MR-2 - Mercury Redstone 2 Launch | NASA 1961 | Footage Farm 221228-10 скачать в хорошем качестве

MR-2 - Mercury Redstone 2 Launch | NASA 1961 | Footage Farm 221228-10

#NASA #1960s #spaceexploration On January 31, 1961, the Mercury-Redstone 2 (MR-2) mission made history as the critical prelude to Alan Shepard's suborbital flight. This 14-minute archive provides a deep dive into the mission that proved human spaceflight was possible, featuring the incredible journey of Ham, the mission’s four-year-old chimpanzee pilot. This mission wasn't just a flight—it was a rigorous test of four revolutionary aerospace innovations: 1) Environmental Control Systems: Testing the life-support limits in a vacuum. 2) Attitude Stabilization: Analyzing the capsule’s orientation during suborbital flight. 3) Closed Loop Abort Sensing: A world-first safety system for astronaut protection. 4) Pneumatic Landing Bag: Proving the viability of water-based landings. Despite a 4-hour delay due to inverter overheating, the Redstone rocket successfully propelled the capsule to 157 miles altitude. During the ascent, Ham endured forces ranging from 6-G to a staggering 17-G peak upon escape system firing, followed by 7.5 minutes of weightlessness. Landing 60 miles off-target, the capsule began taking on 800 lbs of seawater. This footage captures the high-stakes recovery by the LSD Donner and the fascinating psychological results that paved the way for the Mercury 7. MR-2 verified that the physiological and psychomotor demands of space flight would not be excessive for humans, marking a definitive victory in the Space Race. Shot-lis 00:15 Night shots. 00:18 US Army Mercury Redstone 2 at gantry, MR-2. 00:25 Men work on capsules at St. Louis McDonnell plant. Huntsville, Alabama modifying Redstone. 00:54 Redstone rocket motor & other parts being worked on. MR-2 being completed in clean “white room”. 01:20 Testing electronics. 01:25 Chimpanzees & special form-fitted couch w/ levers shown which he will operate. 01:50 AF plane being airlifted to Cape Canaveral. 02:10 Chimpanzees arrive. One in capsule wheeled to test room and fitted into capsule for chamber testing. 03:08 Landing impact bag fitted to base of craft’s heat shield & shown expanding. 04:02 AF plane taxiing past camera; 04:18 Redstone is winched off and moved on special trailer. 04:42 MR-2 booster raised into launch position at gantry. 05:08 Capsule has final check, then escape tower added and raised to top of missile or rocket. 06:06 CU looking at checklist (?) 06:26 Chimpanzees get medical tests before deciding on which one to send. 06:54 HAM is selected & fitted into form fitted couch & laced in place. 07:02 Fitted w/ electrode to shock if needed. 07:40 Moved by van to launch pad and raised to capsule in preliminary test. 09:02Launch control panel. 09:10 Ships leave for drop zone. 09:23 Night & fueling w/ liquid oxygen takes place. 09:47 Countdown clock shown. 09:56 Chimp arrives & loaded aboard, Dawn & gantry removed from rocket. Antennas, control room & men w/ microphones. 10:10 Astronaut Alan Shepard 10:53 Rocket lift-off followed by camera. Control center & console w/ body, respiration & heart monitors shown. 11:33 Mercury separation seen. Lights of re-entry sequence shown. 12:10 Reentry Begins 12:21 Plane looking for capsule in water, 12:45 sailors & ships moving to pick up further down than expected. 13:07 Helicopter down & moving capsule to deck. 13:40 Crew around when capsule opened; 13:56 Ham in couch removed & tested by medical personnel, 14:08 MCU. 14:24 The End. For broadcast quality material of this clip or to know more about our Public Domain collection, visit www.footagefarm.com or contact us at info@footagefarm.co.uk