Freedom 7 launched - 45-years ago today - May 5, 1961

Mercury-Redstone 7 Mission Transcript

MET
min:sec - Transmission

00:02.3 - Ahh, Roger; lift-off and the clock is started.

00:08.3 - Yes sir, reading you loud and clear.

00:25.5 - This is Freedom Seven. The fuel is go, 1.2 g, cabin at 14
psi, oxygen is go.

00:48.5 - Freedom Seven is still go.

00:58.5 - This is Seven. Fuel is go, 1.8 g, 8 psi cabin, and the oxygen
is go.

01:21.5 - Cabin pressure is holding at 5.5. Cabin holding at 5.5.

01:33 - Fuel is go, 2.5 g, cabin 5.5, oxygen is go, the main bus 24,
and the isolated battery is 29.

01:50.5 - Okay, it's a lot smoother now. A lot smoother.

02:01 - Seven here. Fuel is go, 4 g, 5.5 cabin, oxygen go, all systems
go.

02:15 - 5 g.

02:22 - Cut-off. Tower jettison green.

02:27.5 - Disarm.

02:32.5 - Capsule separation is green.

02:35.5 - Periscope is coming out and the turn-around has started.

02:50 - ASCS is okay.

02:53.5 - Control movements.

03:04 - Okay, switching to manual pitch.

03:21 - Pitch is okay.

03:24 - Switching to manual yaw.

03:42 - Yaw is okay. Switching to manual roll.

03:55.5 - Roll is okay.

03:59.5 - On the periscope. What a beautiful view.

04:05.5 - Cloud cover over Florida. 3 to 4 tenths near the eastern
coast. Obscured up to Hatteras.

04:20.5 - I can see Okeechobee. Identify Andros Island Identify the
Reefs.

04:44.5 - Start retro-sequence. Retro attitude on green.

04:56.5 - Control is smooth.

05:13 - Retro one, very smooth.

05:16.5 - Retro two.

05:23.5 - Retro three.

05:31 - All three retros are fired.

05:35 - Okay. Three retros have fired. Retro-jettison is back to arm.

05:45.5 - Negative.

05:55 - Switching to fly-by-wire.

06:11 - Roll is okay.

06:16.5 - Roger- do not have a light.

06:25 - I do not have a light. I see the straps falling away. I heard a
noise. I will use override.

06:30.5 - Override used, the light is green.

06:36.5 - Ahh, Roger.

06:44.5 - Periscope is retracting.

06:49 - I'm on FBW. Going to reentry attitude.

07:04.5 - Okay, Buster. Re-entry attitude, switching to ASCS normal.

07:14 - ASCS is okay.

07:25 - Switching HF for radio check.

07:39 - Ahh, Roger, reading you loud and clear HF, Deke, How me?

07:48 - Ahh, Reading you loud and clear HF, How me?

08:04 - Okay. This is Freedom Seven

08:10 - "G" build-up 3, 6, 9.

08:21 - Okay - Okay.

08:27.5 - Okay.

08:36.5 - Okay.

08:44 - This is Seven - Okay.

08:51 - 5,000 feet now.

08:56 - 40,000 feet.

08:58 - I'm back on ASCS.

09:05 - 35,000 feet.

09:14 - 30,000 feet.

09:20 - Ahh, Roger, Deke, reading you loud and clear. How me?

09:35 - Ahh, Roger.

09:39 - The drogue is green at 21,000. The periscope is out. The drogue
is out.

09:48 - Okay at drogue deploy. I've got 70 percent auto - 90 percent
manual. Oxygen is still okay.

10:02 - And the snorkels (out) at about 15,000 feet.

10:06 - Emergency flow rate is on.

10:08 - Standing by for main.

10:15 - Main on green.

10:18 - Main chute is reefed.

10:22 - Main chute is green. Main chute is coming unreefed and it looks
good.

10:28 - Main chute is good. Rate of descent is reading about 35 ft/sec.

10:40 - Hello Cap Com. Freedom Seven How do you read?

10:55 - Hello CARDFILE 23, this is , Freedom Seven. Do you read?

11:03 - Affirmative Indian Cap Com, let me give you a report. I'm at
7,000 feet, the main chute is good, the landing bag is on green, my
peroxide has dumped, my condition is good
11:29 That is affirmative -- please relay.

12:36 - Hello CARDFILE 23, CARDFILE 23, Freedom Seven. Over.

12:49 - Ahh, this is Seven. Relay back to Cap Com please. My altitude
now 4,000 feet, condition as before, the main chute is good, the
landing bag has deployed, the peroxide has dumped.

14:03 - Ahh, CARDFILE 23, Freedom Seven.

14:09 - I'm about 1,500 feet now. The main chute still looks good. The
rate of descent is indicating 30 ft/sec.

14:52 - Ahh, Roger.

14:59 - This is Seven. Go ahead.

15:05 - Negative. Just relaying my condition is still good. I'm getting
ready for impact.

15:22 - (Landing).
__

-Rusty

Wonder how long freedom 7 would of remained in orbit if the retros
hadnt fired?

It was never IN orbit. The Redstone didn't have the grunt to launch
Mercury to orbital velocity. Wikipedia lists max velocity of 5200mph.

If you weren't so horrifyingly ignorant of simple things like this,
people might take your contstant whining and doomsaying somewhat more
seriously.

wrote:
Wonder how long freedom 7 would of remained in orbit if the retros
hadnt fired?

Freedom 7 wasn't capable of reaching orbital speeds on a Redstone
rocket. The retros were only fired as a test for future orbital
missions. Without retrofire, Freedom 7 would have arched a few miles
further out into the Atlantic on it's ballistic path before landing.
Prior to retrofire, Freedom 7 reached a speed of 5,200 mph. The retros
slowed it by about 300 mph.

Rusty

wrote in message
ups.com...
Wonder how long freedom 7 would of remained in orbit if the retros
hadnt fired?

Since it never achieved orbital velocity, never.

" writes:

Wonder how long freedom 7 would of remained in orbit if the retros
hadnt fired?

Hope you're kidding. Freedom 7 didn't achieve orbit, no firing of the
retros was necessary; it was done just to test the system.

Rusty wrote:
Mercury-Redstone 7 Mission Transcript

MET
min:sec - Transmission

00:02.3 - Ahh, Roger; lift-off and the clock is started.

You can try flying it with my Project Mercury addon for Orbiter

http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit
http://www.orbitersim.com

It is free to download and it comes with complete documentation

On 5 May 2006 15:03:04 -0700, "Rusty" wrote:

02:22 - Cut-off. Tower jettison green.
....
05:13 - Retro one, very smooth.

Less than three minutes from cutoff to retro fire! Not much time.
---
Replace you know what by j to email

Rusty wrote:


15:05 - Negative. Just relaying my condition is still good. I'm getting
ready for impact.

15:22 - (Landing).


Impact?
Newsman: "Is that a crash helmet?"
Jose: "Oh, I hope not!" :-)

Pat

Pat Flannery wrote:



Rusty wrote:


15:05 - Negative. Just relaying my condition is still good. I'm getting
ready for impact.

15:22 - (Landing).


Impact?
Newsman: "Is that a crash helmet?"
Jose: "Oh, I hope not!" :-)

Jose: "I'm going to be landing in the State of Nevada."
"How far _into_ Nevada I can't really say."

--
Pete Stickney
Without data, all you have is an opinion