20th Century NASA History: Mercury Capsule Specification and Flight Operations Manual

This exclusive World Spaceflight News reproduction features two major documents on the historic Mercury manned program. The first, known as Mercury Manned Orbital Capsule Detail Specification, was produced by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and was originally a classified document. This version, revised through May 1961, covers the model 133K "manned satellite capsule" and provides a complete parts list and design requirements for 170 subsystems. It also includes a basic instrument system block diagram, interior arrangement line drawing, reaction control system diagram, atmospheric properties drawing, instrument panel and console layout, DC power control system schematic, and capsule functional diagram. The second document, Project Mercury Capsule Flight Operations Manual, was produced in August 1960 for capsule #7 (the Redstone ballistic version). It is McDonnell Aircraft's step-by-step, switch-by-switch guide for astronauts, with normal operating procedures, emergency procedures, and troubleshooting steps, including the Astronaut's Checklist. It provides a great overview of the astronaut's role in the Mercury flights!