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Beach Abort

Uncrewed test of Project Mercury

Beach Abort

Boilerplate Mercury spacecraft with launch escape system on the ground before July 22, 1959 test flight
Mission type	Abort test
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	1 minutes, 16 seconds
Distance travelled	1.6 kilometres (1 mi)[1]
Apogee	0.80 kilometres (0.5 mi)[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Mercury No.1
Manufacturer	McDonnell Aircraft
Launch mass	1,007 kilograms (2,220 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	May 9, 1960 (1960-05-09)
Rocket	Mercury LES
Launch site	Wallops
End of mission
Landing date	May 9, 1960 (1960-05-10)
Project Mercury Abort Tests ← Little Joe 1B Little Joe 5 →

The Beach Abort was an uncrewed test in NASA's Project Mercury, of the Mercury spacecraft Launch Escape System. Objectives of the test were a performance evaluation of the escape system, the parachute and landing system, and recovery operations in an off-the-pad abort situation.^[1] The test took place at NASA's Wallops Island, Virginia, test facility on May 9, 1960. In the test, the Mercury spacecraft and its Launch Escape System were fired from ground level. The flight lasted a total of 1 minute, 16 seconds. The spacecraft reached an apogee of 0.751 kilometres (2,465 ft) and splashed down in the ocean with a range of 0.97 kilometres (0.6 mi).Top speed was a velocity of 436 metres per second (976 mph).^[2][3] A Marine Corps helicopter recovered the spacecraft 17 minutes after launch. The test was considered a success, although there was insufficient separation distance when the tower jettisoned. Mercury Spacecraft #1, the first spacecraft off McDonnell's production line, was used in this test. Total payload weight was 1,154 kilograms (2,544 lb).^[3]

Mercury Spacecraft #1 is displayed at the New York Hall of Science, Corona Park, NY. It is displayed indoors, suspended from the ceiling, with an escape tower of unknown provenance attached.^[3][4]

Gallery[edit]

• 
  Flight of the spacecraft and launch escape system. In frame 6 the two separate and the spacecraft lands by parachute in frame 10
• 
  Technicians prepare a full-scale capsule which would be used for the test

See also[edit]

• Boilerplate (spaceflight)

References[edit]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links[edit]

• This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201 Archived 2010-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Video of Mercury Beach Abort Test
• Additional Images of the Spacecraft