Beach Abort Explained

Beach Abort
Insignia:Mercury insignia.png
Mission Type:Abort test
Operator:NASA
Mission Duration:1 minutes, 16 seconds
Distance Travelled:1miles[1]
Suborbital Apogee:0.5miles
Spacecraft:Mercury No.1
Manufacturer:McDonnell Aircraft
Launch Mass:1007kg (2,220lb)
Launch Rocket:Mercury LES
Launch Site:Wallops
Previous Mission:Little Joe 1B
Next Mission:Little Joe 5
Programme:Project Mercury
Abort Tests

The Beach Abort was an uncrewed test in NASA's Project Mercury, of the Mercury spacecraft Launch Escape System. Objectives of the test were a performance evaluation of the escape system, the parachute and landing system, and recovery operations in an off-the-pad abort situation. The test took place at NASA's Wallops Island, Virginia, test facility on May 9, 1960. In the test, the Mercury spacecraft and its Launch Escape System were fired from ground level. The flight lasted a total of 1 minute, 16 seconds. The spacecraft reached an apogee of 2465feet and splashed down in the ocean with a range of 0.6miles.Top speed was a velocity of 976mph.[2] A Marine Corps helicopter recovered the spacecraft 17 minutes after launch. The test was considered a success, although there was insufficient separation distance when the tower jettisoned. Mercury Spacecraft #1, the first spacecraft off McDonnell's production line, was used in this test. Total payload weight was 1154kg (2,544lb).[3]

Mercury Spacecraft #1 is displayed at the New York Hall of Science, Corona Park, NY. It is displayed indoors, suspended from the ceiling, with an escape tower of unknown provenance attached.[4]

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External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dumoulin . Jim . Beach-Abort (7) . NASA Kennedy Space Center Science . 27 June 2018 .
  2. Web site: Pearlman . Robert . NASA's Launch Abort Test Builds on 50 Years of Astronaut Escape Systems . Space.com . 7 May 2010 . 27 June 2018.
  3. Web site: Bauduin . Pierre . McDowell . Johnathan . Mercury BA-1 . WEEBAU SPACE ENCYCLOPEDIA . 27 June 2018.
  4. Web site: New York Hall of Science Rocket Park Exhibit . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080303084309/http://www.nyscience.org/exhibitions/explore_exhibitions/38694 . 2008-03-03 .