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Atlas LV-3B | Big Joe 1
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationLaunch was a Partial Failure

Big Joe 1

Atlas LV-3B

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Historical mission record

This page records Atlas LV-3B | Big Joe 1 and its reported outcome: Launch was a Partial Failure. The date above is a historical record.

Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.

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Mission status
Launch was a Partial Failure

Status reported by the mission data provider.

LAUNCH SITECape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Mission

Suborbital flight with the objective of testing the Mercury spacecraft ablative heat shield. The Atlas booster section failed to jettison, leading to a lower apogee. It was nonetheless sufficient to satisfy the Mercury spacecraft team.

Launch vehicle
Atlas LV-3B
Mission type
Test Flight
Destination orbit
Suborbital
Launch pad
Space Launch Complex 14
Provider
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Programs
Mercury

The vehicle

Published configuration and flight history.

Atlas LV-3B
Launch vehicle

Atlas LV-3B

The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.

Height
28.7 m
Diameter
3 m
Stages
1
Recorded launches
10
First flight
1960-07-29

Recorded timing

This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.

Instantaneous windowPublished target
SCHEDULED MOMENT

A single scheduled moment. The schedule may change before launch.

Launch site & orbit

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

The mission in perspective

Launch site

DestinationSuborbital

Explore the launch pad on Earth using its published coordinates.

Explore Earth’s orbits
NASA Blue Marble map of Earth's continents and oceans
Geographic view · illustrative lightingNo live tracking or simulated ascent. NASA Blue Marble.

Coverage & sources

Links supplied by the mission data provider.
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Mission coverage

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