The Little Joe 1B was a
launch escape system test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S.
Mercury program. The mission also carried a female
rhesus monkey (''Macaca mulatta'') named Miss Sam in the Mercury spacecraft. The mission was launched January 21, 1960, from Wallops Island, Virginia. The Little Joe 1B flew to an
apogee
An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion.
General description
There are two apsides in any el ...
of 9.3 statute miles (15.0 km) and a range of 11.7 miles (18.9 km) out to sea. Miss Sam survived the 8 minute 35 second flight in good condition. The spacecraft was recovered by a Marine helicopter and returned to Wallops Island within about 45 minutes. Miss Sam was one of many
monkeys used in space travel research.
Gallery
See also
*
Little Joe
*
Sam (monkey), NASA Project Mercury rhesus monkey
*
Monkeys and apes in space
*
List of individual monkeys
References
External links
NASA Project Mercury Mission LJ-1Bat ''Kennedy Space Science and Technology'' website
at ''
Encyclopedia Astronautica
The ''Encyclopedia Astronautica'' is a reference web site on space travel. A comprehensive catalog of vehicles, technology, astronauts, and flights, it includes information from most countries that have had an active rocket research program, f ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Joe 1b
Project Mercury
1960 in the United States