Little Joe I &
Little Joe II
Two different LV's for flight-tests
of the Mercury and Apollo capsule systems
Little Joe I was an unmanned solid-fueled
booster rocket used for eight launches from 1959–1960 from Wallops Island,
Virginia to test the launch escape system and heat shield for Project
Mercury capsules. Little Joe I was a single-stage rocket which used engines
developed for the Recruit rocket, and Castor or Pollux motors, developed
by Thiokol. |
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Castor XM33 (diam. 79 cm)
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Recruit XM19 motor (diam. 23 cm)
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Vehicle
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Launch date
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Propulsion
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Liftoff thrust (kN)
|
Burn time nom. (sec)
|
Abort after sec (Mach)
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LJ-1
|
21.08.1959
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4x Pollux XM33
|
4x Recruit XM19E1
|
1035.6 + 667.2
|
=
1,702.8 |
37
|
1.5 |
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LJ-6
|
04.10.1959
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LJ-1A
|
04.11.1959
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2x Pollux XM33
|
517.8 + 667.2
|
= 1,185.0 |
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LJ-2
|
04.12.1959
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4x Castor XM33E8
|
1,035.6 + 667.2
|
= 1,702.8 |
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LJ-1B
|
21.01.1960
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2x Pollux XM33
|
517.8 + 667.2
|
= 1,185.0 |
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LJ-5
|
08.11.1960
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LJ-5A
|
18.03.1961
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4x Castor XM33E8
|
1,035.6 + 667.2
|
=
1,702.8 |
|
LJ-5B
|
28.04.1961
|
|
Little Joe
II was an unmanned solid-fueled booster rocket used from 1963–66 for five
tests of the Apollo spacecraft Launch Escape System (LES), and to verify
the performance of the Command Module parachute recovery system in abort
mode. Little Joe II was a single-stage rocket which used a booster motor
developed for the Recruit rocket, and a sustainer motor developed for
the Algol-1D stage of the Scout rocket family. The rockets were launched
from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. |
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Algol-1D motor (diam. 102 cm)
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Vehicle
|
Launch date
|
Propulsion
|
Liftoff thrust
|
Burn time (nom.)
|
Abort after
|
Booster
|
Sustainer
|
kN
|
sec
|
sec (Mach)
|
12-50-1
|
QTV
|
28.08.1963
|
1x Algol-1D
|
6x Recruit XM19E1
|
-
|
445.1 + 1,000.8 (=1,445.9)
|
42
|
1.5 |
- |
12-50-2
|
A-001
|
13.05.1964
|
-
|
28.4
(0.94) |
12-51-1
|
A-002
|
08.12.1964
|
2x Algol-1D
|
4x Recruit XM19E1
|
-
|
890.2 + 667.2 (=1,557.4)
|
35.7
(1.56) |
12-51-2
|
A-003
|
19.05.1965
|
3x Algol-1D
|
-
|
3x Algol-1D*
|
1,335.3
|
26.3
failure |
12-51-3
|
A-004
|
20.04.1966
|
2x Algol-1D
|
5x Recruit XM19E1
|
2x Algol-1D**
|
890.2 + 834.0 (=1,724.2
|
73.7
(2.43) |
* Ingnition after 36
sec ?
** Ingnition after 36.4 sec
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