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| MA-2 launch cover with Goldcraft cachet, postmarked Port Canaveral, February 21, 1961. |
The Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) mission aimed to validate the performance of the Mercury-Atlas combination during flight and assess the spacecraft's behavior under near-maximum re-entry stresses and intense afterbody heating. The unmanned spacecraft was launched on February 21, 1961, at 9:11 A.M. EST and, after a successful flight, landed in the designated high-probability zone, 1,300 miles downrange. Visual confirmation of the spacecraft came from observers aboard the USS Donner, USS Greene, and two search aircraft. It was recovered and brought aboard the USS Donner. Although the spacecraft did not reach orbit, it completed an 18-minute suborbital mission, attaining a maximum altitude of 182 km (114 miles) and landing 2,290 km (1,432 miles) downrange.
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| MA-2 launch cover postmarked PAFB, February 21, 1961. |
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| Photo: Technicians examining the Mercury capsule that endured a grueling ride at 12,500 miles per hour. |
