ROBERT R. GILRUTH -'---"9 Director __ PAGE 2 DECEMBER 26, 1962 SPACE NEWS ROUNDUP MANNED ORBITAL FLIGHT
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VOL. 2, NO. S MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS DECEMBER 26, 1962 As u'e approach the close of 1962, 1 u'ould like to extend Holida 3 greetings to the entire staff of Manned Spacecraft Center_ and their families. 2"his hat been a most eventfid year in many u'a)s _r us. We have successfi_li3 flou'n three Project Alercur)' orbital missions _ . and have made great progress on both the Gemini and Apollo pro qranL, r. In addition, u,e completed the move from Virginia to our nezv site in Texas and have more than doubled our staff. l u'ou/d like to thank each member of our team for making these successes possible, and, again, u.'ish all a Happ)' Holiday 5eaton, ROBERT R. GILRUTH -'---"9 Director __ PAGE 2 DECEMBER 26, 1962 SPACE NEWS ROUNDUP MANNED ORBITAL FLIGHT Mercury- Atlas MissionsAnd Test Objectives Mission Launch date Objectives MA-6 February 20, 1962 (a) To evaluate the performance of a man-spacecraft system in a three-orbit mission. (b) To evaluate the effects of space flight on the astronaut. (c) To obtain the astronaut's evaluation of the operational suitability of the spacecraft and supporting systems for manned space flight. MA- 7 May 2g, 1962 (a) To evaluate the performance of the man-spacecraft system in a three-pass orbital mission. (b) To evaluate the effects of orbital space flight on the astronaut. _c) To obtain the astronaut's opinions on the operational suitability of the spacecraft systems. (d) To evaluate the performance of spacecraft systems replaced or modified as a result of previous missions. (e) To exercise and evaluate further the performance of the Mercury Worldwide Network. MA-8 October 3, 1962 (a) To evaluate the performance of the man-spacecraft system in a six-pass orbital mission. (b) To evaluate the effects of an extended orbital space flight on the astronaut and to compare this analysis with those of previous missions and astronaut-simulator programs. (c) To obtain additional astronaut evaluation of the operational suitability of the spacecraft and supporting systems for manned orbital flight. (d) To evaluate the performance of spacecraft systems replaced or modified as a result of the previous three-pass orbital missions. (e) To evaluate the performance of and exercise further the Mercury Worldwide Network and mission support forces and to establish their suitability for extended manned orbital flight. Watcr Under The Bridge Was Full Of Pebbles... In just a little more than a oil. The Mercury auxilim'y On February20, Glenn went, minary Nova design, and 1500 ,ions \vote nearing complc- week, 1962 will become "last flotation collar had'just proved setting off wild applause over persons attended the MA-6 re- tion, and the liquid-stud.v and year" instead of "this year" successful in tests; the Mer- an entire nation, a snowstorm suits conference in \Vashing- l)alh_on-aml-c.onfetti colorvisi- and the MSC staff will be cury tracking network was of ticker tape in New York, ton. The Roundupran pictures bility experiment were an- puttering with New Year's setting tip to support a series celebrations in New Concord, of an old shack and a windmill nounced. I_SU hom.cd three resolution lists as they enjoy of orbital missions; Astronaut Ohio, the United Nations and standing on the site of the new alumni Walter C. Williams, the first holiday of 1963. Virgil I. Grissom was named the Congress of the United Manned Spacecraft Center in Paul Purserand Maxime Faget, Nobody will have much outstanding young man by the States, where he made a 17- Houston. Crew equipment and the U. S. Cham}lcr of trouble remembering the big U.S. Junior Chamber of Corn- minute speech warln with specialist Joe Schmidt dis- Connnercc K;tvc its "('rcat events of 1962-three orbital mcrce, hmnility, patriotism, applecia- cussed what astronauts wore in Livimz American Award" to flights in the Mercury program, And in a preview of things tion, and marked references to space. A Bavarian tavern the Project Mercury Team. sigmificmat milestones in Gemini to come, MSC's new two-man the effort of the Mercm'y team keeper sent a wood-carved Tcch Services was building a and Apollo, and for many, the spacecraft project was officially as a whole, mask of Glenn to the astronaut, mock-up of the Gemini space- big move to a strange city 1400 designated Project Gelnini. March Explorer IX bx'ought in lnore craft, and IBM was selected to miles from what had been Through January, Astronauts A bare two weeks later, the information on the Earth's develop the Gemini guidance "'hon)e'" for years. Glenn and Carpenter contin- smiles on team members fal- atmosphere, and details of computer N vst('III. But the water under the ued their intensive training tered as physicians discovered Gemini were released. May 24, Astronaut NI. Scott bridge that was 1962 carried program. The Roundup ran the Astronaut Donald Slayton's The Roundup packed tip Carpenter added three more a h)t of smaller pebbles, too- first pictures of the Farnsworth heart fibrilation and Carpenter shop and inoved to Houston. orbits to the U. S. space record events that w'on't necessarily Chambers, Lane-Wells and replaced him as MA-7 pilot. Construction work here was -said hc 'Tclt fine" even go down in the histroybooks... Rich Buildings and as era- The same month the Virginia well underway. The Vv'ashing- though hc overshot the re- January ployees looked to see where penninsula turned out for Mer- ton conference was over, and a coverv ttl'Ozt })V o,BO miles and theywouldbe working,Tech " " cury Day, a sort of farewell series of reports on the results spent three hours floating on a It was January 10, and the Services finished training its parade for MSC; the pennin- of MA-6 became available. Pie- one-man raft in the Atlantic. Roundup carried a front page own scuba-diving team and sula's weather provided its tures and a story on the space- Thirteen Air Force pers(mnel picture of the symbol of the the first of a lengthy reorgani- times-a moving van. Over, zation plan fell into place, o_,x/ll parting shot with a tidal craft procedures trainer gave on their way to a contingcnc'x under, and around the move flood that put much of the readers an inside view on the recovery base at Nairobi, from Langley AFB, Va. the February Langley facilities under water; long, rigid training of an Kenya, died in tile crash of a Center was preparing for Calne February, and what the full task of answering astronaut. C-130 trauspol't-a sobering America's first orbital space seemed like endless delays" in Glenn's mail - thousands of May thenote mission.in the geueral success of flight. Every section was to be the plalmed mission of Astro- letters daily - became ap- The second Saturn flight was operational tit one end of the naut John Glenn. Glenn re- parent; and incoming new per- termed a complete success last June move or the other. Houston set mained cahn. "'We'll go when sonnel started a second wave spring. Glenn got the Re(I- ('arpentcr got a fast [ouf alld up an answerinR service to all the tests are completed of reol'ganizatioi L including graphic society's Hubbard a hero's welcome in|unc; the dispense information on satisfactorily," he said. The formation of Mercury and Medal and the astronaut selec- ., secondm_iorClcarl,akcbuild- motels, garages and restauranN Roundup, publishing "'by re- Gemini Project Offices from tion process went on. Friend- ing contract was awarded; to incoming travelers. Medical mote control" froln the Cape, the old Engineering Division. ship 7, Glenn's spacecraft, Credit Uuion assets reached monitors and recovery assign- featured continued prepara- April started on a world tour, and 814,000; and tiN(" sociologist ments for MA-6 were an- tions and the problems of In April, readers first learned Ranger IV hit the clark side of l)r. (;corgc 1,. Simpson was nounced, l)r. Gih'uth and Wal- handling hundreds of news of the new astronaut trainees the moon, a little harder than appointed Asst. Administrator ter C. Williams wore ,lalllod to media representatives present to be picked by fall. NASA intended, for Public Affairs at NASA the NASA Manage,ment Coun- to cover the launching, asked for proposals for a preli- By lnid-May, MA-7 prepara- hea(lquartcrs in \Vashin_ton. SPACE NEWS ROUNDUP DECEMBER 26, 1962 PAGE 3 Project Mercury Flight Data Summary Flight _aximum altitude Maximum range Maximum velocity duration: T_unch , lift-off Flight date Feet Statute Nautical Statute Nautical Ft/sec Ft/sec Mph to impact miles miles miles miles earth-fixed space-fixed space-fixed hr:min; sec Big Joe i 9-9-59 501,600 95.00 82.55 1,496.00 1,300.00 20,442 21,790 14,856.8 13:00 LJ-6 10-4-59 196,000 37.22. 32.26 79.40 69.00 3,600 4,510 3,075.0 5:10 T.J-_. 11-4-59 47,520 9.00 7.82 _1.. 50 i0. 00 2,040 2,965 2,091.6 8: ll T.._T'-2 2.2-4-59 280,000 53.03 46.08 194.40 169.00 5,720 6,550 4,465.9 ll:06 LJ-IB 1-21-60 49,104 9.30 8.08 ll. 701 10.20 2,040 2,965 2,021.6 8:}5 Beach abort 5-9-60 2,465 0.47 0.41 0.60 0.50 475 1,431 976.2 l:16 MA-I 7-29-6o 42,768 8.