Muchea, Western Australia

 

Missions Supported by Muchea

May 5 1961
 MR-3
Freedom 7		 (Alan Shepard’s suborbital flight – Muchea not involved.)

July 21 1961

 MR-4
Liberty Bell 7 		(Gus Grissom’s suborbital flight – Muchea not involved.)
September 13 1961 MA-4 Single orbit flight – unmanned Mercury spacecraft.
Scott Carpenter was Senior Flight Controller at Muchea.
November 29 1961 MA-5 Two orbit flight with Enos the chimpanzee.
Walter Schirra was Senior Flight Controller at Muchea.
February 20 1962 MA-6
Friendship 7		 First American manned orbital Mercury flight.
Three orbits – with John Glenn. (See below)
Gordon Cooper was Senior Flight Controller at Muchea.
May 24 1962 MA-7
Aurora 7 		Second American manned orbital flight. Three orbits – with Scott Carpenter.
Deke Slayton was Senior Flight Controller at Muchea.
October 3 1962 MA-8
Sigma 7 		Third American manned orbital flight. Six orbits – with Walter Schirra.
Mr Eugene Duret (NASA – non-astronaut) was Senior Flight Controller.
May 15–16 1963 MA-9
Faith 7		 Fourth American manned orbital flight. 22 orbits with Gordon Cooper.
The name of the Senior Flight Controller at Muchea is not recorded – he was not an astronaut.

Sources: Jack Duperouzel, Muchea booklet, “Flight” by Christopher Kraft.


MA-6 “Friendship 7” – 20th February 1962

After almost a month of frustrating delays, Colonel John Glenn was launched into orbit on his Mercury-Atlas 6 three orbit flight, on February 20 1962.

On his first orbit, he successfully communicated with the Capcoms stationed at the Mercury Tracking Stations at Bermuda; Canary Islands; Kano, Nigeria; and Zanzibar.

After he had passed into darkness, he then flew over the Indian Ocean Tracking ship Indiana.

Mercury Control (the voice of Colonel John ‘Shorty’ Powers) describes Friendship 7’s position over the Indian Ocean ship.

168kb mp3 file. Runs for 43 seconds.

Listen to this recording of Friendship 7’s pass over Muchea and Red Lake (Woomera) Tracking Stations (courtesy of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center) –


Hear the full pass over Muchea and Red Lake on Orbit 1 – from Friendship 7’s onboard flight recorder. 3.1MB mp3 file – runs for a total of 13'39".

45 minutes and 55 seconds into his flight, Glenn is approaching the coast of Muchea, Western Australia where Capcom L. Gordon Cooper is waiting.

00'01" Muchea’s Comm Tech, Gerry O’Connor is just audible at the spacecraft as he calls to establish contact.

00'04" Not realising that Muchea is calling, Glenn transmits in the blind, and describes his night observations.

01'07" Friendship 7 has risen high enough above the horizon for Muchea to acquire the signal. Comm Tech Gerry O’Connor makes another call, and this time John Glenn answers.

01'19" Muchea Capcom, astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, replies.

03'06" Cooper suggests Glenn look for the lights of Perth. He can’t see them yet.

05'42" 54 minutes into his flight, John Glenn reports that he can see the lights (of Perth and Rockingham).

“Just to my right I can see a big pattern of lights apparently right on the coast. I can see the outline of a town and a very bright light just to the south of it. ...

The lights show up very well and thank everybody for turning them on, will you?” (1 minute 8 second, 204kb mp3 excerpt.)


06'37" Within a few seconds, Glenn is racing across the Australian continent towards Red Lake Tracking Station, north of Woomera. Woomera Capcom calls.

Due to cloud, Glenn is unable to see any lights at Woomera.

The Woomera pass runs until 13'34". The next tracking station, Canton Island in the Pacific Ocean, is still seven minutes away.


Mercury Control (the voice of Colonel John ‘Shorty’ Powers) announces that Friendship 7 is over Muchea and is speaking with Gordon Cooper. The voice communications are being recorded and soon will be replayed at Mercury Control.

168kb mp3 file. Runs for 42 seconds.

Mercury Control announces that John Glenn has seen the lights of Perth.

172kb mp3 file. Runs for 43 seconds.

 

 

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