The Beach Abort was an uncrewed test in NASA's Project Mercury, of the Mercury spacecraft Launch Escape System. Objectives of the test were a performance evaluation of the escape system, the parachute and landing system, and recovery operations in an off-the-pad abort situation. This test took place at NASA's Wallops Island, Virginia, test facility. In the test, the Mercury spacecraft and its Launch Escape System were fired from ground level. The flight lasted a total of 1 minute, 16 seconds. The spacecraft reached an apogee of and splashed down in the ocean with a range of . Top speed was a velocity of . A Marine Corps helicopter recovered the spacecraft 17 minutes after launch. The test was considered a success, although there was insufficient separation distance when the tower jettisoned. Mercury Spacecraft #1, the first spacecraft off McDonnell's production line, was used in this test. Total payload weight was .
Mercury Spacecraft #1 is displayed at the New York Hall of Science, Corona Park, NY. It is displayed indoors, suspended from the ceiling, with an escape tower of unknown provenance attached.
Though multiple launch abort tests were designated as "beach aborts," most of which preceded the May 1960 test by nearly a year, the term Beach Abort on its own usually refers to the May 9, 1960 test.
Gallery
See also Boilerplate (spaceflight)
References
External links This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201 Video of Mercury Beach Abort Test Additional Images of the Spacecraft