Posts: 180 From: Los Angeles, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2019
posted 12-28-2019 05:35 PM
I was under the impression that the Mercury landing bags were suppose to automatically deploy and inflate after splashdown. But a look at the Friendship 7 capsule at splashdown does not reveal a landing bag of any kind.
I know that John Glenn did not jettison his retrorocket pack but that should not have had any bearing on deploying the landing bag after reentry.
How many minutes before splashdown was the landing bag deployed? And did every crewed Mercury spacecraft deploy a landing bag?
Mike Dixon Member
Posts: 1428 From: Kew, Victoria, Australia Registered: May 2003
posted 12-28-2019 06:00 PM
The Friendship 7 landing bag was deployed.
randy Member
Posts: 2231 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
posted 12-28-2019 09:50 PM
According to "Results of the First United States Manned Orbital Space Flight," page 25, the landing bag was deployed at 10,000 feet. No time is mentioned.
On edit, I found in the same book, pg.191, a reference of time: Bag deploy was at 04:50:10 MET and splash was at 04:51:47 MET.
Explorer1 Member
Posts: 180 From: Los Angeles, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2019
posted 12-29-2019 11:59 PM
Would you mind doing a search online for "Friendship 7 splashdown" and examine the pictures that come up and I would appreciate it if you can show me any visual evidence of a landing bag deployed. I haven't found any yet.
Headshot Member
Posts: 891 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 12-30-2019 10:25 AM
National Geographic magazine ran an excellent article about Glenn's flight in one of their 1962 issues. They had many pictures which I haven't seen elsewhere, including the recovery. Any decent library should have it in their back issues, or the CD/DVD set of all National Geographic magazines.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 12-30-2019 11:53 AM
You can see the deployed landing bag in this footage of Friendship 7's recovery:
kosmo Member
Posts: 394 From: Registered: Sep 2001
posted 12-30-2019 01:42 PM
I have some crew photos from the USS Noa and the recovery of Friendship 7 that show the deployed landing bag.
Explorer1 Member
Posts: 180 From: Los Angeles, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2019
posted 12-31-2019 03:31 AM
Thank you for these excellent pictures. But I thought the landing bag was suppose to inflate. Pictures of the capsule in the water do not show the landing bag inflated and these pictures do not as well. Any perspectives on this?
space1 Member
Posts: 861 From: Danville, Ohio Registered: Dec 2002
posted 12-31-2019 06:14 AM
The landing bag simply dropped from the spacecraft, with springs ensuring separation from the spacecraft. It had holes in the fabric to allow it to fill with ambient air at deployment.
Then at splashdown it would fill with water and act as a sea anchor and a stable base for the spacecraft. (In the video linked above you can see water pouring out of the holes in the landing bag as the spacecraft is hoisted out of the ocean.)
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1488 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 12-31-2019 09:08 AM
quote:Originally posted by Explorer1: I thought the landing bag was suppose to inflate.
It is not the same as a flotation collar. It doesn't inflate. When it extends, it fills with ambient air. At splashdown, the same air vents out to cushion the landing.
posted 12-28-2019 05:35 PM
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