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)
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Burn time nom. (sec)
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Abort after sec (Mach)
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LJ-1
|
21.08.1959
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4x Pollux XM33
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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
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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
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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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