Little Joe 2
| Little Joe 2 | |||||
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Mission insignia |
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| Mission statistics | |||||
| Mission name | Little Joe 2 | ||||
| Spacecraft mass | 1,007 kilograms (2,220 lb) | ||||
| Crew size | 1 monkey | ||||
| Call sign | LJ-2 | ||||
| Launch pad | Wallops Flight Facility | ||||
| Launch date | December 4, 1959 | ||||
| Landing | December 4, 1959 | ||||
| Mission duration | 00:11:06 | ||||
| Apogee | 53 miles (85 km) | ||||
| Distance traveled | 194 miles (312 km) | ||||
| Maximum velocity | 4,466 miles per hour (7,187 km/h) | ||||
| Peak acceleration | 145 m/s² (14.8 g) | ||||
| Crew photo | |||||
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| Sam the Rhesus monkey | |||||
| Related missions | |||||
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The Little Joe 2 was a test of the Mercury space capsule, carrying the Rhesus monkey Sam (Macaca mulatta) close to the edge of space. He was sent to test the space equipment and the adverse effects of space on humans.
The flight was launched December 4, 1959, at 11:15 a.m. ET from Wallops Island, Virginia, United States. Little Joe 2 flew 55 miles (88 km) into space. It was recovered, with the monkey intact, in the Atlantic Ocean by USS Borie. Sam was one of a series of monkeys in space. Sam, from the School of Aviation Medicine in San Antonio, Texas, received his name as an acronym of the facility. The flight time was 11 minutes, 6 seconds, with a payload of 1,007 kg.
The boilerplate Mercury spacecraft used in the Little Joe 2 mission is currently displayed at Airpower Park and Museum, Hampton, Virginia.[1]
References [edit]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
See also [edit]
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