Little Joe 5B

Little Joe 5B

Little Joe 5B prepared for launch, Wallops Island
Mission type	Abort test
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	5 minutes, 25 seconds
Distance travelled	14 kilometres (9 mi)
Apogee	4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Mercury No.14
Manufacturer	McDonnell Aircraft
Launch mass	1,141 kilograms (2,515 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	April 28, 1961, 14:03 (1961-04-28UTC14:03Z) UTC
Rocket	Little Joe
Launch site	Wallops LA-4
End of mission
Landing date	April 28, 1961, 14:08 (1961-04-28UTC14:09Z) UTC
Project Mercury Abort Tests ← Little Joe 5A

Little Joe 5B was an unmanned Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The mission used production Mercury spacecraft # 14A. The mission was launched April 28, 1961, from Wallops Island, Virginia. The Little Joe 5B flew to an apogee of 2.8 miles (4.5 km) and a range of 9 miles (14 km). The mission lasted 5 minutes 25 seconds. Maximum speed was 1,780 mph (2865 km/h) and acceleration was 10 g (98 m/s²). The mission was a success and Mercury spacecraft # 14A was recovered.

Mercury spacecraft # 14A used in the Little Joe 5B mission, is currently displayed at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton.

See also

• Little Joe (rocket)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

• This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury - NASA SP-4201