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| A MA-3 launch cover from "Goldcraft", postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on April 25, 1961. |
MA-3 was launched from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral at 11:15 a.m. EST on April 25, 1961. It was an unmanned orbital test using Atlas 100-D and Mercury spacecraft No. 8. Inside the capsule was a "mechanical astronaut," an electronic mannequin designed to simulate some of the physiological characteristics of a human passenger. The primary objective was to test the Mercury spacecraft and Atlas launch vehicle as an integrated system in preparation for an eventual manned orbital mission.
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| A MA-3 launch cover featuring a printed colour cachet, postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on April 25, 1961. |
Immediately after liftoff, the Atlas failed to execute its programmed roll and pitch maneuvers. The launch vehicle continued essentially upward instead of turning onto the proper flight trajectory toward orbit. NASA's later analysis traced the problem to the missile programmer/inertial guidance circuitry responsible for initiating the roll and pitch sequence.
With the Atlas heading on an unsafe trajectory, the Range Safety Officer destroyed the launch vehicle approximately 40–43 seconds after liftoff. The mission therefore never achieved orbit. NASA's official flight data gives a total flight duration of 7 minutes 19 seconds, with the spacecraft reaching only about 4.5 miles (7.2 km).
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| A MA-3 launch cover from "Swanson" featuring a rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base with a machine cancel on April 25, 1961. |
But there was an important success hidden inside the failure. When the Atlas was destroyed, the Mercury spacecraft's launch-escape system successfully separated the capsule from the failed booster. The spacecraft descended under parachute and was recovered from the Atlantic. NASA regarded this as an important demonstration that the spacecraft could protect its occupant in the event of a serious launch-vehicle failure.
(Reference from
Mercury Atlas 3)
