NATIONAL AERONAUTICS
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
| MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER | |
|
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS |
ASTRONAUT BACKGROUND DATA
The astronaut for this mission was John Glenn. This would have been Astronaut
Glenn's first space flight.
| Age | Height | Weight | Flight Experience |
| 43 | 73 in | 262 lb. | 1502 hours |
LAUNCH AND ASCENT PHASE
The launch of the Atlas booster and Mercury spacecraft occurred at Eastern Standard
Time. The boost phase of the flight was nominal. The Mission Elapsed Time (MET)
was 04:45:32.
| Event | MET | Altitude | Downrange | Velocity |
| BECO | 00:02:10 | 35.42 NM | 33.18 NM | 7920.0 f/s |
| JETT TOWER | 00:02:30 | 48.72 NM | 56.79 NM | 8562.0 f/s |
| SECO | 00:05:02 | 86.97 NM | 408.45 NM | 25722.0 f/s |
| SEP CAP | 00:05:04 | 86.99 NM | 408.45 NM | 25722.0 f/s |
Booster Engine Cut Off was nominal. Escape Tower Jettison was triggered, on schedule, by the event Programmer. Sustainer Engine Cut Off was also nominal. Capsule Separation was triggered, on schedule, by the event Programmer.
The maximum longitudinal acceleration during ascent was 6.5 G.
ORBITAL PHASE
The Atlas sustainer engine shut down at an altitude of 86.97 nautical miles
and a velocity of 25722.0 feet/second. The spacecraft was inserted into an orbit
with an apogee of 139.58 nautical miles and a perigee of 86.96 nautical miles.
The velocity at apogee was 25348.0 feet/second with the velocity reaching 25726.0
feet/second at perigee. The orbital period was 01:28:38.
The spacecraft's mission event Programmer operated nominally during the flight.
The spacecraft telemetry systems operated as expected, providing the ground stations with reliable information throughout the flight.
Electrical Systems
The spacecraft's Electrical Systems operated perfectly. The following electrical
readings are based on latest telemetry received from the spacecraft:
| Main DC Bus | Isolated Squib DC Bus | ASCS AC Bus | Fans AC Bus | Amps |
| 24.0 VDC | 22.0 VDC | 118.0 VAC | 125.0 VAC | 27.04 DC amps |
The average power consumption for the spacecraft was 27.04 amps.
Attitude Control Systems
The Automatic Stabilization and Control System (ASCS) performed nominally during
the mission. Both Reaction Control System (RCS) A and B were completely operational
during the mission.
The Attitude Control System fuel quantities, which are based on latest telemetry received, are 20.77 lb. left in the Manual fuel tank and 23.67 lb. left in the Automatic fuel tank.
Environmental Control System
The final Environmental Control System telemetry indicated an oxygen quantity
of 3.8 lb. left in the primary tank and 3.96 lb. in the secondary tank.
The quantity of water left in the coolant tank was 38.31 lb. The last cabin temperature reading from the spacecraft was 93.69 °F. The highest temperature was recorded at 00:17:43 MET , at which point the interior of the spacecraft reached a temperature of 93.69 °F.
The last cabin humidity reading from the spacecraft was 40.0%. The lowest cabin humidity during the flight was 40.0%. at 00:17:43 MET.
ASTRONAUT TASKS
Blood Pressure Readings
Astronaut Glenn performed blood pressure readings at the following times:
| MET | Systolic | Diastolic |
| 00:07:14 | 92 | 63 |
| 00:08:14 | 114 | 82 |
The number of blood pressure readings were less than called for in the flight plan.
Atlas Sustainer Tracking
Experiment
Astronaut Glenn tracked the Atlas Sustainer for 00:01:30, which was within the
length of time called for in the flight plane.
Flashing Beacon Tracking
Experiment
Astronaut Glenn deployed the tracking beacon at 00:15:18 MET, at an attitude
of -14° pitch, 4° yaw, 3° roll. Unfortunately, the astronaut was
unable to sight the beacon during the mission.
RETROGRADE AND REENTRY
PHASE
The retrograde sequence timer was set to its launch value of 04:30:00 MET. Retrograde
rockets one, two and three all ignited properly. The retro rockets were fired,
on schedule, by the event Programmer.
| Retro #1 | Retro #2 | Retro #3 |
| 04:32:40 MET | 04:32:50 MET | 04:33:00 MET |
Retrograde package jettison occurred at 04:34:00 MET. This event was triggered, on schedule, by the event Programmer.
The .05G maneuver was initiated at 04:42:57 MET. It was triggered by the event Programmer, when .05G longitudinal acceleration was sensed.
DESCENT AND LANDING PHASE
Drogue deployment was triggered manually by the astronaut. Snorkel deployment
was triggered, on schedule, by the event Programmer.
The Main parachute was deployed, on schedule, by the event Programmer.
Landing Bag deployment occurred at 04:45:03 MET, at an altitude of 1.5 nautical miles. The Landing Bag was deployed, on schedule, by the event Programmer. Rescue Package was deployed upon impact. Deployment was automatically initiated by impact sensors within the capsule.
| Event | MET | Altitude |
| Drogue Chute Deploy | 04:44:25 | 4.26 NM |
| Snorkel Deploy | 04:44:34 | 3.34 NM |
| Main Chute Deploy | 04:44:53 | 1.67 NM |
| Landing Bag Deploy | 04:45:03 | 1.5 NM |
| Rescue Aids Deploy | 04:49:14 | n/a |
The maximum positive G loads during final descent was 2.6 G; maximum negative G load was -0.2 G.
The descent rate was a nominal 35.0 feet/second. Astronaut Glenn was recovered safely.
The landing was 20.92 nautical miles from the abort recovery area, specifically, zone 2A in the Atlantic Ocean. The capsule was recovered by Navy personnel 10 minutes after landing.
ASTRONAUT EVALUATION
For this mission, astronaut John Glenn a performance rating of 82%. The Manned
Spacecraft Center is very satisfied with the astronaut's performance.