QTV
Encyclopedia
QTV of the Apollo Little Joe II
rocket was the first test flight in 1963.
Qualification Test Vehicle was launched on its first flight from White Sands Missile Range
, New Mexico
, Area # 3. The mission objectives were to prove the Little Joe II rocket's capability as an Apollo CSM test vehicle and to determine base pressures and heating on the rocket
.
consisted of a dummy launch escape system
and a boilerplate command and service module. Most objectives were achieved. The lone failure was a malfunction in the destruct system.
Little Joe II
Little Joe II was an American space launch vehicle used for five unmanned tests of the launch escape system and to verify the performance of the command module parachutes for the Apollo spacecraft from 1963–66...
rocket was the first test flight in 1963.
Objectives
The Little Joe IILittle Joe II
Little Joe II was an American space launch vehicle used for five unmanned tests of the launch escape system and to verify the performance of the command module parachutes for the Apollo spacecraft from 1963–66...
Qualification Test Vehicle was launched on its first flight from White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Area # 3. The mission objectives were to prove the Little Joe II rocket's capability as an Apollo CSM test vehicle and to determine base pressures and heating on the rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
.
Flight
Little Joe II QTV was the first flight of the Little Joe II rockets. It was launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico on August 28, 1963 from Launch Complex 36, Area number 3. The spacecraftSpacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
consisted of a dummy launch escape system
Launch escape system
A Launch Escape System is a top-mounted rocket connected to the crew module of a crewed spacecraft and used to quickly separate the crew module from the rest of the rocket in case of emergency. Since the escape rockets are above the crew module, an LES typically uses separate nozzles which are...
and a boilerplate command and service module. Most objectives were achieved. The lone failure was a malfunction in the destruct system.