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  Why Friendship 7 was planned for three orbits

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Author Topic:   Why Friendship 7 was planned for three orbits
Jim_Voce
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posted 07-23-2017 03:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jim_Voce   Click Here to Email Jim_Voce     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Does anyone know why the first American manned orbital flight, Friendship 7, flew three orbits instead of just one orbit?

Vostok 1 flew just one orbit, which made sense. It was a sensible, conservative way to approach the first manned orbital flight. But when Project Mercury began in 1958, the first American orbital mission was always scheduled for three orbits. Is there any reason why?

Aeropix
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posted 07-23-2017 10:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Aeropix   Click Here to Email Aeropix     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think it was planned for 7 orbits, hence the name Friendship "7". Due to a heat shield problem it was reduced to three orbits to mitigate the mechanical issues with the capsule.

In the "Space Race," the USA was trying to leapfrog the Soviets by pressing the boundaries of mission duration, and thus appear to "get ahead."

moorouge
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posted 07-23-2017 10:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Aeropix:
I think it was planned for 7 orbits, hence the name Friendship "7".
Are you sure this is correct? I thought the "7" was added after the name to continue a tradition started by Shepard.

randy
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posted 07-23-2017 11:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for randy   Click Here to Email randy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I always thought it was to honor the "Original 7." I also wonder if the number of orbits was a bit of one-ups-manship.

canyon42
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posted 07-23-2017 12:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for canyon42   Click Here to Email canyon42     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Glenn's flight was intended from before launch to be three orbits, not seven. The orbital confusion stems from a capcom comment that doesn't refer to the actual mission plan but to the parameters of the initial orbit.

The name Friendship 7 followed on from Freedom 7 and Liberty Bell 7, and was followed by Aurora 7, Sigma 7, and Faith 7. None of which ever had a seven-orbit mission, for what it's worth...

Robert Pearlman
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posted 07-23-2017 01:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
As recounted by Dwayne Day in an article for the The Space Review:
Glenn was told by his capcom: "Roger, Seven. You have a go — at least seven orbits." This was mission control's way of informing Glenn that his altitude and velocity were sufficiently high that he would stay up for at least seven orbits if he did not initiate retrofire.
The "7" in the names of the Mercury spacecraft was a symbol of solidarity among the Mercury 7 astronauts.

Glenn was originally slated to launch in late 1961, but even by then, Gherman Titov had already completed the 17.5-orbit Vostok 2 mission that August, so Friendship 7 did not put the U.S. ahead in the space race. It did however, demonstrate that Mercury could fly for multiple orbits, evening the capability between the Soviet and American spacecraft.

Tom
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posted 07-23-2017 03:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tom   Click Here to Email Tom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In addition, seven orbits would have brought Atlantic recovery efforts in the dark.

Joel Katzowitz
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posted 07-23-2017 03:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Joel Katzowitz   Click Here to Email Joel Katzowitz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My understanding was that Shepard named his spacecraft Freedom 7 because his Mercury spacecraft was actually number 7. The remaining Mercury astronauts then decided to continue the naming convention as a sign of solidarity.

Blackarrow
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posted 07-23-2017 04:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Aeropix:
I think it was planned for 7 orbits, hence the name Friendship "7". Due to a heat shield problem it was reduced to three orbits to mitigate the mechanical issues with the capsule.

Here we have the perfect example of Hollywood myth (established in "The Right Stuff" and perpetuated in "Hidden Figures") becoming "fact."

Houston, we have [sic] a problem!

Lou Chinal
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posted 07-23-2017 06:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lou Chinal   Click Here to Email Lou Chinal     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes Joel, I remember reading that story about Shepard's spacecraft being production no. 7 also.

MCroft04
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posted 07-23-2017 09:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MCroft04   Click Here to Email MCroft04     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lou Chinal:
Shepard's spacecraft being production no. 7
I believe Guenter Wendt says this in his book "The Unbroken Chain."

Jim_Voce
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posted 07-25-2017 12:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jim_Voce   Click Here to Email Jim_Voce     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would like to refocus the discussion back on the original question, which was why did the Space Task Group back in 1958 chose three orbits they wanted the first manned American orbital flight to complete? This flight plan remained in Mercury manned flight planning from the beginning and up to Friendship 7, which as noted was originally scheduled for 1961.

I ask the question because it seems like the Space Task Group could have just as easily chosen one orbit as the plan for the first manned orbital mission. And the Russians when they launched Vostok 1 chose one orbit as the flight plan for their first manned mission.

Any thoughts?

oly
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posted 07-25-2017 01:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for oly   Click Here to Email oly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There are many factors to be considered with doing the first orbital flight and you need to remember that the Mercury program was an incremental set type program doing a little more each flight.

The spacecraft "mileage" had not been established so to speak where NASA needed to know how much oxygen, propellant and battery life would be consumed during orbital flight.

These figures could be worked out on the ground or in the suborbital flights but had not been proven. With the first manned launch of the Atlas launch vehicle NASA would want to take their time with the launch which lifted off at 09:47 a.m. (after a few delays, each orbit of about 90 minutes (so three orbits equaled 4.5 hours) and the recovery needing to take place during daylight all these factors mean that to "plan" it safe three orbits would be a good number to try for the first flight. If there was a problem and needed an extra orbit they would still have daylight at landing.

Each subsequent flight pushed the duration a little longer and there were a few surprises along the way such as excess consumption of propellant etc. Also remember that while it was now known that manned orbital flights were possible the U.S. had no experience on the effects because the Soviets were not sharing this information.

Blackarrow
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posted 07-25-2017 07:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I suspect it might have been felt that since the first Russian flight had been a single orbit, the first American flight should be longer (although there was no question of trying to beat Titov).

I also recall some argument that Gagarin's flight "didn't really count" as an orbital flight because he didn't fly even one complete orbit. (I hasten to add that I am not supporting that view. As far as I am concerned, if you have accelerated to orbital velocity, your flight is orbital, not sub-orbital.)

onesmallstep
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posted 07-25-2017 11:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There was also the argument that, technically, Gagarin's flight wasn't even a 'first' in space, let alone an orbital one. Per FAI (International Aeronautical Federation) rules, a pilot must be in command (or at least be inside of the vehicle) from start to landing to qualify for a record.

As is known, Gagarin and the other Vostok cosmonauts ejected from their spacecraft prior to landing. But the small matter of them landing separately from their craft was overlooked.

GACspaceguy
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posted 07-25-2017 12:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, technically, he did not stay with his vehicle, but those "rules" were intended for aircraft. This was a different arrangement in my opinion, in that the man went around the earth, in zero G, at the right altitude and speed he was in space as well as being first.

Grew up in that era and would love to say America was technically first, but that would be a technicality and not the reality of the time.

David C
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posted 07-25-2017 12:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mmm, never been too impressed with the FAI and it's self important pronouncements on space flight.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 07-25-2017 01:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Regardless of personal opinions, the FAI was (and still is) recognized as the world's ruling body by the Soviet Union (now Russia) and United States.
quote:
Originally posted by onesmallstep:
But the small matter of them landing separately from their craft was overlooked.
It wasn't overlooked; the FAI (and the world) was misled.

The Soviet Union in its official post-flight report to the FAI omitted the fact that Gagarin did not land aboard the Vostok. The Soviets were aware of the requirements before Gagarin launched and kept the full details of his flight secret.

It wasn't until Titov admitted to ejecting from his Vostok did the truth surface.

That doesn't mean Gagarin wasn't the first in space, or the first to orbit Earth. The FAI revised its rules after Titov's admission such that Gagarin retained his world record.

onesmallstep
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posted 07-25-2017 01:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Not surprising that the USSR "misled" the FAI (and the world) as regards to Gagarin's ejection from the Vostok, as they were well aware of the rules for any world record attempt.

Once the cat was out of the bag, official pronouncements from then on stated that Gagarin had ejected. As if further proof was needed, in 1986 a doctor attached to one of four emergency response teams gave a detailed account of the recovery efforts, stating that Gagarin "landed like all the other Vostok cosmonauts." (Source: Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight, Dennis Newkirk, 1990)

moorouge
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posted 07-26-2017 01:47 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's interesting to note that the Gemini 5 crew had to produce two one dollar bills given them immediately prior to launch to prove they were the same people that were recovered at the end of their flight.

This was for FAI record verification purposes.

quote:
Originally posted by Jim_Voce:
...why did the Space Task Group back in 1958 chose three orbits they wanted the first manned American orbital flight to complete?
Where did you find the reference that the first orbital flight was to be of three orbits and that this was made in 1958?

This doesn't seem likely as the specifications for a manned spacecraft were not finalised and posted to the twenty firms expressing an interest until 17th November with replies required by 11th December.

A scan, albeit a quick one, through the Mercury chronology revealed no references to any detailed planning for any of the flights during 1958.

taneal1
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posted 08-17-2017 06:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for taneal1   Click Here to Email taneal1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Oops! I missed the reply from "Oly" so I am only repeating what is stated in his thorough reply.
quote:
Originally posted by Jim_Voce:
I would like to refocus the discussion back on the original question, which was why did the Space Task Group back in 1958 chose three orbits they wanted the first manned American orbital flight to complete?
The original goal of Mercury was called the MODM [Manned One Day Mission]. The idea was to incrementally increase flight duration until this goal was achieved.

Why start with three orbits instead of one? At the time, the medical community wanted a large number of chimp flights prior to risking a man. A single 90 minute orbit wouldn't do much to prove man could endure "weightlessness" for the 24 hour mission. Three orbits would produce medical data that could be extrapolated toward a 6 orbit mission.

And of course, NASA wanted to qualify the spacecraft. This was the reason for the planned second orbital mission's repeated duration of 3 orbits. Any spacecraft systems deemed unreliable per the first 3 orbit flight could be fixed and re-tested on the 2nd flight. Two successful missions would increase confidence for a successful 6 orbit mission.

Why not more than 3 orbits? Any duration beyond 3 orbits would violate NASA's daylight Atlantic splashdown requirements. Due to launch delays, Glenn's MA-6 flight came close to a two-orbit limit.

Due to their greater duration, MA-8 and MA-9 splashed in the Pacific. This required a much larger Naval recovery force that wasn't "available" for the first missions.

Lasv3
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posted 08-20-2017 04:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lasv3   Click Here to Email Lasv3     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Another reason for the maximum three orbits for the first manned orbital mission might have been the communication conditions as well. David M. Harland writes in his excellent book "How NASA Learned to Fly in Space" on page 23:
On 20 February 1962 John Glenn rode an Atlas and returned after three orbits, which was the most that could be achieved without leaving the narrow zone covered by the tracking and communications sites (this was why three orbits was the official Project target).

Jim_Voce
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posted 08-23-2017 12:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jim_Voce   Click Here to Email Jim_Voce     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by taneal1:
Why start with three orbits instead of one?
Very much appreciated. Excellent perspectives!

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