Little Joe 5A
| Little Joe 5A |
Mission insignia
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| Mission statistics |
| Mission name |
Little Joe 5A |
| Spacecraft mass |
1,141 kilograms (2,520 lb) |
| Crew size |
0 |
| Call sign |
LJ-5A |
| Launch date |
March 18, 1961
Wallops Island |
| Landing |
March 18, 1961 |
| Mission duration |
5 min 25 s |
| Number of orbits |
suborbital |
| Apogee |
7.7 miles (12.4 km) |
| Distance traveled |
18 miles (29 km) |
| Maximum velocity |
1,783 miles per hour (2,869 km/h) |
| Peak acceleration |
78 m/s² (8 g) |
| Related missions |
| Previous mission |
Subsequent mission |
| MA-2 |
MR-BD |
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Little Joe 5A 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 # 14 atop a Little Joe booster rocket. The mission was launched March 18, 1961, from Wallops Island, Virginia. The Little Joe 5A flew to an apogee of 7.7 miles (12 km) and a range of 18 miles (29 km). The mission lasted 5 minutes 25 seconds. Maximum speed was 1,783 miles per hour (2,869 km/h) and acceleration was 8 G (78 m/s²). Although Mercury spacecraft # 14 was recovered, the mission was considered a partial success because the capsule escape rocket fired without the capsule, as in the previous Little Joe 5 mission. The failure led to the subsequent Little Joe 5B mission.[1]
Mercury spacecraft # 14 used in the Little Joe 5A mission, is currently displayed at the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, Virginia.[2]
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