- Mercury-Atlas 3
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Mercury-Atlas 3 Mission insignia
Mission statistics Mission name Mercury-Atlas 3 Spacecraft mass 1,179 kilograms (2,600 lb) Crew size 0 Call sign MA-3 Launch date April 25, 1961
16:15 UTC
Cape Canaveral
LC-14Landing April 25, 1961
16:23 UTCMission duration 7 min 19 s Number of orbits suborbital Apogee 4.5 miles (7.2 km) Distance traveled 1.1 miles (1.8 km) Maximum velocity 1,177 miles per hour (1,894 km/h) Peak acceleration 108 m/s² (11 g) Related missions Previous mission Subsequent mission MR-BD Little Joe 5B Mercury-Atlas 3 (MA-3) was launched unmanned on April 25, 1961 at 16:15 UTC, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mercury capsule contained a robotic "mechanical astronaut". Mercury spacecraft No. 8 and Atlas No. 8 100-D were used in the mission.
The mission was terminated by the range safety officer after 43.3 seconds due to failure of the launch vehicle to follow its roll and pitch programs. Although the launch vehicle was destroyed, considerable benefit was derived from the flight test. The launch escape system saved the Mercury spacecraft from destruction. The capsule flew to an apogee of 7.2 km and downrange only 1.8 km.
The flight of the Mercury capsule lasted 7 minutes and 19 seconds, most of that time descending on its parachute. The spacecraft was recovered some 20 minutes after launch in the Atlantic Ocean and reused on the next flight (MA-4) as spacecraft No. 8A.
Project Mercury Missions Unmanned: Little Joe 1 · Big Joe 1 · Little Joe 6 · Little Joe 1A · Little Joe 2 · Little Joe 1B · Beach Abort · Mercury-Atlas 1 · Little Joe 5 · Mercury-Redstone 1 · Mercury-Redstone 1A · Mercury-Redstone 2 · Mercury-Atlas 2 · Little Joe 5A · Mercury-Redstone BD · Mercury-Atlas 3 · Little Joe 5B · Mercury-Atlas 4 · Mercury-Scout 1 · Mercury-Atlas 5
Manned: Mercury-Redstone 3 · Mercury-Redstone 4 · Mercury-Atlas 6 · Mercury-Atlas 7 · Mercury-Atlas 8 · Mercury-Atlas 9Subprograms Rockets See also: Mercury 13 · Mercury Seven · Navy Mark IV ← 1960 · Orbital launches in 1961 · 1962 → Samos 2 | Tyazhely Sputnik | Venera 1 | Explorer 9 | Discoverer 20 | Discoverer 21 | Transit 3B · LOFTI-1 | S-45 | Korabl-Sputnik 4 | Korabl-Sputnik 5 | Explorer 10 | Discoverer 22 | Discoverer 23 | Vostok 1 | Mercury-Atlas 3 | Explorer 11 | S-45A | Discoverer 24 | Discoverer 25 | Transit 4A · Solrad 3 · Injun 1 | S-55 | Discoverer 26 | TIROS-3 | Midas 3 | Discoverer 27 | Discoverer 28 | Vostok 2 | Explorer 12 | Ranger 1 | Explorer 13 | Discoverer 29 | Samos 3 | Discoverer 30 | Mercury-Atlas 4 | Discoverer 31 | Discoverer 32 | Midas 4 · Westford 1 | Discoverer 33 | DS-1 No.1 | Mercury-Scout 1 | Discoverer 34 | Discoverer 35 | Transit 4B · TRAAC | Ranger 2 | Samos 4 | Mercury-Atlas 5 | Zenit-2 No.1 | Discoverer 36 · Oscar 1 | DS-1 No.2 | FTV-2203Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets. Categories:- Mercury program
- 1961 in spaceflight
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