![]() Little Joe 5A being launched from Wallops Island | |
Mission type | Abort test |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
Mission duration | 5 minutes, 25 seconds |
Distance travelled | 29 kilometres (18 mi) |
Apogee | 12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Mercury No.14 |
Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft |
Launch mass | 1,141 kilograms (2,515 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | March 18, 1961, 16:49 UTC |
Rocket | Little Joe |
Launch site | Wallops LA-1 |
End of mission | |
Landing date | March 18, 1961, 16:54 UTC |
![]() Project Mercury Abort Tests |
Little Joe 5A was an uncrewed launch escape system test of the Mercury spacecraft, launched March 18, 1961, from Wallops Island, Virginia as part of the U.S. Mercury program in a second attempt of the failed Little Joe 5 flight. The mission used production Mercury spacecraft #14 atop a Little Joe booster rocket. The rocket flew to an altitude of 7.7 miles (12 km) and a range of 18 miles (29 km), lasting 5 minutes 25 seconds; maximum speed was 1,783 miles per hour (2,869 km/h) and acceleration was 8 G (78 m/s²). Unfortunately, the LJ-5 failure sequence was repeated when capsule escape rocket again ignited prematurely with the capsule remaining attached to the booster. In this flight however, a ground command was sent to separate the capsule from the booster and escape tower; this allowed the parachutes to deploy, and the capsule was recovered with only minor damage. [1]
he spacecraft used in this mission was used again on the subsequent Little Joe 5B mission, in a third attempt to achieve mission objectives. It is currently displayed at the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, Virginia. [2]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .