Sep 13 1961
From The Space Library
Unmanned Mercury spacecraft orbited by Mercury-Atlas launch vehicle from Atlantic Missile Range and recovered 1 hour and 22 minutes after landing by destroyer U.S.S. Decatur. This MA-4 (capsule 8) flight demonstrated, said NASA Space Task Group Director Robert Gilruth, that "Atlas has the capability to fly a man in orbit; it brought in for the first time the Mercury worldwide tracking network; and demonstrated the ability of the capsule and its systems to operate completely unattended." Two experiments to measure atmospheric winds, temperature, and density in relatively high altitudes conducted from Wallops Island in two four-stage Argo D-4 rocket launches. Sodium clouds were released at near 120 statute miles and again at 228 miles in first launch, and at 118 and 230 miles in the second launch. French scientists participated by using special optical instruments to observe the brilliant orange and yellow clouds which stirred a rash of public inquiries to newspapers from hundreds of miles around.
U.S.S.R. announced that it had fired new, powerful carrier rocket more than 7,400 miles to within less than five-eighths of a mile from its Central Pacific target.
Soviet Marshal Kiril S. Moskalenko, chief of rocket forces, declared that 95 percent of all Soviet rockets fired reached their targets. (Article in Red Star timed to coincide with first firing of new rocket series in the Pacific.)
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