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| "SpaceCraft" Saturn second test flight launch cover cancelled at PAFB, April 25, 1962. Signed by Carl Swanson who designed the cachet. |
SA-2, launched on April 25, 1962, marked the second flight of the Saturn I launch vehicle and the first flight of Project Highwater, as part of the American Apollo program. The objectives of SA-2 closely mirrored those of SA-1, focusing primarily on testing the Saturn I rocket and its new H-1 engines. Specifically, its goals included validating propulsion performance and mission suitability, assessing vehicle structural design and aerodynamic characteristics, and evaluating guidance and control systems, along with launch facility and ground support equipment.
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| Photo: Saturn SA-2 Project High Water Concept by Artist. |
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| Cover with a printed Project Highwater cachet postmarked at Port Canaveral on April 25, 1962. |
A second objective of both this mission and SA-3 was Project Highwater, which involved the intentional release of ballast water from the second and third stages. This allowed scientists to study Earth's ionosphere, noctilucent clouds, and the behavior of ice in space. The dummy upper stages of SA-2 contained approximately 190,000 pounds (86,000 kg) of water to simulate the mass of future payloads, with the second stage holding 97,000 pounds (44,000 kg) and the third stage containing 93,000 pounds (42,000 kg). Upon receiving the termination command, dynamite charges split the second stage longitudinally, instantly releasing its water load. Primacord charges created several 1-foot (0.30 m) holes in the third stage, allowing its water to be released gradually over several seconds.
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| Photo: Water cloud created during the Project Highwater experiment. |
Ground-based cameras promptly captured the water cloud, and personnel at a ground station began observing it about four to five seconds after its release. The cloud generated lightning-like effects, which Dr. Wernher von Braun referred to as "probably the first synthetic thunderstorm ever generated in space."
