Name: LJ-1A — Little Joe
Start: 1959-11-04T14:30:00Z
End: 1959-11-04T14:30:00Z
Location: Launch Area 1

Question 1

What rocket is launching LJ-1A?

Accepted Answer

LJ-1A is launching on the Little Joe.

Question 2

Who is launching LJ-1A?

Accepted Answer

LJ-1A is being launched by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a government launch provider founded in 1958.

Question 3

Where is LJ-1A launching from?

Accepted Answer

LJ-1A is launching from Launch Area 1 at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA.

Question 4

What orbit is LJ-1A heading to?

Accepted Answer

LJ-1A is heading to Suborbital (Sub).

Question 5

Is the Little Joe reusable?

Accepted Answer

No — the Little Joe is an expendable launch vehicle.

Question 6

How many times has the Little Joe flown?

Accepted Answer

The Little Joe has launched 8 times to date, with 3 successful flights.

Question 7

What is the LJ-1A mission?

Accepted Answer

Little Joe 1A (LJ-1A) was an unmanned rocket launched as part of NASA's Mercury program on November 4, 1959. This flight, a repeat of the Little Joe 1 (LJ-1) launch, was to test a launch abort under high aerodynamic load conditions. Due to a delayed in the escape motor startup, the abort maneuver was not accomplished at the desired dynamic pressure, requiring a repeat of the test.

Question 8

Where is NASA's Wallops Flight Facility?

Accepted Answer

Wallops Flight Facility is NASA's own launch range on Virginia's Eastern Shore, operating since 1945 and managed through Goddard Space Flight Center. It also hosts the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS).

Question 9

What launches from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

Wallops flies NASA's long-running sounding-rocket programme alongside orbital launches: Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo missions to the ISS on the Antares rocket from Pad 0A, Minotaur vehicles from Pad 0B, and Rocket Lab's Electron from Launch Complex 2.

Question 10

Can you watch a launch from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

The NASA Wallops Visitor Center is the designated public viewing area and posts information for each flight. Nearby Chincoteague and the Assateague seashore also give open-horizon views across the water.

Question 11

What was the first orbital launch from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

The first orbital launch from Wallops was TacSat-2, on an Orbital Sciences Minotaur in December 2006. Wallops later launched LADEE, the first deep-space mission to fly from Virginia, in 2013.

LJ-1A

Overview

Mission details

Launch Window

Launch Area 1

Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Frequently asked questions