Mercury-Atlas 5: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:56, 14 October 2004

Revision as of 04:34, 1 December 2004

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The turnaround and damping maneuver consumed 6 pounds (2.7 kg) of the 61.5 pounds (27.9 kg) of control fuel aboard. The spacecraft used less fuel than the MA-4 did during the same maneuver. MA-5 assumed its planned 34 degree orbital attitude and after that, through the first orbit the thrusters used only 1.5 pounds of fuel to maintain a correct position.

At the end of the first orbit, ground controllers noticed the capsule clock was 18 seconds too fast. As it passed over Cape Canaveral a command was sent to update the clock to the correct time. The the Mercury Control Center at Cape Canaveral received information that all spacecraft systems were in good condition.

Then as the MA-5 passed over the Atlantic tracking ship at the beginning of the second orbit, indications were received that inverter temperatures were rising. The environmental control system malfunction was also confirmed by Canary Island trackers. Abnormal heating had occurred on earlier flights, inverters had continued working or had been switched to standby in such cases. There was no alarm at Mercury Control. When the spacecraft reached Muchea, Australia, high thruster signals and capsule motion excursions were detected. Other data indicated that the 34-degree orbit mode was being maintained. When the MA-5 crossed the Woomera, Australia, tracking station, attitude control problems were not detected, so earlier reports were discounted.