Flight Events
| Time (mm:ss) | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Liftoff | Mercury-Redstone lifts off, onboard clock starts. |
| 00:16 | Pitch Program | Redstone pitches over 2 deg/s from 90 deg to 45 deg. |
| 00:40 | End Pitch Program | Redstone reaches 45 deg pitch. |
| 01:24 | Max Q | Maximum dynamic pressure ~575 lbf/ft² (28 kPa). |
| 02:20 | BECO | Redstone engine shutdown - Booster Engine Cutoff. Velocity 5,200 mph (2.3 km/s) |
| 02:22 | Tower Jettison | Escape Tower Jettison, no longer needed. |
| 02:24 | Spacecraft Separation | Posigrade rockets fire for 1 s giving 15 ft/s (4.6 m/s) separation. |
| 02:35 | Turnaround Maneuver | Spacecraft (ASCS) system rotates spacecraft 180 degrees, to heat shield forward attitude. Nose is pitched down 34 degrees to retro fire position. |
| 05:00 | Apogee | Apogee of about 115 miles (185 km) reached at 150 miles (240 km) downrange from launch site. |
| 05:15 | Retrofire | Three retro rockets fire for 10 seconds each. They are started at 5 second intervals, firing overlaps. 550 ft/s (170 m/s) is taken off forward velocity. |
| 05:45 | Retract Periscope | Periscope is automatically retracted in preparation for reentry. |
| 06:15 | Retro Pack Jettison | One minute after retrofire retro pack is jettisoned, leaving heat shield clear. |
| 06:20 | Retro Attitude Maneuver | (ASCS) orients spacecraft in 34 degrees nose down pitch, 0 degrees roll, 0 degrees yaw. |
| 07:15 | 0.05 g (0.5 m/s²) Maneuver | (ASCS) detects beginning of reentry and rolls spacecraft at 10 deg/s to stabilize spacecraft during reentry. |
| 09:38 | Drogue Parachute Deploy | Drogue parachute deployed at 22,000 ft (6.7 km) slowing descent to 365 ft/s (111 m/s) and stabilizing spacecraft. |
| 09:45 | Snorkel Deploy | Fresh air snorkel deploys at 20,000 ft (6.1 km). (ECS) switches to emergency oxygen rate to cool cabin. |
| 10:15 | Main Parachute Deploy | Main parachute deploys at 10,000 ft (3.0 km). Descent rate slows to 30 ft/s (9.1 m/s) |
| 10:20 | Landing Bag Deploy | Landing bag deploys, dropping heat shield down 4 ft (1.2 m). |
| 10:20 | Fuel Dump | Remaining hydrogen peroxide fuel automatically dumped. |
| 15:30 | Splashdown | Spacecraft lands in water about 300 mi (480 km) downrange from launch site. |
| 15:30 | Rescue Aids Deploy | Rescue aid package deployed. The package includes green dye marker, recovery radio beacon and whip antenna. |
Read more about this topic: Mercury-Redstone 3
Famous quotes containing the words flight and/or events:
“When we are high and airy hundreds say
That if we hold that flight they’ll leave the place,
While those same hundreds mock another day
Because we have made our art of common things ...”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Since events are not metaphors, the literal-minded have a certain advantage in dealing with them.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)