 Booster Performance 22
7 4
e Capsule Systems Performance 33
7.4.1 I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n and T e l e m e t r y 33
7.4.2 E l e c t r i c a l Power 34
7.4.3 O t h e r Systems 34
7.5 Recovery 35
7.6 Capsule P o s t F l i g h t I n s p e c t i o n 40
8.0 CONCLUSIONS 45
9 0 RECOMMENDATIONS 46
10 0 APPENDICES 47
10.1 Capsule H i s t o r y 47
F i m r e No. Title -
Page
7.3.1-5 Capsule a c c e l e r a t i o n p r i o r t o l o s s
of s i g n a l ,. .. .............. .......... 28
iii
LIST OF FIGURES
(continued)
Figure T i tle -
Page
7.3.1-6 Capsule a n g u l a r r a t e s p r i o r t o
l o s s of s i g n a l ....................... 29
7.3.3-1 MA-1 c a p s u l e p r e s s u r e measurements ... 32
7.5-1 L o c a t i o n of s h i p and a i r c r a f t
s t a t i o n i n designated recovery
areas ................................. 37
7.5-2 Launch s i t e r e c o v e r y f o r c e s
deployed i n t h e Cape area ............. 38
iv
1.0 SUMMARY
Mercury-Atlas No. 1 (MA-1) was launched a t 8:13 a . m .
E.S.T. on J u l y 29, 1960 from Complex 14 of t h e A i r F o r c e
Missile T e s t C e n t e r (AFMTC), Cape C a n a v e r a l , F l o r i d a . Atlas
b o o s t e r No. 50D w a s employed i n t h e f l i g h t t e s t .
The launch and f l i g h t of t h e MA-1 c a p s u l e - b o o s t e r com-
b i n a t i o n were normal u n t i l about 58 seconds a f t e r l i f t - o f f
a t which t i m e an a b r u p t d i s t u r b a n c e of unknown o r i g i n
o c c u r r e d . A t about 60 seconds a f t e r l i f t - o f f t h e b o o s t e r
a p p a r e n t l y s u f f e r e d major s t r u c t u r a l f a i l u r e s , t h e c a u s e of
which is n o t p r e s e n t l y known. The c a p s u l e and c a p s u l e
s y s t e m s appear t o have been o p e r a t i n g p r o p e r l y a t t h e t i m e
of b o o s t e r f a i l u r e . The c a p s u l e remained e s s e n t i a l l y i n -
t a c t a f t e r t h e b o o s t e r f a i l u r e and u n t i l impact. The c a p s u l e
wreckage w a s l o c a t e d 4 . 6 m i l e s due e a s t of launch Complex 14.
About 95 p e r c e n t of t h e c a p s u l e had been r e c o v e r e d a t t h e
t i m e of t h i s w r i t i n g . The c a p s u l e t e s t o b j e c t i v e s were n o t
met.
1
2.0 FLIGHT TEST OBJECTIVES
2
3 0 CAPSULE AND CAPSULE SYSTEMS
F i g u r e s 3.0-1 a n d 3.0-2 show photographs of t h e cap-
s u l e and c a p s u l e - b o o s t e r combination. The b a s i c s t r u c t u r a l
c o n f i g u r a t i o n and h e a t p r o t e c t i o n e l e m e n t s of t h e MA-1
c a p s u l e are t h e same as employed i n t h e s t a n d a r d Mercury
d e s i g n w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n of t h e e s c a p e tower. A s t u b
tower, c o n s t r u c t e d from t h e lower p o r t i o n of t h e s t a n d a r d
e s c a p e tower, was employed t o d u p l i c a t e t h e s t r u c t u r a l j o i n t
a t t h e tower clamp r i n g and t o s u p p o r t a t h e r m a l f a i r i n g o v e r
t h e end of t h e a n t e n n a c a n i s t e r .
(c) Retropack r e l e a s e
(d) Drogue p a r a c h u t e m o r t a r
(e) Antenna e j e c t o r
(f) Main and r e s e r v e p a r a c h u t e b l a s t bags
(g) Main p a r a c h u t e d i s c o n n e c t
3
3.0 CAPSULE AND CAPSULE SYSTEMS (Cont'd)
(c) Two SOFAR bombs
(d) Flashing l i g h t
(e) Radar c h a f f
Yaw r a t e
R o l l rate
Longitudinal a c c e l e r a t i o n (high range)
Longitudinal a c c e l e r a t i o n ( l o w range)
Normal a c c e l e r a t i o n
Transverse a c c e l e r a t i o n
Cabin p r e s s u r e
Voltage m o n i t o r
Capsule t i m e
S h i n g l e v i b r a t i o n (1 s h i n g l e )
H e a t s h i e l d cavity pressure
Events
6
4.0 CAPSULE PHYSICAL DATA
. E x i t c o n f i g u r a t i o n ( i n c l u d e s c a p s u l e , r e t r o p a c k and
s t u b tower)
. 7
n
.-
w
Fr
x
8
.
u)
0
n
5.0 FLIGHT PLAN
The normal f l i g h t p l a n f o r t h e MA-1 m i s s i o n c a l l e d f o r
l a u n c h i n g t h e c a p s u l e on a b a l l i s t i c t r a j e c t o r y w i t h a head-
i n g of l0S0 t r u e down t h e A t l a n t i c Missile Range (AMR). The
A t l a s b o o s t e r guidance w a s programed s o as t o p r o v i d e f l i g h t
c o n d i t i o n s a t c a p s u l e s e p a r a t i o n t o match t h e c o n d i t i o n s f o r
a p a r t i c u l a r p o s t s t a g e a b o r t from a nominal Mercury e x i t t r a j e c -
t o r y . T h i s p a r t i c u l a r a b o r t imposes c r i t i c a l h e a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s
on t h e h e a t p r o t e c t i o n s h i n g l e s of t h e c o n i c a l a f t e r b o d y of t h e
c a p s u l e . The d e s i r e d t r a j e c t o r y matching c o n d i t i o n s a t s u s -
t a i n e r e n g i n e c u t o f f are l i s t e d below:
Altitude, f e e t 547,033
I n e r t i a l flight-path angle, 3.61
degrees
9
6,O FLIGHT HISTORY
Mercury-Atlas No. 1 (MA-1) was launched a t 8:13 a . m .
E.S.T. on J u l y 29, 1960 from Complex 14 of t h e A i r F o r c e
Missile T e s t C e n t e r , Cape Canaveral, F l o r i d a . A t l a s No.
50D was employed i n t h e f l i g h t t e s t .
The f l i g h t of t h e Mercury-Atlas t e s t v e h i c l e appear-
ed normal i n a l l r e s p e c t s f o r a b o u t t h e f i r s t minute
following l i f t - o f f . A t 58.5 seconds a l a r g e d i s t u r b a n c e
o c c u r r e d which r e s u l t e d i n a forward a c t i n g shock l o a d
of about 25 g on t h e c a p s u l e . T h i s d i s t u r b a n c e a p p a r e n t -
l y d i d n o t r e s u l t i n damage t o t h e c a p s u l e o r c a p s u l e
s y s t e m s , nor d i d i t seem t o r e s u l t i n l o s s of t h r u s t of
t h e b o o s t e r . Approximately 1 second a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l
d i s t u r b a n c e , t h e b o o s t e r t e l e m e t r y w a s l o s t and m u l t i p l e
radar t a r g e t s appeared s h o r t l y t h e r e a f t e r . The c a p s u l e
a p p a r e n t l y d i d n o t s u s t a i n major damage from t h e s e e v e n t s
as evidenced by t h e d a t a o b t a i n e d from t h e c o n t i n u o u s
o p e r a t i o n of a l l c a p s u l e t e l e m e t r y c h a n n e l s t o c a p s u l e
i m p a c t , o r f o r a b o u t 143 seconds a f t e r b o o s t e r f a i l u r e .
The impact p o i n t as e s t a b l i s h e d by t h e r a d a r s was approxi-
m a t e l y 4 m i l e s o f f s h o r e . No c a p s u l e sequence e v e n t s
s i g n a l s were r e c o r d e d by t h e t e l e m e t r y . This condition
would be e x p e c t e d a t t h i s t i m e of f l i g h t because t h e
b o o s t e r s i g n a l s i n i t i a t i n g c a p s u l e sequences w e r e n o t
t o be e n a b l e d i n t h e b o o s t e r u n t i l 170 s e c o n d s , Thus
t h e l a n d i n g and r e c o v e r y s y s t e m c o u l d n o t have been a c t i -
v a t e d and d i d n o t f u n c t i o n .
The c a p s u l e wreckage was found and r e c o v e r e d t h e
d a y f o l l o w i n g t h e t e s t i n s i x t y f e e t of w a t e r n e a r t h e
p r e d i c t e d impact p o i n t .
10
7.0 RESULTS
7.1 Launch O p e r a t i o n s
7.1.1 Prelaunch A c t i v i t i e s
T h e c a p s u l e w a s d e l i v e r e d t o t h e pad and mated t o t h e
b o o s t e r o n X-2 d a y s . The c a p s u l e p l a s t i c r a i n c o v e r w a s f i t t e d
and a d j u s t e d and checked o u t f o r p r o p e r u m b i l i c a l e j e c t i o n .
During X - 1 day t h e primary a c t i v i t y on t h e c a p s u l e i n v o l v e d
making r e s i s t a n c e c h e c k s o f a l l p y r o t e c h n i c b r i d g e c i r c u i t s .
T h e s e t e s t s i n d i c a t e d t h a t a l l p y r o t e c h n i c s were s a t i s f a c t o r y .
A l s o d u r i n g X - 1 d a y , t h e normal b o o s t e r a c t i v i t i e s were accom-
p l i s h e d , and t h e b o o s t e r w a s r e p o r t e d t o b e r e a d y t o s t a r t
p r e c o u n t o p e r a t i o n s as planned. I n t h e c a p s u l e p r e c o u n t , f i n a l
checks were made on t h e c a p s u l e p y r o t e c h n i c s , the b a t t e r i e s
were c o n n e c t e d , t h e h a t c h was i n s t a l l e d and p r e s s u r e checks
were made. The b o o s t e r precount a c t i v i t i e s proceeded normally w i t h
no a p p a r e n t d i f f i c u l t i e s . As p l a n n e d , t h e c a p s u l e and booster
s t a r t e d t h e 215 minute d e t a i l e d c o u n t a t 3:55 a . m . EST.
T h r e e h o l d s and one recycle r e q u i r e d an a d d i t i o n a l
43 minutes which i n c r e a s e d t h e t o t a l countdown t i m e r e q u i r e d
t o 258 m i n u t e s .
Approximately 8 hours b e f o r e l a u n c h t i m e , t h e launch
s i t e weather c o n d i t i o n s were i n t e r m i t t e n t r a i n and complete
c l o u d c o v e r . Local wind v e l o c i t y w a s w e l l w i t h i n t h e l i m i t a -
t i o n s s p e c i f i e d f o r t h i s t e s t . Weather f o r e c a s t s p r e d i c t e d
t h a t v i s i b i l i t y c o n d i t i o n s would g r a d u a l l y improve. Weather
c o n d i t i o n s i n t h e i n t e n d e d l a n d i n g area were n e a r i d e a l f o r
c a p s u l e l a n d i n g and r e c o v e r y . F o r e c a s t s i n d i c a t e d t h a t no
a p p r e c i a b l e change was l i k e l y t o o c c u r t h r o u g h o u t t h i s t e s t .
During t h e c o u n t , a l l c a p s u l e and b o o s t e r s y s t e m s
c h e c k o u t s were accomplished smoothly w i t h no a p p a r e n t d i f f i -
c u l t i e s or changes t o planned p r o c e d u r e s . A t T-35 m i n u t e s ,
t h e count w a s held f o r the following reasons: (1) D e l a y s i n
t h e p y r o t e c h n i c hookup and (2) Delays i n t h e p r e p a r a t i o n of
camera equipment on t h e l a u n c h complex. T h e s e dblBps can
be a t t r i b u t e d mostly t o t h e weather c o n d i t i o n s . The afore-
mentioned p y r o t e c h n i c a n d camera a c t i v i t i e s r e q u i r e d about
15 minutes of t h e h o l d ; t h e h o l d w a s t h e n extended t o
e v a l u a t e t h e e f f e c t of t h e poor v i s i b i l i t y on t h e l a u n c h
pad camera c o v e r a g e . I t was d e c i d e d t h a t t h e e x i s t i n g photo-
g r a p h i c coverage w a s n o t s o impaired as t o j u s t i f y f u r t h e r
d e l a y of t h e t e s t . The t o t a l h o l d a t t h i s t i m e amounted t o
3 0 m i n u t e s . A t T-7 minutes, t h e c o u n t w a s h e l d t o complete
-
l i q u i d oxygen sub-cooled topping. T h i s d e l a y w a s caused
by d i f f i c u l t y i n m a i n t a i n i n g f l i g h t l i q u i d oxygen l e v e l
t h r o u g h t h e 2-inch t o p p i n g l i n e y T h i s is a common occur-
r a n c e . T h e r e q u i r e d l e v e l was reached d u r i n g t h e h o l d , and
t h e c o u n t w a s resumed. A t T-19 s e c o n d s a s h o r t hold of
a b o u t 1 minute w a s r e q u i r e d t o d e t e r m i n e t h e c a u s e of no
water r e a d y l i g h t o n t h e t e s t c o n d u c t o r ' s c o n s o l e . I t w a s
11
7.1.1 Prelaunch A c t i v i t i e s (continued)
l e a r n e d t h a t t h e ready s w i t c h w a s i n a d v e r t e n t l y n o t thrown,
and upon a c t u a t i o n of t h e s w i t c h , t h e l i g h t came o n . The c o u n t
w a s t h e n r e c y c l e d t o minus 25 seconds and c o n t i n u e d a s planned
w i t h no o t h e r d i f f i c u l t i e s e n c o u n t e r e d . I n g e n e r a l , t h e over-
a l l launch o p e r a t i o n w a s smoothly i n t e g r a t e d and c o n d u c t e d ,
and t h e r e w a s no i n d i c a t i o n a t any t i m e of any s y s t e m m a l -
function i n t h e capsule or t h e booster.
12
c
7.1.2 Weather C o n d i t i o n s a t Launch
A t t h e t i m e of l i f t - o f f t h e weather w a s r e p o r t e d as
follows :
Planned l a n d i n g area:
Clouds - .1 coverage w i t h low c l o u d b a s e a t
2000 f e e t
Waves - 3 feet
Visibility - 8-15 m i l e s
Launch s i t e :
. 2 coverage a t 3200 f e e t
1 . 0 coverage a t 9000 f e e t
An o b s e r v a t i o n f r o m t h e h e l i c o p t e r , a i r b o r n e o v e r
t h e edge of t h e Banana R i v e r i n d i c a t e d r a p i d l y lowering c e i l i n g
and v i s i b i l i t y due t o a low hanging r a i n c l o u d moving a c r o s s
t h e Skid S t r i p from t h e s o u t h .
13
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0 c)
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0
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ua
7.2 T r a j e c t o r y and B o o s t e r Performance
7.2.1 Trajectory
From l i f t - o f f t o 36 seconds t h e G o E. Burroughs
Guidance System y i e l d e d t r a j e c t o r y r a t e d a t a which were
i n t e r m i t t e n t and n o t s u i t a b l e f o r r e d u c t i o n . The guid-
ance s y s t e m performed normally from 36 t o 58.65 s e c o n d s
( r a n g e time) a t which t i m e a l l l o c k w a s l o s t and n e v e r
regained,
Real t i m e impact p r e d i c t i o n on t h e RSO p l o t b o a r d
w a s s u p p l i e d by t h e Cape FPS-16 u n t i l 57 seconds. A t
t h i s t i m e an a t t e m p t was made t o u s e AZUSA d a t a . When
AZUSA proved u n u s a b l e , t h e Cape FPS-16 d a t a were used
from 73 seconds u n t i l l o s s of s i g n a l . The XN-1 radar w a s
n o t used i n t h e Impact P r e d i c t o r computer because of
mechanical d i f f i c u l t i e s i n t h e d a t a d i g i t i z e r .
The t r a j e c t o r y d a t a p r e s e n t e d i n t h i s s e c t i o n is based
on t h e d a t a o b t a i n e d from f o l l o w i n g t r a c k i n g f a c i l i t i e s :
Facility Range t i m e , s e c o n d s
G. E. Burroughs 36-58.65
AZUSA 34-58 6 5
Cape FPS-16 10-20
31-58
80-171
15
7.2.1 T r a j e c t o r y (Cont'd)
I n e r t i a l velocity, ft/sec 2436 - 2483
I n e r t i a l f l i g h t path angle 31.93 - 32.02
(from h o r i z o n t a l ) , deg
I n e r t i a l heading a n g l e 94.96 - 95.16
(from n o r t h ) , deg
Earth f i x e d v e l o c i t y , f t / s e c 1484 1506 1528
Earth f i x e d f l i g h t path 60.25 59.83 59.49
Angle, deg
E a r t h f i x e d heading a n g l e , 104.04 104.25 104.12
deg
Mach number 1.51 - 1.56
Dynamic p r e s s u r e , l b / f t2 889 - 899
A p l o t of a l t i t u d e v e r s u s r a n g e is shown i n f i g u r e 7.2.1-2,
Time h i s t o r i e s of t r a j e c t o r y q u a n t i t i e s are shown i n f i g u r e s
7 . 2 . 1 - 3 t o 7.2.1-5. F i g u r e 7.2.1-1 shows t h e p o i n t where t h e
c a p s u l e wreckage w a s l o c a t e d and r e c o v e r e d a f t e r t h e f l i g h t .
A l s o shown are t h e impact p o i n t o b t a i n e d from t h e Cape FPS-16
r a d a r t r a c k i n g , t h e impact p o i n t c a l c u l a t e d from t h e c o n d i t i o n s
a t t h e t e r m i n a t i o n of powered f l i g h t based on G. E. d a t a , and
t h e c a l c u l a t e d vacuum and i n t e g r a t e d impact p r e d i c t i o n computer
impact p o i n t . The c a l c u l a t e d and FBS-16 p o i n t s w e r e c o r r e c t e d
f o r wind e f f e c t s . The e f f e c t s of t h e h i g h winds a t t h e lower
a l t i t u d e s c a n be n o t i c e d i n t h e i n i t i a l phase of t h e ascent
and i n t h e d e s c e n t a t a l t i t u d e s below 30,000 f e e t . The o n l y
impact p o i n t s s u p p l i e d t o t h e r e c o v e r y f o r c e s immediately
a f t e r f l i g h t w e r e t h e FPS-16 e l l i p t i c and i n t e g r a t e d v a l u e s
o b t a i n e d from t h e impact p r e d i c t i o n computer. More r e f i n e d
v a l u e s were s u p p l i e d on t h e day f o l l o w i n g t h e f l i g h t .
16
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a
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0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 a0 a dc N
rl
..
0
0
0
cv
8
4
0
0
cv
4
0
0
a0
0
0
d(
0
.-
3
8
c)
Q)
m
d
0
I
1
I
4
+,
a f
.O
0
N 0
w
6
ti
0 t
00 N
El
0
k
+I
*
0
7.2.2 Booster Performance
Engine i g n i t i o n appeared t o be smooth and normal. Release
and l i f t - o f f w e r e normal a f t e r t h e planned hold-down t i m e . In-
f o r m a t i o n p r e s e n t l y a v a i l a b l e i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e b o o s t e r per-
formance w a s normal i n a l l r e s p e c t s u n t i l 58.5 seconds a f t e r
lift-off. A t t h i s t i m e some b o o s t e r t e l e m e t r y w a s l o s t as a r e s u l t
of an u n e x p l a i n e d a b r u p t e v e n t . T h i s e v e n t c a u s e d l a r g e d i s t u r b -
a n c e s i n t h e c a p s u l e and b o o s t e r l o n g i t u d i n a l a c c e l e r a t i o n d a t a .
The c a u s e of t h i s d i s t u r b a n c e is p r e s e n t l y unknown. There are
s t r o n g i n d i c a t i o n s , however, t h a t a f t e r t h e d i s t u r b a n c e , t h e
e n g i n e s c o n t i n u e d t o o p e r a t e f o r a s h o r t p e r i o d of t i m e . It
a p p e a r s t h a t sometime between 59.0 and 60.0 s e c o n d s , t h e b o o s t e r
e x p e r i e n c e d major s t r u c t u r a l damage.
22
7.3 Capsule Measurements
23
3
w
A
W
V
u
a
-
0
-
3
I-
a
z
0
-1
1
W
3:
I-
-1
W
a
3
N'
W
u
'a5
W
LL
W
EL
u
W V
W
VI VI
3 co
v\
m
Ln c
u
W
-
c
I
VI
N m
In w
W
UI W
a
a
LD
\
- I-
W
-
REFERENCE
LONG ITUD 1 NAL ACCELERAT ION (LO RANGE)
- 26
-
CAPSULE EVENTS
RAD/ SEC
102 SEC
IOi SEC
P I T C H RATE --
-2.0
RAD/SEC
REFERENCE
-1.0
Y A W RATE '
RAD/SEC
t
r 1.0
-3.0
0.5
0
ROLL RATE -. ,
REFERENCE
NORMAL ACCELERATION
FIGURE 7.3.1-5
- W
CAPSULE ACCELERATIONS P R I O R TO L O j S OF S I G I ~ A L
28'
E TIME
-
I CAPSULE EVENTS J I
RADjSEC .
,j.f 199 SEC 200 SEC 202 5 E C
e2.0
LOSS OF S I G N A L -
'I .o
0
-1.0
z.: P I T C H RATE
+ I .o .REFERENCE -
I-:.,
p fUUO/SEC
YAW RATE 7
/
t 0.5,
[ :o:5
-
RANGE T I M E l-
29
F I GURE 7 .3.1-6 CAPSULE ANGULAR RATES P R I O R TO LUSS UF SIGiUAL
7.3.2 V i b r a t i o n Measurements
Accelerometer - The c a p s u l e h i g h f r e q u e n c y v i b r a t i o n s
( i n t h e d i r e c t i o n of t h e x - a x i s ; see f i g u r e 4.0-1) as measured
by t h e accelerometer d u r i n g f l i g h t v a r i e d from a p p r o x i m a t e l y
1 . 0 g peak t o peak, a t 20 seconds of f l i g h t t i m e , t o approx-
i m a t e l y 3.0 g peak t o peak d u r i n g t h e 1 0 s e c o n d s p r i o r t o t h e
a p p a r e n t b o o s t e r f a i l u r e . The predominant f r e q u e n c y w a s 200
c p s . T h e above d a t a were measured by t h e c a p s u l e l o n g i t u d i n a l
a c c e l e r o m e t e r ; t h e s p e c i a l a c c e l e r o m e t e r s u s e d for t h e FRF
v i b r a t i o n measurements ( s e e appendix) were n o t connected d u r -
ing f l i g h t .
30
7.3.3 Other Measurements
Pressures - F i g u r e 7.3.3-1 is a p l o t of t h e c a p s u l e c a b i n
and c a p s u l e h e a t - s h i e l d - c a v i t y p r e s s u r e v s t i m e .
The c a b i n p r e s s u r e r e g u l a t i n g v a l v e located on t h e s m a l l
p r e s s u r e bulkhead appeared t o f u n c t i o n p r o p e r l y . The p r e s s u r e
decreased w i t h a l t i t u d e u n t i l t h e r e g u l a t i n g p r e s s u r e of ap-
p r o x i m a t e l y 5.4 p s i a w a s reached. A t t h i s p o i n t t h e c a b i n
p r e s s u r e h e l d c o n s t a n t f o r about 50 s e c o n d s i n d i c a t i n g t h a t
c a b i n leaks, i f any, were n e g l i g i b l e . The v a l v e opened
a g a i n d u r i n g d e s c e n t and e q u a l i z e d t h e p r e s s u r e s a t i s f a c t o r i l y .
I t s h o u l d be n o t e d t h a t t h e v a l v e c o n t i n u e d t o o p e r a t e
s a t i s f a c t o r i l y a f t e r t h e b o o s t e r f a i l u r e and t h a t t h e c a b i n
p r e s s u r e remained c o n s t a n t d u r i n g t h e t i m e t h e v a l v e w a s
closed. I t t h u s a p p e a r s t h a t t h e c a p s u l e p r e s s u r e v e s s e l
remained s t r u c t u r a l l y sound and s e a l e d d u r i n g and a f t e r t h e
b o o s t e r m a l f u n c t i o n . There w a s no p r e s s u r i z a t i o n s y s t e m on
board t h e c a p s u l e .
Another p o i n t of i n t e r e s t i s t h a t t h e h e a t - s h i e l d - c a v i t y
p r e s s u r e w a s n o t unduly h i g h ( f i g u r e 7.3.3-1) i n d i c a t i n g t h a t
( a t l e a s t f o r t h e l o w Mach numbers of t h i s f l i g h t ) t h e shock
wave from t h e main clamp r i n g had l i t t l e o r no e f f e c t on t h e
pressures i n the cavity.
Heating - Because of t h e low s p e e d s i n v o l v e d , no s i g -
n i f i c a n t e x i t h e a t i n g d a t a were o b t a i n e d from t h i s f l i g h t .
The 51 thermocouples d i s t r i b u t e d throughout t h e c a p s u l e s t r u c -
t u r e and s h i n g l e s f u n c t i o n e d p r o p e r l y from l i f t - o f f t o c a p s u l e
impact.
The thermocouples were a t t a c h e d t o t h e c a p s u l e s t r u c t u r e
and s h i n g l e s i n such a manner t h a t breakup of t h e s t r u c t u r e
o r l o s s of a thermocoupled s h i n g l e i n f l i g h t would have
opened t h e c i r c u i t ( s ) of t h e a f f e c t e d t h e r m o c o u p l e ( s ) . Such
a n open c i r c u i t would have been immediately a p p a r e n t .
From t h e p r e s s u r e and t e m p e r a t u r e measurements d i s c u s s e d
i n t h i s s e c t i o n , t h e r e i s strong evidence t h a t t h e capsule
remained i n t a c t and s t r u c t u r a l l y sound, d u r i n g and a f t e r t h e
b o o s t e r m a l f u n c t i o n , down t o c a p s u l e impact.
31
16
14
12
10
cd
.r(
m
a
L 8
23
3
H 6
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 100
T i m e , seconds
7 32
7 . 4 Capsule Systems Performance
33
7.4.2 Electrical Power
In general, the performance of the capsule's electrical
power system, before and during the abbreviated flight, was
satisfactory. During the prelaunch condition, all console
switches and monitor functions were accomplished with no dis-
crepancies noted. The capsule's main, camera, and recovery
batteries were within the specified voltage tolerances prior
to launch. The main (instrumentation) battery voltage was
telemetered and remained constant at 27.4 volts until impact.
Analysis of the two event data traces (. 96 kc and 10.5
kc), showed that the flight terminated before any of the
programmed events occurred.
34
7.5 Recovery
The d i s t r i b u t i o n of t h e recovery f o r c e s i n t h e d e s i g -
n a t e d recovery areas is shown i n f i g u r e s 7.5-1 and 7.5-2.
The g e n e r a l p l a n of a c t i o n following launch w a s t o t r a n s -
m i t (by v o i c e r a d i o ) t h e p r e d i c t e d l a n d i n g p o i n t i n f o r m a t i o n
from t h e recovery c o n t r o l c e n t e r t o t h e downrange recovery
commander. The recovery commander would t h e n a c t i v a t e
a p p r o p r i a t e e l e c t r o n i c and v i s u a l a i r c r a f t s e a r c h p l a n s t o
l o c a t e t h e c a p s u l e , Following l o c a t i o n , c a p s u l e pickup
would be by e i t h e r h e l i c o p t e r o r s h i p , whichever c o u l d be
done more q u i c k l y . There were no p r e l a u n c h movements of
%he recovery f o r c e s from t h e planned l o c a t i o n s .
A t approximately T+140 seconds ( 8 :15 a . m . E. S.T. ) ,
t h e launch s i t e recovery commander i n t h e a i r b o r n e h e l i -
c o p t e r w a s a d v i s e d t h a t r a d a r w a s t r a c k i n g a descending
o b j e c t and t o s t a n d by f o r v e c t o r i n g t o t h e impact a r e a .
The T-boats ( s e e f i g u r e 7.5-1) r e p o r t e d no v i s u a l s i g h t -
i n g s and t h a t v i s i b i l i t y had d e t e r i o r a t e d t o 0-3 m i l e i n
r a i n showers. The h e l i c o p t e r w a s v e c t o r e d t o an area
approximately 7 m i l e s downrange on a b e a r i n g of 105 d e g r e e s
from Pad 14. Radar t r a c k i n g i n f o r m a t i o n and I P 709 and
G. E. Burroughs impact p r e d i c t i o n s i n d i c a t e d t h e p o s s i b i l i t y
of p a r t s being s c a t t e r e d from 4 t o 7 m i l e s downrange. A t
approximately 9 ~ 3 0a . m . t h e T-boat from t h e n o r t h e r n p o s i -
t i o n j o i n e d t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n t h e search area. No i n d i c a t i o n
of c a p s u l e o r b o o s t e r impact w a s found i n t h e a r e a . H e l i -
c o p t e r s e a r c h w a s maintained (by s u c c e s s i v e r e l i e f s by t h e
two o t h e r h e l i c o p t e r s ) u n t i l approximately 10:30 a . m . The
sea c o n d i t i o n s c o n t i n u e d t o d e t e r i o r a t e and were r e p o r t e d
t o be v e r y choppy w i t h 8 f o o t swells. A t 1 1 : O O a.m. t h e
s e a r c h w a s t e m p o r a r i l y suspended due t o t h e extremely poor
search conditions.
Search o p e r a t i o n s were recommenced a t 7 : O O a . m . on
J u l y 30. A d d i t i o n a l a n a l y s i s of r a d a r f i x e s and impact
p r e d i c t i o n s i n d i c a t e d probable l a n d i n g areas a t 34 and
5 m i l e s due e a s t of Pad 14.
A t approximately 12 o ' c l o c k t h e T-boat began recover-
i n g c a p s u l e p a r t s . Salvage o p e r a t i o n s were c o n t i n u e d u n t i l
sundown, and approximately 90-95% of t h e c a p s u l e , i n c l u d i n g
a l l p y r o t e c h n i c d e v i c e s were recovered. The c a p s u l e wreck-
age w a s l o c a t e d 4 . 6 n a u t i c a l m i l e s due e a s t of Pad 14 on
t h e ocean bottom i n 60 f e e t of water. F i g u r e 7.5-3 shows
t h e recovery area. Salvage o p e r a t i o n s were resumed a t 7:OO
35
7 . 5 Recovery (Cont ' d)
a . m . on J u l y 31. A s of t h i s w r i t i n g no s i g n i f i c a n t amount
of b o o s t e r hardware has been r e c o v e r e d ,
The f o l l o w i n g e v a l u a t i o n and c o n c l u s i o n s are made
concerning t h e recovery o p e r a t i o n s :
b. An a i r c r a f t equipped w i t h a SARAH r e c e i v e r s h o u l d
be provided i n t h e launch s i t e area f o r an a d d i t i o n a l i n -
d i c a t i o n of recovery system sequencing.
36
I
i
i
I
- - T BOAT
-.
0
AI
-LAND CONVOY NO. 1
. ' T BOAT/
a'
FIGURE 7.5-2 LAUNCH SITE RECOVERY FORCES DEPLOYED I N THE CAPE AREA
1
I
I N I T I A L SEARCH AREA 7
ENTRAL CONTROL
+
'CAPSULE LOCATED
.-
FIGURE 7.5-3
I --
39
7.6 Capsule P o s t f l i g h t I n s p e c t i o n
A s p r e v i o u s l y stated i n t h e S e c t i o n on Recovery, a p p r o x i -
m a t e l y 90 t o 95 p e r c e n t of t h e c a p s u l e wreckage w a s r e c o v e r e d .
A l l of t h e recovered c a p s u l e p a r t s were found i n a c i r c u l a r
area of approximately 50 f o o t r a d i u s i n d i c a t i n g v e r y s t r o n g l y
t h a t t h e c a p s u l e w a s i n t a c t a t t h e t i m e of c o n t a c t w i t h t h e
water. From a g e n e r a l i n s p e c t i o n of t h e wreckage, i t appeared
t h a t a t impact t h e c a p s u l e must have been t i l t e d s u c h t h a t
f i r s t c o n t a c t w a s made by t h e edge of t h e h e a t s h i e l d and t h e
r e g i o n of t h e c o n i c a l section between s t r i n g e r s 16 t o 23.
(The e n t r a n c e h a t c h is located i n t h i s area of t h e c o n i c a l
section. )
A l l p y r o t e c h n i c d e v i c e s and e x p l o s i v e s on board t h e cap-
s u l e were r e c o v e r e d w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n of o n e p a r a c h u t e e j e c t
bag g a s g e n e r a t o r and t h e two a u x i l i a r y u m b i l i c a l e x p l o s i v e
d i s c o n n e c t s . A l l t h e recovered p y r o t e c h n i c d e v i c e s were
examined, and i t w a s v e r i f i e d t h a t none had f i r e d , w i t h t h e
p o s s i b l e e x c e p t i o n o f t h e two p a r a c h u t e r e e f i n g c u t t e r s ( s e e
below). A l l t h r e e p o s i g r a d e r o c k e t motors were r e c o v e r e d .
Two of t h e s e had been t o r n away from t h e i r mountings i n t h e
r e t r o p a c k , one motor s t i l l remained a t t a c h e d . None of t h e
t h r e e motors had been f i r e d . B o t h SOFAR bombs were a l s o re-
c o v e r e d . One of t h e s e bombs had a r u p t u r e d case; however,
t h e powder c h a r g e w a s s t i l l i n t a c t .
40
7.6 Capsule P o s t f l i g h t I n s p e c t i o n ( c o n t ' d)
41
7.7 Range I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n Performance
Optics:
No. of Items No. of I t e m s
Committed -
Used
Metric 13 12
Engineering S e q u e n t i a l 43 39
Documentary 37 41
Radar:
Although r a d a r s a t P a t r i c k , Cape Canaveral and Grand
Bahama I s l a n d (GBI) were committed t o s u p p o r t t h e t e s t , o n l y
t h o s e a t P a t r i c k and t h e Cape a c q u i r e d and t r a c k e d . P r e l i m i n a r y
t r a c k i n g r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e t h e following.
Tracking Time
S ta t i o n From To
Patrick XN- 1 +30 sec +205 sec
Cape FPS- 16 +16 sec +160 sec
Cape Mod. I1 +15 sec +170 sec
Telemetry :
Receiving I n t e r v a l
Station -Item -Link From To
Cape TLM 18 I (Booster) 0 sec +59 sec
I1 (Capsule) 0 sec +203 sec
GBI T r i Helix I (Booster) +52 sec +62 sec
I1 (Capsule) +52 sec +172 sec
42
7.7 Range I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n Performance ( c o n t ' d )
AZUSA;
P r e l i m i n a r y i n f o r m a t i o n i n d i c a t e s AZUSA coverage from
+30 sec t o +60 sec.
Command Functions:
The Range S a f e t y O f f i c e r t r a n s m i t t e d t h e manual f u e l c u t o f f
s i g n a l as planned a t 0 8 1 7 ~ 2 5 . 5E a s t e r n S t a n d a r d T i m e (261.58
seconds a f t e r 2-inch l i f t o f f ) . T h i s t r a n s m i s s i o n had no b e a r i n g
on t h e t e s t s i n c e , as e s t a b l i s h e d l a t e r , f a i l u r e and impact had
already occurred a t t h i s t i m e ,
43
7.8 Film Review
. 44
8.0 CONCLUSIONS
The Mercury-Atlas No. 1 f l i g h t t e s t w a s a b r u p t l y t e r m i n a t e d
. approximately one minute a f t e r l a u n c h by an i n - f l i g h t f a i l u r e
of an undetermined n a t u r e . S o l i d c l o u d c o v e r a t t h e t i m e of
l a u n c h p r e c l u d e d t h e u s e of o p t i c a l r e c o r d s i n t h e i n v e s t i g a -
t i o n of t h i s f a i l u r e . The f o l l o w i n g c o n c l u s i o n s are made re-
garding t h i s f l i g h t test:
1. None of t h e primary c a p s u l e t e s t o b j e c t i v e s were
met.
2. The s t r u c t u r a l i n t e g r i t y of t h e c a p s u l e w a s main-
t a i n e d throughout t h e f l i g h t u n t i l impact w i t h t h e
water.
3. The c a p s u l e on-board i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n performed i n a
h i g h l y s a t i s f a c t o r y manner t h r o u g h o u t t h e f l i g h t
t o impact w i t h t h e water.
4. T h e on-board i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n showed t h e p r e s e n c e
of s h i n g l e v i b r a t i o n of a n o n - d e s t r u c t i v e n a t u r e
n e a r a Mach number of o n e .
5. The c a b i n p r e s s u r e r e g u l a t o r performed s a t i s f a c -
t o r i l y throughout t h e f l i g h t .
6. A l l o t h e r on-board s y s t e m s ( l a n d i n g and r e c o v e r y )
were n o t e x e r c i s e d because of t h e c o n d i t i o n s under
I
7. All Department of Defense s u p p o r t f o r t h e o p e r a t i o n I
w a s v e r y good.
45
9.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
2. The d e t e r m i n a t i o n of t h e c a u s e of f a i l u r e of t h e
MA-1 f l i g h t test s h o u l d b e v i g o r o u s l y pursued i n o r d e r t h a t
any changes deemed n e c e s s a r y t o c a p s u l e or b o o s t e r hardware
may be i n c o r p o r a t e d p r i o r t o t h e n e x t t e s t . F u l f i l l m e n t of t h i s
recommendation r e q u i r e s continued c o n c e r t e d e f f o r t on r e c o v e r y
of p a r t s of t h e MA-1 b o o s t e r .
46
10.1
10.0
- APPENDICES
Capsule H i s t o r y
Capsule number 4 (MA-1) a r r i v e d a t Cape Canaveral Missile
T e s t Center a t 3 p.m. on May 23, 1960. The a p s u l e w a s complete
e x c e p t f o r f l i g h t i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n , p a r a c h u t e s and p y r o t e c h n i c
devices.
Following a s a t i s f a c t o r y leakage r a t e t e s t , t h e c a p s u l e
w i r i n g w a s v e r i f i e d d u r i n g which t i m e a l l t h e i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n
w a s b e i n g f i n a l l y bench-tested as a s y s t e m .
The f i r s t o v e r a l l i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n tests i n t h e c a p s u l e
revealed unanticipated d i f f i c u l t i e s materially affecting the
planned work s c h e d u l e . Changes i n philosophy f o r hangar
checks became necessary. A l l malfunctioning f l i g h t instruments
w e r e r e p l a c e d by a backup s y s t e m , o r a dummy weight, s o t h a t
work c o u l d proceed both on t h e c a p s u l e weight and b a l a n c e
measurements and t h e f l i g h t i n s t r u m e n t s . T h i s work r e q u i r e d
two a d d i t i o n a l weeks over and above t h e scheduled work p e r i o d .
T h i s s l i p p a g e w a s caused by p r o c e d u r a l problems w i t h t h e weight
and b a l a n c e f i x t u r e s as w e l l a s t h e aforementioned d i f f i c u l t i e s
w i t h t h e o p e r a t i o n of t h e o v e r a l l i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n system.
Following t h i s p e r i o d c a p s u l e s y s t e m s tests were r u n i n
t h e hangar c a p s u l e checkout room. These tests f o r m a l l y v e r i f i e d
t h e sequence system and t h e i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n s y s t e m . Minor d i s -
c r e p a n c i e s were n o t e d i n t h e i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n s y s t e m d u r i n g t h e
c a p s u l e s y s t e m t e s t s , b u t f i x e s were s c h e d u l e d d u r i n g t h e com-
p l e x t e s t i n g i n o r d e r t o accomplish t h e F i r s t Mate w i t h t h e
b o o s t e r as e a r l y as p o s s i b l e . C a l i b r a t i o n c u r v e s f o r t h e f r e o n
and p o r t a b l e a i r - c o n d i t i o n i n g u n i t s were a l s o e s t a b l i s h e d .
The first mechanical mating of t h e c a p s u l e with t h e b o o s t e r
(No. 50D) o c c u r r e d on J u l y 5, 1960. Alignment w a s good and no
rework was r e q u i r e d . I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n t e s t s and p r e l i m i n a r y
u m b i l i c a l p u l l tests were performed and were s a t i s f a c t o r y . Com-
p l e x w i r i n g and blockhouse c o n s o l e s were found t o be i n good
o r d e r . Mechanical problems with f r e o n c o o l i n g and b o o s t e r
e l e c t r i c a l i n t e r f a c e p l u s thundershowers f o r c e d postponement
of t h e t e s t .
The F i r s t Mate and I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n T e s t w a s s u c c e s s f u l l y
completed on J u l y 6, 1960. The l a n d i n g and r e c o v e r y systems
were s u b j e c t e d t o c a p s u l e power and RF r a d i a t i o n and a l l of t h e
1/16 ampere f u s e s , s i m u l a t i n g p y r o t e c h n i c i g n i t e r s , s u r v i v e d
the test.
The c a p s u l e w a s r e t u r n e d t o Hangar S. I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n and
t e l e m e t r y packages were removed and reworked. A new aerodynamic
f a i r i n g f o r t h e upper clamp r i n g w a s f i t t e d t o t h e c a p s u l e . A
h e a v i e r gauge p e r i s c o p e door w a s f i t t e d and i n s t a l l e d . A f t e r
reassembly and b r i e f i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n tests, t h e c a p s u l e w a s a g a i n
mated t o t h e b o o s t e r i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e F l i g h t Acceptance
Composite T e s t (FACT).
10.1 Capsule H i s t o r y ( c o n t ' d)
During t h e f l i g h t r e a d i n e s s s t a t i c f i r i n g of t h e e n g i n e s ,
c a p s u l e a c c e l e r a t i o n s were measured p a r a l l e l and normal t o
t h e c a p s u l e x-axis (see f i g u r e 4.0-1 f o r d e s c r i p t i o n of
c a p s u l e a x i s system). The a c c e l e r o m e t e r s were mounted on t h e
c a p s u l e b a s i c s t r u c t u r e ( t r u n n i o n s ) . The r e s p o n s e of t h e
vibration-measuring s y s t e m was e s s e n t i a l l y f l a t from 20 c p s
t o 2,000 c p s .
The d i r e c t i o n of t h e normal a c c e l e r a t i o n s w a s 20° c o u n t e r -
clockwise from t h e y-axis (viewed along t h e x-axis i n t h e p o s h
tive-acceleration direction -
see f i g u r e 4.0-1). Accelerations
i n both d i r e c t i o n s showed o v e r a l l r . m . s . v a l v e s a t approximately
3.0 g. A power s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y d i s t r i b u t i o n of each u s i n g a
25 c p s (approximately) f i l t e r band showed peaks a t t h e follow-
i n g magnitudes a t t h e i n d i c a t e d f r e q u e n c i e s :
Longitudinal Normal
7 50 .015
49