Mercury-Atlas 4

Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) was an uncrewed test flight within NASA's Project Mercury program, launched on September 13, 1961, at 14:04:16 UTC from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14. The mission's primary purpose was to evaluate the Mercury spacecraft's performance in orbit and to test the Mercury Space Flight Network. Despite initial technical challenges, Mercury-Atlas 4 successfully met its goals. The mission involved testing the Mercury spacecraft, specifically Mercury #8A, which completed one orbit around Earth. This successful flight provided important data and insights for NASA's Project Mercury, supporting the planning and development of upcoming crewed missions in the program.

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1961  Wikimedia, Wikidata
MA-4
flight testing, orbital spaceflight, low Earth orbit, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

1961-09-13T00:00:00Z

1961-09-13T00:00:00Z

1961 Mercury-Atlas 4

1961-09-13T00:00:00Z

1961-09-13T00:00:00Z

rocket launch

1961-09-13T00:00:00Z

1961-09-13T00:00:00Z

splashdown

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Frameless

Mercury spacecraft attached to rocket

Photograph of the West African Coast from the First Unmanned Mercury Spacecraft - NARA - 7430731

MA-4 crewman simulator

Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 3

MA-4 view of Earth

Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 1

S61-03249 (13 Sept. 1961) --- View of the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sept. 13, 1961. Photo credit: NASA

Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 1 cropped

Mercury-Atlas 4 launch - cropped

Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 2

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
commons	image		Mercury spacecraft attached to rocket		Commons
commons	image		Photograph of the West African Coast from the First Unmanned Mercury Spacecraft - NARA - 7430731		Commons
commons	image		MA-4 crewman simulator		Commons
commons	image		Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 3		Commons
commons	image		MA-4 view of Earth		Commons
commons	image		Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 1		Commons
commons	image		S61-03249 (13 Sept. 1961) --- View of the launch of the Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sept. 13, 1961. Photo credit: NASA		Commons
commons	image		Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 1 cropped		Commons
commons	image		Mercury-Atlas 4 launch - cropped		Commons
commons	image		Atlas D with MA-4 (Sep. 13, 1961) 2		Commons