Recreating Alan Shepard's First Suborbital Flight in Re-entry Simulator

Pre-Launch Procedures and Checks

• 🚀 Alan Shepard's historic first suborbital flight is recreated using the Re-entry simulator.
• 💡 Pre-launch checks include verifying suit and cabin temperatures, radio communication, and arming critical systems like squibs and automatic retro jettison.
• ⚙️ The simulator features a detailed Mercury control panel with 66 switches and knobs, along with a checklist for mission execution.

Ascent and Booster Separation

• 🛰️ During ascent, the astronaut's role is primarily to verify system functionality as the pilot has no control over the Redstone booster.
• 📈 Key indicators monitored include the clock, altitude, acceleration, and cabin pressure, with a peak G-force of around 5Gs observed.
• 💥 Booster separation is confirmed, followed by disabling fuses to prevent accidental retro pack jettison.

Manual Attitude Control and Retro Attitude

• 🕹️ The spacecraft's attitude control system is taken over manually, with verification of pitch, yaw, and roll control systems.
• 🎯 The objective is to achieve the retro attitude (approximately 30-32° nose down) for the correct firing of the retro system.
• ⚠️ A retro warning light indicates the system is preparing to fire, and the retro motors are confirmed to have activated.

Re-entry and Stabilization

• 💨 After arming re-entry systems, the spacecraft is manually oriented for atmospheric entry.
• 🔄 An automatic roll is initiated at 0.05g to stabilize the spacecraft during re-entry, with a target of 10° per second.
• ⚡ The simulator demonstrates passive stability, where the spacecraft would naturally orient correctly even without astronaut intervention.

Descent and Landing

• 🪂 At 21,000 ft, the drogue parachute deploys, followed by the main parachute at 10,000 ft, significantly slowing the descent.
• 🌊 A landing bag is deployed to absorb impact forces, reducing deceleration from potentially 40 Gs to around 10 Gs upon water landing.
• 🚁 Post-landing procedures include shutting down systems, awaiting helicopter recovery, and egressing the capsule.

Simulator Features and Historical Context

• 🧐 The Re-entry simulator offers a comprehensive experience, allowing users to fly various spacecraft including Gemini and Apollo.
• 🌍 A periscope is available for orbital missions to help astronauts correct yaw manually for precise retro thruster firing.
• 🧑‍🚀 The simulation highlights the differences in G-forces between New Shepard (5-5.5 Gs) and the original Mercury flights (up to 14 Gs during re-entry).