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
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