Mercury Atlas 4

Mission dates
Mission:	Mercury Atlas 4 (MA-4)
COSPAR-ID :	1961-025A
Spacecraft:	Serial number 8
Launcher:	Atlas D 88-D
Begin:	September 13, 1961, 14:09:00 UTC
Starting place:	LC-14 , Cape Canaveral , Florida
Landing:	September 13, 1961, 15:58:00 UTC
Landing place:	Atlantic
Flight duration:	1h 49min 40s
Earth orbits:	1
Recovery ship:	USS Decatur (DD-936)
Apogee :	248 km
Perigee :	156 km
Covered track:	41,919 km
Maximum speed:	28,205 km / h
Maximum acceleration:	7.7 g
Start photo
Launch of Mercury Atlas 4
◄ Before / After ►
Mercury Redstone 4 (unmanned) Mercury Atlas 5 (unmanned) Next manned mission: Mercury Atlas 6

Mercury Atlas 4 was an unmanned test flight as part of the Mercury program . The launch took place on September 13, 1961 from Launch Complex 14 in Cape Canaveral , Florida . With a full orbit around the earth, it was the first successful orbital flight under this program as all previous flights were either ballistic or had to be canceled.

The main purpose of the flight was to test the ground stations required for orbital flights. The Mercury capsule also contained a simulator system designed to simulate a human being. This included testing the environmental controls and life support systems, two cassette recorders to test communications with the ground stations, three cameras and instruments that recorded noise, vibration and radiation levels. After one orbit, the capsule landed 176 miles east of Bermuda . It was recovered after an hour and 22 minutes by the American destroyer USS Decatur (DD-936). This was 34 miles from the capsule at the time of the splash.

For the mission, the Mercury capsule # 8 (which remained undamaged during the aborted MA-3 mission due to the faultless function of the rescue system) and the Atlas # 88-D were used.

Web links

Commons : Mercury Atlas 4  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• NASA History Series: Mercury Orbits at Last in This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury (English)