Mission: Little Joe 1A Launch Pad: Wallops Island Pad Vehicle: Little Joe (3) Crew: Unmanned Milestones: Not applicable
Payload: Boilerplate Spacecraft
Mission Objective: Max Q abort and Escape Test.
The launching of LJ-1A "Little Joe" on November 1959 took place at Wallops Island, Virginia. This was the second attempt to launch an instrumented capsule with a Little Joe booster, The purpose of the flight was to test the escape system under the maximum dynamic pressure conditions of an Atlas flight or about 1,000 pounds per square foot. Though the launch and recovery were successful, researchers were not able to test the escape system at maximum aerodynamic loads on this flight. Subsequent launches were successful and the Little Joe program proved the general concept of the Mercury system to be sound.
Landing: Not applicable
Mission Highlights: The mission was listed as a partial success.
Mercury-Little Joe Space Missions
Mercury-Little Joe 1A
Orbit: Altitude: 9 statute miles Orbits: 0 Duration: 0 Days, 0 hours, 8 minutes, 11 seconds Distance: 11 statute miles Max Velocity: 2,022 miles per hour Max Q: 168 psf Max G. 16.9
