LJ-2 (5)

Little Joe 2

Pad xx ()

Little Joe (4)

Crew:

Sam (a rhesus monkey)

Milestones:

Payload:

Boilerplate Spacecraft

Mission Objective:

Primate escape at high altitude

Launch:

December 4, 1959 Wallops Island

Orbit:

Altitude: 53 statute miles

Orbits: 0

Duration: 0 Days, 0 hours, 11 min, 6 seconds

Distance: 194 statute miles

Velocity: 4,466 mph

Max Q: 2,150 psf

Max G: 14.8

Landing:

Mission Highlights:

Just before noon the third Little Joe, LJ-2 ripped, through the air under full power and burned out at an altitude of 100,000ft. The tower and capsule separated as planned and the escape rocket gave an additional boost, throwing the capsule into a coasting trajectory that reached its zenith just short of 280,000 feet, or 53 miles. This peak height was about 100,000 feet lower than expected because of a serious windage error, so Sam experienced only three minutes of weightlessness instead of four. He survived the mild reentry, the not-so-mild impact, and siz hours of confinement before he was recovered by the Destroyer USS Borie (DD 704). Weightless time 3 min 13 seconds.

Reference - NASA SP-4201 - This New Ocean p210

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