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Little Joe 1A
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little Joe 1A (LJ-1A) was an uncrewed rocket launched as part of NASA's Mercury program on November 4, 1959.[1] This flight, a repeat of the Little Joe 1 (LJ-1) launch, was to test a launch abort under high aerodynamic load conditions. After lift-off, the pressure sensing system was to indicate when the correct abort dynamic pressure was reached.[2] This should have happened about thirty seconds after launch.[2] A signal was sent to the explosive bolts to separate the spacecraft from the launch vehicle.[2] Up to this point, everything was going as planned.[2] The impulse was also intended to ignite the escape motor.[2] The motor was ignited, but it took a number of seconds to build up thrust, and thus the abort maneuver was not accomplished at the desired dynamic pressure.[3] Because of this, a repeat of the test was planned. Other events from launch through recovery occurred without incident.[3] An altitude of 9 statute miles (14.5 km) and a range of 11.5 statute miles (18.5 km) were obtained, and a speed of 2,021.6 miles per hour (3,254 km/h) was reached. Flight time 8 minutes 11 seconds.[4] Payload 1,007 kg.
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Mission type | Abort test |
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Operator | NASA |
Mission duration | 8 minutes, 11 seconds |
Distance travelled | 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) |
Apogee | 14 kilometres (9 mi) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Mercury boilerplate |
Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft |
Launch mass | 1,007 kilograms (2,220 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | November 4, 1959, 14:30 (1959-11-04UTC14:30Z) UTC |
Rocket | Little Joe |
Launch site | Wallops LA-1 |
End of mission | |
Landing date | November 4, 1959, 14:38 (1959-11-04UTC14:39Z) UTC |
![]() Project Mercury Abort Tests |