|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Curious about Mercury Spacecraft Assignments
I'm kind of curious as to how individual spacecraft were assigned to
missions. (My source for the following is the excellent "Field Guide to American Spacecraft" -- http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/fieldgu...dex/home1.html ) the manned Mercury assignments were Flight Spacecraft MR-3 7 MR-4 11 MA-6 13 MA-7 18 MA-8 16 MA-9 20 also, why was there a 12B, and not a 12. (Was it perhaps that 12 was modified to have an ablative heatshield?) I also noted that MA-4 and MA-5, both orbital unmanned missions, used spacecraft with lower numbers than the second MR flight. (8 and 9 respectively.) Also, does anyone have any idea how Gemini spacecraft numbers were assigned? |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 12:57:32 -0500, "Ami Silberman"
wrote: I'm kind of curious as to how individual spacecraft were assigned to missions. (My source for the following is the excellent "Field Guide to American Spacecraft" -- http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/fieldgu...dex/home1.html ) the manned Mercury assignments were Flight Spacecraft MR-3 7 MR-4 11 MA-6 13 MA-7 18 MA-8 16 MA-9 20 also, why was there a 12B, and not a 12. (Was it perhaps that 12 was modified to have an ablative heatshield?) I also noted that MA-4 and MA-5, both orbital unmanned missions, used spacecraft with lower numbers than the second MR flight. (8 and 9 respectively.) Also, does anyone have any idea how Gemini spacecraft numbers were assigned? When a capsule was modified after initial manufacture, it was assigned a letter after the capsule number. Capsule 12 was first assigned as an alternate MA-6 capsule. Then it was converted for a possible MA-10 mission and designated Capsule 12A. It was returned to McDonnell Aircraft in Feb. 1962 to be modified for a 1-day manned mission and given the designation Capsule 12B for a possible MA-13 mission. There is a lot of background information about the Mercury program in the following NASA PDF documents. The documents list changing capsule assignments. They may answer some of your questions: -Project Mercury Status Report #9 for Period Ending Jan. 31, 1961 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1974076470.pdf -Project Mercury Status Report #12 for Period Ending Oct. 31, 1961 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1975064554.pdf -Project Mercury Status Report #14 for Period Ending Apr. 30, 1962 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1991074179.pdf -Project Mercury Status Report #19 for Period Ending Jul. 31, 1963 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1991074178.pdf Rusty Barton |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Space Calendar - November 26, 2003 | Ron Baalke | History | 2 | November 28th 03 09:21 AM |
Space Calendar - November 26, 2003 | Ron Baalke | Astronomy Misc | 1 | November 28th 03 09:21 AM |
Space Calendar - November 26, 2003 | Ron Baalke | Misc | 1 | November 28th 03 09:21 AM |
Space Calendar - October 24, 2003 | Ron Baalke | History | 0 | October 24th 03 04:38 PM |
Space Calendar - October 24, 2003 | Ron Baalke | Astronomy Misc | 0 | October 24th 03 04:38 PM |