The potential for heavy snow at higher elevations in the western U.S. will continue for many spots through the weekend. In the meantime, the eastern half of the continental U.S. will transition to above normal temperatures ahead of a pair of cold fronts next week that will bring readings back to closer to normal as we approach Thanksgiving Day. Read More >
NASA was formed on 29 July 1958. Not long after, Project Mercury was announced with the goal of placing a man into space. NASA determined that Project Mercury would require unique weather support and that the civilian Weather Bureau (the predecessor to the National Weather Service) should be the lead organization for providing this support. The Weather Bureau established the Project Mercury Weather Support Group with 3 subordinate units to support the program. The Cape Canaveral office provided support for pre-launch preparations, launch and recovery operations. The Suitland Maryland office at the National Meteorological Center provided access to the Weather Bureaus communications and computer systems. The Miami Florida office (co-located with the Hurricane Center) provide expertise for weather in the ocean recovery areas. Air Weather Service and contract personnel at Patrick Air Force Base/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Navy weather personnel on-board ships in the recovery areas provided assistance, primarily observations and upper atmosphere balloon measurements, to the Weather Bureau forecasters.
| Mission | Launch Date | Launch Weather | Recovery Date Location (Duration) |
Recovery Weather |
| Freedom 7 MR-3 |
May 5, 1961 9:34am EST |
SCT Low Clouds
MR-3 Launch Image showing scatter cumulus clouds |
May 5, 1961 9:49am EST 75deg 53min West, 27deg 13.7min North (15 min, 28 seconds) |
Not Available |
| Liberty Bell 7 MR-4 | July 21, 1961 7:20 a.m. EST |
SCT-BKN Mid Clouds | July 21, 1961 7:36 a.m. EST 302 miles East of launch site (15 min, 37 seconds ) |
SCT Low Clouds |
| Friendship 7 MA-6 | February 20, 1962 9:47:39 am EST |
Clear skies | February 20, 1962 14:43:02 am EST. 800 miles southeast of Bermuda (4 hours, 55 min, 23 seconds) |
Not Available |
| Aurora 7 MA-7 | May 24, 1962 7:45:16 EST |
BKN070 Vis: 1 mi FG and Smoke Wind: 24008KTS Temp/Dew: 77 F/73 F (RH 88%). |
May 24, 1962 12:41 p.m. EST. 19deg 29min North 64deg 05min West (4 hours, 56 min, 5 seconds) |
OVC010 Vis: 10mi Wnd: xxx08KTS Seas: 3-foot waves |
| Sigma 7 MA-8 | October 3, 1962 7:15 a.m EST |
MA-8 Launch: SCT Cumulus and Cirrus Clouds | October 3, 1962 4:28 p.m EST (9 hours, 13 min, 11 seconds) |
2,000 broken, visibility 10 miles, 3 foot seas. |
| Faith 7 MA-9 | May 15, 1963 8:04:13 am EST |
MA-9 Launch: Maybe some high cirrocumulus | May 16, 1963 6:04:02 p.m EST (1 Day, 10 hours, 19 min, 49 seconds) |
0.5 cloud coverage at 1500 feet, 5 to 6 foot waves, surface wind 15 knots from 085 degrees. Tops about 36,000. |
Total Number of Weather Related Scrubs and Delays: 7 Scrubs, 2 Delays.
4 of 6 (66%) Mission Launches Impacted by Weather. (Note that the counting of weather related scrubs and delays used here is similar to the current accounting in the Space Shuttle program in that delays prior to entering a launch count are not included.)
Freedom 7 MR-3: First US Manned Flight (Shepherd) (1 Scrub)
Delayed at T-15 due to low clouds obscuring the view of the launch area. Visibility improved 20 to 45 minutes later. Scrubbed for 1 day. (Source: www.ksc.nasa.gov/history/)
Liberty Bell 7 MR-4: Second US Manned Flight (Grissom) (2 Scrubs, 1 Delay)
The launch was originally scheduled for July 18, 1961, but was rescheduled to July 19 due to unfavorable weather conditions. The launch attempt of July 19, 1961 was cancelled at T-10 minutes due to continued unfavorable weather. The launch was then scheduled for July 21, 1961. Preparation proceeded normally through the 12 hour planned hold. Weather evaluation at this time affirmed favorable launch conditions. At T-180 minutes, a planned 1-hour hold was called for another weather evaluation. Other holds occurred due to other problems. At T-15 Minutes, a 41-minute hold was called to await better cloud conditions. The launch count then proceeded normally (Source: Results of the Second U.S. Manned Suborbital Space Flight, NASA)
Friendship 7 MA-6: First US Manned Orbital Flight (Glenn) (4 Scrubs)
Of the 33 days on the pad, 7 days of weather delays.(Source: Results of First Manned Orbital Space Flight). Pre-count was completed on 27 Jan 1962, but weather cancelled the launch count at T-13 minutes. Pre-counts were again started on 13, 15, and 16 Feb but were scrubbed due to adverse weather.
Aurora 7 MA-7: Second US Manned Orbital Flight (Carpenter) (1 Delay)
T-11min 15-minute hold for weather (launch area smoke and ground fog). Hold extended for additional 15 minutes for weather. Hold extended for additional l0 minutes for evaluation of atmospheric-refraction data. Hold extended for additional 5 minutes to complete refracto-meter data evaluation. Although the ground visibility at liftoff was limited to one mile, the estimated camera coverage through 250,000 was predicted to be good at the time of launch(Source: Postlaunch Memorandum Report for Mercury-Atlas No. 7, Part I Mission Analysis)
Sigma 7 MA-8: Third US Manned Orbital Flight (Schirra)
Weather forecasts on the morning of October 2, 1962 indicated that Hurricane Daisy might be in position to cause unfavorable weather in area 3-1. Therefore, recovery ships were relocated approximately 215 miles downrange At launch time, weather conditions were favorable in all planned Atlantic and Pacific recovery locations. (MA8_tec.pdf, , available on the Mission Transcript Collection)
Faith 7 MA-9: Fourth US Manned Orbital Flight (Carpenter)
No significant weather impacts were noted.
References:
NASA SP-4201: This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury
Results of the Second U.S. Manned Suborbital Space Flight, NASA. Available on the Mission Transcript Collection
Results of the First U.S. Manned Orbital Space Flight, NASA. Available on the Mission Transcript Collection
Postlaunch Memorandum Report for Mercury-Atlas No. 7, Part I Mission Analysis.
MA8_tec2.pdf, available on the Mission Transcript Collection
MA9_tec.pdf, available on the Mission Transcript Collection
Go to Gemini or Apollo weather support history.
