Editing Project Mercury (section)

===Uncrewed and chimpanzee flights===
The 20 uncrewed flights used Little Joe, Redstone, and Atlas launch vehicles.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=640}} They were used to develop the launch vehicles, launch escape system, spacecraft and tracking network.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=638–641}} One flight of a [[Scout (rocket family)|Scout rocket]] attempted to launch a specialized satellite equipped with Mercury communications components for testing the ground tracking network, but the booster failed soon after liftoff. The Little Joe program used seven airframes for eight flights, of which three were successful. The second Little Joe flight was named Little Joe 6, because it was inserted into the program after the first 5 airframes had been allocated.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=231}}{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=278}} Production spacecraft and boilerplates were used for these test flights.<ref name=":0" /> 
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
|-
! Mission{{refn | Source: Alexander & al., 1966, pp. 638–641 when nothing else is mentioned. | group = n }}
!Spacecraft No.
! Launch
! Duration
! class="unsortable" | Purpose
! Result
|-
| [[Little Joe 1]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |August 21, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000020" | 20 s
| Test of launch escape system during flight.
| Failure
|-
| [[Big Joe 1]]
|Big Joe Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |September 9, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001300" |13 m 00 s
| Test of heat shield and Atlas/spacecraft interface.
| Partial success
|-
| [[Little Joe 6]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |October 4, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000510" | 5 m 10 s
| Test of spacecraft aerodynamics and integrity.
| Partial success
|-
| [[Little Joe 1A]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |November 4, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000811" | 8 m 11 s
|Test of launch escape system during flight with boiler plate capsule.
| Partial success
|-
| [[Little Joe 2]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |December 4, 1959
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001106" |11 m 6 s
| Escape system test with primate at high altitude.
| Success
|-
| [[Little Joe 1B]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |January 21, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000835" |8 m 35 s
|Maximum-q abort and escape test with primate with boiler plate capsule.
| Success
|-
| [[Beach Abort]]
|1
| style="text-align:right;" |May 9, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000131" |1 m 31 s
| Test of the off-the-pad abort system.
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 1]]
|4
| style="text-align:right;" |July 29, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000318" |3 m 18 s
| Test of spacecraft / Atlas combination.
| Failure
|-
| [[Little Joe 5]]
|3
| style="text-align:right;" |November 8, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000222" |2 m 22 s
| First Little Joe escape system test with a production spacecraft, at max-q.
| Failure
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 1]]
|2
| style="text-align:right;" |November 21, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000002" |2 s
| Qualification of spacecraft / Redstone combination.
| Failure
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 1A]]
|2
| style="text-align:right;" |December 19, 1960
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001545" |15 m 45 s
| Qualification of spacecraft / Redstone combination.
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Redstone 2]]
|5
| style="text-align:right;" |January 31, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001639" |16 m 39 s
| Qualification of spacecraft with [[Ham (chimpanzee)|chimpanzee named Ham]].
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 2]]
|6
| style="text-align:right;" |February 21, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="001756" |17 m 56 s
| Qualified Mercury/Atlas interface.
| Success
|-
| [[Little Joe 5A]]
|14
| style="text-align:right;" |March 18, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="002348" |5 m 25 s
| Second test of escape system with a production Mercury spacecraft.
| Partial success
|-
| Nowrap|[[Mercury-Redstone BD]]
|Boilerplate
| style="text-align:right;" |March 24, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000823" |8 m 23 s
| Final Redstone test flight.
| Success
|-
| [[Mercury-Atlas 3]]
|8
| style="text-align:right;" |April 25, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000719" |7 m 19 s
| Orbital flight with robot astronaut.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=335}}{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=275}}{{refn|A machine that produced the same heat, vapor and CO<sub>2</sub> as an astronaut.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=309}}|group=n}}
| Failure
|-
| [[Little Joe 5B]]
|14
| style="text-align:right;" |April 28, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000525" |5 m 25 s
| Third test of escape system with a production spacecraft.
| Success
|- style="background-color:#CDE;"
| [[Mercury-Atlas 4]]
|8
| style="text-align:right;" |September 13, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="014920" |1 h 49 m 20 s
| Test of environmental control system with robot astronaut in orbit.
| Success
|- style="background-color:#CDE;"
| [[Mercury-Scout 1]]
| -
| style="text-align:right;" |November 1, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="000044" |44 s
| Special satellite to test Mercury tracking network.
| Failure
|- style="background-color:#CDE;"
| [[Mercury-Atlas 5]]
|9
| style="text-align:right;" |November 29, 1961
| style="text-align:right;"  data-sort-value="032059" |3 h 20 m 59 s
| Test of environmental control system in orbit with [[Enos (chimpanzee)|chimpanzee named Enos]].
| Success
|}
{{legend|#CDE|After suborbital crewed flights}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="2"|Remarks
|-
| Little Joe 1
| Due to an electrical malfunction, the escape tower ignited ½ hour before launch and took the spacecraft with it, leaving the rocket on the ground.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=208}}
|-
| Big Joe 1
| Actually the first Mercury-Atlas flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=640}} Recovered by {{USS|Strong|DD-758|6}} 2,407&nbsp;km SE of Cape Canaveral.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=203–204}} Altitude: {{convert|65|mi|abbr=on}} Qualified ablative heatshield.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=229}}
|-
| Little Joe 6
| No additional tests{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=209}}
|-
| Little Joe 1A
|The rescue tower rocket ignited 10 seconds too late.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=210}} Recovered by {{USS|Opportune|ARS-41|6}} {{convert|11.5|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Wallops Island.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=232}}
|-
| Little Joe 2
| Carried Sam, a [[rhesus macaque]].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=210}} Recovered by {{USS|Borie|DD-704|6}} {{convert|194|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Wallops Island, Virginia; altitude: 53&nbsp;mi (85&nbsp;km).{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|pp=234, 474}}
|-
| Little Joe 1B
|Carried a female rhesus monkey named Miss Sam.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=212}}
|-
| Beach Abort
|A production spacecraft with minimal equipment was lifted from the ground by the launch escape system alone at [[Wallops Island]]. It reached an apogee of {{convert|2465|ft|km|order=flip}} and was recovered after landing. Top velocity: {{convert|976|mph|m/s|order=flip}}. Total payload: 1,154&nbsp;kg.
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 1
| Exploded while passing through max-q.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=276}} To save weight, the airframe had been made thinner since Big Joe, which led to a collapse. The next Atlas was strengthened by a temporary solution while the rest were made from the same specifications as Big Joe.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=243}}
|-
| Little Joe 5
| The clamp holding the spacecraft was deflected by air pressure; due to this and incorrect wiring, the escape tower ignited too early and further failed to separate spacecraft from launch vehicle.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=248}}{{refn|group=n| The clamp was subsequently tested by a rocket sled.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=248}}}} Altitude: {{convert|10|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=291}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 1
| Engine shutdown caused by improper separation of electrical cables;{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=298}} vehicle rose {{convert|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} and settled back on the pad.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=294}}{{refn|group=n|Immediately after the Redstone's engine shut down, the capsule's [[Launch escape system|escape rocket]] jettisoned itself, leaving the capsule attached to the booster. The escape rocket rose to an altitude of {{convert|4000|ft|m|abbr=on}} and landed about {{convert|400|yd|m|abbr=on}} away. Three seconds after the escape rocket fired, the capsule deployed its [[drogue parachute]]; it then deployed the main and reserve parachutes.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=294}}}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 1A
| First flight of Mercury / Redstone. Recovered by {{USS|Valley Forge|CV-45|6}}.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=297}} Altitude: {{convert|130|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=310}}
|-
| Mercury-Redstone 2
| Carried the chimpanzee Ham on suborbital flight. Recovered by {{USS|Donner|LSD-20|6}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=316}} {{convert|422|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Cape Canaveral; altitude: {{convert|157|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=638–639}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 2
| Recovered by USS ''Donner''{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|pp=321–322}} {{convert|1432|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Cape Canaveral.
|-
| Little Joe 5A
| Tower fired 14 seconds too soon; it failed to separate the spacecraft from the rocket.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=327}}
|-
| Nowrap|Mercury-Redstone BD
| BD: Booster Development){{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=330}}
|-
| Mercury-Atlas 3
| Upgraded from suborbital flight. Was aborted when the Atlas continued to vertically climb instead of tilting toward orbit; escaping capsule was recovered and reused in Mercury-Atlas 4.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=337}}
|-
| Little Joe 5B
| Concluded Little Joe program.
|-style="background-color:#CDE;"
| Mercury-Atlas 4
| Completed one orbit and sent data to the ground; first orbital flight of the project.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=386-387}} Recovery by {{USS|Decatur|DD-936|6}} {{convert|176|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Bermuda]].{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=389}}
|-style="background-color:#CDE;"
| Mercury-Scout 1
| Was aborted after malfunction of booster's guidance system;{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=397}} results of Mercury-Atlas 4 and Mercury-Atlas 5 were used instead.{{sfn|Catchpole|2001|p=312}}
|-style="background-color:#CDE;"
| Mercury-Atlas 5
| Chimpanzee Enos completed a two-orbit flight, performing tasks to prove it possible for a person to function during a flight.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=404}}{{refn|group=n|Was given a reward in the form a banana pellet or a punishment in the form of mild electrical shocks depending on whether or not he gave the right response to a given signal; by mistake he was sometimes given shocks on right answers.{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=405}}}} Last Mercury-Atlas test flight. Recovery by {{USS|Stormes|DD-780|6}}{{sfn|Alexander & al.|1966|p=406}} {{convert|255|mi|abbr=on}} SE of Bermuda.{{sfn|Grimwood|1963|p=169}}
|}
<gallery mode="packed">
Launch of Little Joe 1B, January 21, 1960.jpg|Little Joe 1B at launch with Miss Sam, 1960
Escape rocket of Mercury-Redstone 1-crop.jpg|Mercury-Redstone 1: launch escape system lift-off after 4<nowiki>''</nowiki> launch, 1960
Chimpanzee Ham in Biopack Couch for MR-2 flight MSFC-6100114.jpg|Mercury-Redstone 2: [[Ham (chimpanzee)|Ham]], 1961
Chimpanzee Enos before the flight of Mercury-Atlas 5 (cropped).jpg|Mercury-Atlas 5: [[Enos (chimpanzee)|Enos]], 1961
</gallery>
{{clear}}