NASA

/

Big Joe 1

Launch Partial Failure

Liftoff Time (GMT)

08:19:00

Wednesday September 9, 1959

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Launch Notes

Booster jettison failed due to bad electrical contacts. Planned range not achieved. Boilerplate Mercury capsule successfully recovered.

Big Joe 1

Wiki

Big Joe 1 (Atlas-10D) launched an uncrewed boilerplate Mercury capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The purposes of the Big Joe 1 were to test the Mercury spacecraft ablative heat shield, afterbody heating, reentry dynamics attitude control and recovery capability. It was also the first launch of a spacecraft in Project Mercury.

Suborbital

1 Payload

1,159 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Atlas-D Mercury

Active 1959 to 1963

National Aeronautics and Space Administration logo

Agency

NASA

Rocket

Height: 28.7m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 1,360 kg

Liftoff Thrust

1,880 Kilonewtons

Stages

2

Launch Site

LC-14

Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

14 days 23 hours

Stats

Atlas LV-3B

1st

Mission

1st

Mission of 1959