SA-2 (Apollo)

SA-2 was the second flight Saturn I launch vehicle, the first flight of Project Highwater and was part of the Apollo Program.

Saturn-Apollo 2
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	Saturn-Apollo 2
Spacecraft mass	138,480 kg
Call sign	SA-2
Launch pad	Cape Canaveral
Launch date	April 25, 1962 14:00:34 UTC Complex 34
Landing	April 25, 1962 14:02:37 UTC
Mission duration	2 min 2.56 s
Number of orbits	Suborbital
Apogee	65.2 mi (104.9 km)
Distance traveled	~65 mi (~100 km)

[edit] Objectives

The objectives of SA-2 were much the same as those of SA-1. But in addition to testing the rockets structurally and the new engines, SA-2 was designed for Project Highwater. This was an experiment to release a large quantity of water into the upper atmosphere to investigate its effects.

SA-2 rocket sitting on Pad 34 with service structure

To accomplish this, the dummy second and third stages of it were ballasted with 109,000 liters of water. When the rocket was at 105 km a charge was detonated that exploded the rocket. This would be used to study the effects on radio transmission and changes in local weather conditions.

[edit] Flight

The preparations at Cape Canaveral took only two months from the arrivals of the first stage and dummy upper stages to launch on 25 April 1962. As with the first flight this mission was sub-orbital. Once again the launch phase was perfect and the rocket reached a maximum height of 65.2 mi (105 km).

At this point (2 minutes 2.56 seconds MET) commands were sent to detonate the rocket as planned. This dispersed the water ballast and within five seconds observers on the ground reported seeing a cloud forming. It then proceeded to rise up to about 160 km in altitude.

Engineers were pleased to find that the sloshing that had occurred on the first flight in the fuel tanks didn't happen on SA-2. This they credited to the extra anti-slosh baffles that had been installed. For the test flight, SA-2 carried a propellant load that was only 83% of capacity.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Saturn-Apollo 2

• http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=SATURNSA2
• Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations
• http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/sa-2/sa-2.html
• The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology

v • d • e Missions of the Apollo program SA-1 · SA-2 · SA-3 · SA-4 · QTV · Pad Abort Test-1 · SA-5 · A-001 · A-101 · A-102 · A-002 · A-103 · A-003 · A-104 · Pad Abort Test-2 · A-105 · A-004 · AS-201 · AS-203 · AS-202 · Apollo 1 · Apollo 2 · Apollo 3 · Apollo 4 · Apollo 5 · Apollo 6 · Apollo 7 · Apollo 8 · Apollo 9 · Apollo 10 · Apollo 11 · Apollo 12 · Apollo 13 · Apollo 14 · Apollo 15 · Apollo 16 · Apollo 17 · Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Canceled Apollo missions