 MR-1 launching the escape rocket. | |
| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | 2 seconds Launch failure and failed to orbit |
| Apogee | 4 inches (10 cm) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Mercury No.2 |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft |
| Launch mass | 1,230 kilograms (2,720 lb)[1][note 1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 21, 1960, 14:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Redstone MRLV MR-1 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-5 |
Mercury-Redstone 1 (MR-1) was the first Mercury-Redstone uncrewed flight test in Project Mercury and the first attempt to launch a Mercury spacecraft with the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle. Intended to be an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight, it was launched on November 21, 1960 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch failed in an abnormal fashion: immediately after the Mercury-Redstone rocket started to move, it shut itself down and settled back on the pad, after which the capsule jettisoned its escape rocket and deployed its recovery parachutes. The failure has been referred to as the "four-inch flight", for the approximate distance traveled by the launch vehicle.[2]
- ^ Korando, R. D. (February 6, 1961). Mercury Capsule No. 2 Configuration Specification (Mercury-Redstone No. 1) (PDF). St. Louis, Missouri: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. pp. 7–9. Report number NASA-CR-137390.
- ^ "MR-1: The Four-Inch Flight", p. 293.
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