Mercury-Little-Joe 1A

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Mission dates
Mission: Little Joe 1A (LJ-1A)
COSPAR-ID : LILJOE-1A
Launcher: Little Joe
Begin: 4th November 1959
Starting place: Wallops Flight Facility , Virginia
Landing: 4th November 1959
Landing place: Atlantic
Flight duration: 8min 11s
Earth orbits: suborbital flight
Apogee : 14.5 km
Covered track: 18.5 km
Maximum speed: 3254 km / h
Maximum acceleration: 16.9 g
◄ Before / After ►
Mercury-Little-Joe 6 Mercury-Little-Joe 2

Little Joe 1A (LJ-1A) was an unmanned test flight as part of the Mercury program . As with the failed Little Joe 1 mission, an aborted flight at maximum aerodynamic load (Max Q) should be simulated. For this purpose, a capsule model including rescue missiles was launched with a Little Joe missile. The signal to abort the flight came at the desired time, but it took a few seconds for the rescue missiles to generate enough thrust so that the moment of maximum aerodynamic loading was over. Therefore the flight with Little Joe 1B was repeated again. Since the mission was otherwise successful, a monkey could be promoted at Little Joe 1B.

The maximum speed was 3,254 km / h, the maximum acceleration 16.9 g. The capsule flew over a distance of 18.5 km, the summit point was at an altitude of 14.5 km. The payload weighed 1,007 kg.

Web links

  • Little Joe 1A. NASA, August 5, 2008, accessed October 10, 2008 .
  • Little Joe 1A. Astrolink.de, September 12, 2008, accessed October 10, 2008 .
  • LJ-1A. In: Project Mercury Uncrewed Missions. NASA, accessed March 25, 2017 .