Little Joe II

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  1. 1 2 Varied; later flights had 0, 4, or 5 boosters.
  2. 1 2 Varied; later flights used 2, 4, or 6 sustainer engines.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">AS-201</span> 1966 uncrewed, suborbital test flight within the Apollo program

AS-201, flown February 26, 1966, was the first uncrewed test flight of an entire production Block I Apollo command and service module and the Saturn IB launch vehicle. The spacecraft consisted of the second Block I command module and the first Block I service module. The suborbital flight was a partially successful demonstration of the service propulsion system and the reaction control systems of both modules, and successfully demonstrated the capability of the command module's heat shield to survive re-entry from low Earth orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo (spacecraft)</span> Saturn V-launched payload that took men to the Moon

The Apollo spacecraft was composed of three parts designed to accomplish the American Apollo program's goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and returning them safely to Earth. The expendable (single-use) spacecraft consisted of a combined command and service module (CSM) and an Apollo Lunar Module (LM). Two additional components complemented the spacecraft stack for space vehicle assembly: a spacecraft–LM adapter (SLA) designed to shield the LM from the aerodynamic stress of launch and to connect the CSM to the Saturn launch vehicle and a launch escape system (LES) to carry the crew in the command module safely away from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch emergency.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn IB</span> American rocket used in the Apollo program during the 1960s and 70s

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The Saturn I was a rocket designed as the United States' first medium lift launch vehicle for up to 20,000-pound (9,100 kg) low Earth orbit payloads. The rocket's first stage was built as a cluster of propellant tanks engineered from older rocket tank designs, leading critics to jokingly refer to it as "Cluster's Last Stand". Its development was taken over from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in 1958 by the newly formed civilian NASA. Its design proved sound and flexible. It was successful in initiating the development of liquid hydrogen-fueled rocket propulsion, launching the Pegasus satellites, and flight verification of the Apollo command and service module launch phase aerodynamics. Ten Saturn I rockets were flown before it was replaced by the heavy lift derivative Saturn IB, which used a larger, higher total impulse second stage and an improved guidance and control system. It also led the way to development of the super-heavy lift Saturn V which carried the first men to landings on the Moon in the Apollo program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-001</span> 1964 abort test of the Apollo spacecraft

A-001 was the second abort test of the Apollo spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-002</span> Third abort test of the Apollo spacecraft

A-002 was the third abort test of the Apollo spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-003</span> 1965 abort test of the Apollo spacecraft

A-003 was the fourth abort test of the Apollo spacecraft. This particular flight is notable because during the abort test flight, an actual abort situation occurred, and further proved the Apollo launch escape system (LES). The CM was successfully pulled away from the malfunctioning Little Joe booster and it landed safely under parachutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-004</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Joe II Qualification Test Vehicle</span> First test flight of the Apollo Little Joe II rocket in August 1963

QTV was the first test flight of the Apollo Little Joe II rocket. It was launched in August 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Joe (rocket)</span> NASA Project Mercury capsule qualification test booster rocket

Little Joe was a solid-fueled booster rocket used by NASA for eight launches from 1959 to 1961 from Wallops Island, Virginia to test the launch escape system and heat shield for Project Mercury capsules, as well as the name given to the test program using the booster. The first rocket designed solely for crewed spacecraft qualifications, Little Joe was also one of the pioneer operational launch vehicles using the rocket cluster principle.

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A space capsule is a spacecraft designed to transport cargo, scientific experiments, and/or astronauts to and from space. Capsules are distinguished from other spacecraft by the ability to survive reentry and return a payload to the Earth's surface from orbit or sub-orbit, and are distinguished from other types of recoverable spacecraft by their blunt shape, not having wings and often containing little fuel other than what is necessary for a safe return. Capsule-based crewed spacecraft such as Soyuz or Orion are often supported by a service or adapter module, and sometimes augmented with an extra module for extended space operations. Capsules make up the majority of crewed spacecraft designs, although one crewed spaceplane, the Space Shuttle, has flown in orbit.

Apollo abort modes were procedures by which the nominal launch of an Apollo spacecraft, either the Saturn IB or Saturn V rocket, could be terminated. The abort of the flight allowed for the rescue of the crew if the rocket failed catastrophically. Depending on how far the flight had progressed, different procedure or modes would be used. In the history of the Apollo Program, none of the abort modes were ever used on any of the fifteen crewed Apollo spacecraft flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Launch escape system</span> A system to get the crew to safety if a rocket launch fails

A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule. It is used in the event of a critical emergency to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiring the abort of the launch, such as an impending explosion. The LES is typically controlled by a combination of automatic rocket failure detection, and a manual activation for the crew commander's use. The LES may be used while the launch vehicle is on the launch pad, or during its ascent. Such systems are usually of three types:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boilerplate (spaceflight)</span> Nonfunctional spacecraft or payload

A boilerplate spacecraft, also known as a mass simulator, is a nonfunctional craft or payload that is used to test various configurations and basic size, load, and handling characteristics of rocket launch vehicles. It is far less expensive to build multiple, full-scale, non-functional boilerplate spacecraft than it is to develop the full system. In this way, boilerplate spacecraft allow components and aspects of cutting-edge aerospace projects to be tested while detailed contracts for the final project are being negotiated. These tests may be used to develop procedures for mating a spacecraft to its launch vehicle, emergency access and egress, maintenance support activities, and various transportation processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn V</span> American super heavy-lift expendable rocket

The Saturn V is a retired American super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA under the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. The rocket was human-rated, had three stages, and was powered by liquid fuel. Flown from 1967 to 1973, it was used for nine crewed flights to the Moon, and to launch Skylab, the first American space station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlas LV-3B</span> American space launch vehicle

The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets. With the Atlas having been originally designed as a weapon system, testing and design changes were made to the missile to make it a safe and reliable launch vehicle. After the changes were made and approved, the US launched the LV-3B nine times, four of which had crewed Mercury spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algol (rocket stage)</span>

The Algol family of solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters is built by Aerojet and used on a variety of launch vehicles. It was developed by Aerojet from the earlier Jupiter Senior and the Navy Polaris programs. Upgrades to the Algol motor occurred from 1960 until the retirement of the Scout launch vehicle in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz abort modes</span> Soyuz spacecraft emergency crew rescue systems

In the event of catastrophic failure, the Soyuz spacecraft has a series of automated and semi-automated abort modes to rescue the crew. The abort systems have been refined since the first piloted flights and all abort scenarios for the Soyuz MS are expected to be survivable for the crew.

References

  1. "Chariots for Apollo, ch4-2". p. 93.
  2. Alamogordo's Space Center Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 14 June 2008.
Little Joe II
Apollo- Little Joe II Liftoff (December 8, 1964) - cropped.jpg
Launch of Apollo A-002 escape system test on the third Little Joe II
Function Apollo launch escape system testing
Manufacturer Convair Division of General Dynamics
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height1,032 inches (26.2 m) with payload
Diameter154 inches (3.9 m)
Width341 inches (8.7 m) at fins
Stages1
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites Launch complex 36, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
Total launches5
Success(es)4
Partial failure(s)1
First flight28 August 1963
Last flight20 January 1966
Boosters
No. boosters6 [N 1]
Powered by1 Thiokol 1.5KS35000 Recruit
Maximum thrust38,000 pounds-force (170 kN)
Total thrust228,000 pounds-force (1,010 kN) [N 1]
Burn time~1.53 s
PropellantSolid