Space History Photo: MA-1 Capsule Reassembled After Explosion

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NASA engineers reassembled the MA-1 Capsule to determine what caused the explosion shortly after the 1960 launch. (Image credit: NASA)

In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, the MA-1 capsule sits after reassembly. The main objectives of Mercury Atlas-1 (MA-1) were to recover the capsule and test the integrity of the Mercury capsule structure and afterbody shingles.

About one minute after liftoff MA-1 exploded and the remaining debris landed 7 miles off the Florida shore. The debris was collected and engineers attempted to reassemble MA-1 to determine the cause of the explosion.

Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight through photos (archive).

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