Mercury-Redstone 4

Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United States manned spaceflight, following Mercury-Redstone 3, and was crewed by NASA astronaut Gus Grissom. The mission was part of the Mercury program, a series of spaceflights conducted by NASA to develop crewed spaceflight capabilities, with support from Marshall Space Flight Center and Langley Research Center. The Mercury-Redstone 4 spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station using a Redstone rocket, similar to the one used for Mercury-Redstone 3, which carried Alan Shepard on the first American suborbital flight. The mission was monitored by Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with Chris Kraft serving as Flight Director.

Mission Overview

The Mercury-Redstone 4 mission was designed to test the capabilities of the Mercury spacecraft and the Redstone rocket, with Gus Grissom as the primary crew member. The mission was similar to Mercury-Redstone 3, with the goal of launching a manned spacecraft into suborbital space and recovering the spacecraft and crew member safely, using techniques developed at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center. The mission was supported by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Godfrey Cabot's Cabot Corporation. The Mercury-Redstone 4 mission was also designed to test the space suit worn by Gus Grissom, which was developed by B.F. Goodrich Company and David Clark Company, with input from U.S. Navy's Naval Aviation and U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Medical Division. The mission was part of a series of spaceflights that included Mercury-Redstone 1, Mercury-Redstone 2, and Mercury-Atlas 6, which carried John Glenn on the first American orbital flight.

Spacecraft and Suborbital Flight

The Mercury-Redstone 4 spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station using a Redstone rocket, which was developed by Army Ballistic Missile Agency and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The spacecraft reached a maximum altitude of 102.8 miles (165.3 km) and a maximum speed of 4,200 miles per hour (6,800 km/h), with Telemetry data transmitted to Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The suborbital flight lasted for 15 minutes and 30 seconds, with the spacecraft splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean and being recovered by the USS Randolph (CVS-15), a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The mission was supported by NASA's Ames Research Center and Lewis Research Center, with IBM providing computer support. The Mercury-Redstone 4 spacecraft was similar to the one used for Mercury-Redstone 3, which carried Alan Shepard on the first American suborbital flight, and was also similar to the Mercury-Atlas 6 spacecraft, which carried John Glenn on the first American orbital flight.

Crew and Training

The primary crew member for the Mercury-Redstone 4 mission was Gus Grissom, a NASA astronaut and United States Air Force pilot. Gus Grissom was selected as an astronaut in 1959 as part of the Mercury Seven, a group of astronauts that included Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and Scott Carpenter. Gus Grissom underwent extensive training at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, including spacecraft systems training, space suit training, and emergency training, with support from U.S. Navy's Naval Aviation and U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Medical Division. The training program was developed by NASA's Flight Operations Directorate and Astronaut Office, with input from IBM and MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. The backup crew member for the mission was John Glenn, who later flew on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.

Launch and Recovery

The Mercury-Redstone 4 spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 21, 1961, at 7:20 am Eastern Daylight Time. The launch was monitored by Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with Chris Kraft serving as Flight Director. The spacecraft reached a maximum altitude of 102.8 miles (165.3 km) and a maximum speed of 4,200 miles per hour (6,800 km/h), with Telemetry data transmitted to Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean and was recovered by the USS Randolph (CVS-15), a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The recovery operation was supported by U.S. Navy's Naval Aviation and U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service.

Mission Significance

The Mercury-Redstone 4 mission was significant because it marked the second United States manned spaceflight and demonstrated the capabilities of the Mercury spacecraft and the Redstone rocket. The mission also tested the space suit worn by Gus Grissom and the recovery procedures for the spacecraft and crew member. The mission was part of a series of spaceflights that included Mercury-Redstone 3, Mercury-Atlas 6, and Mercury-Atlas 8, which carried Wally Schirra on a six-orbit mission. The Mercury-Redstone 4 mission paved the way for future crewed spaceflight missions, including the Gemini program and the Apollo program, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center. The mission was also recognized by the National Aeronautic Association and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, with Gus Grissom receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the mission. Category:Spaceflight