Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

Exploring the Unknown 223
Flight Operations Div
Data Coordination
Mercury Project Office (6)
Preflight Operations Div
Mercury Atlas Office
E. H. Buller
Document I-43
Document Title: R. B. Voas, NASA, Memorandum for Those Concerned, “MA-6
Pilot’s Debriefing,” 22 February 1962, with attached, John Glenn, NASA, “Brief
Summary of MA-6 Orbital Flight,” 20 February 1962.
Source: NASA Collection, University of Houston, Clear Lake Library, Clear
Lake, Texas.
Mercury Atlas-6’s flight carrying John Glenn on a three orbit mission around Earth proved
enormously successful for the U.S. despite several technical problems. In this debriefing,
Glenn describes what took place while in Earth orbit. He describes the problem with his lowrate
attitude thrusters and his manual correction of the problem, as well as his capsule’s
reentry with its retrorocket pack attached in case the heatshield had come loose during the
mission. This debriefing, analysis of the capsule, and review of the telemetry and other data
from this mission led to more rigorous testing of the capsules and procedures used on the three
following Mercury orbital flights.
MEMORANDUM for Those Concerned
Subject: MA-6 Pilot’s Debriefing
PRELIMINARY
[2-22-62]
The enclosure to this memorandum is an edited transcript of the pilot’s
debriefing aboard the destroyer Noa and at Grand Turk on February 20, 21, and
22. This transcript is released in a PRELIMINARY form in order to aid in the
writing of the postlaunch report. A more finished, edited, and index text of the
postflight debriefing similar to the documents on the pilot’s debriefings for the
MR-3 and 4 flights will be issued at a later date. Request for clarification of any of
this material should be sent to the Training Office.
The format of the enclosure is as follows:
1. Astronaut’s brief narrative account of the flight.
2. Specific questions keyed to a chronological review of the flight.
a. Prelaunch