Little Joe II Qualification Test Vehicle facts for kids
| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | ~5 min |
| Distance travelled | 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) |
| Apogee | 7.32 kilometers (4.55 mi) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | August 28, 1963, 16:00:02 UTC |
| Rocket | Little Joe II |
| Launch site | White Sands LC-36 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | August 28, 1963 |
Project Apollo
Abort Tests |
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QTV stands for Qualification Test Vehicle. It was the very first test flight of the Apollo Little Joe II rocket. This important test happened in August 1963.
Why Did This Rocket Fly?
The Little Joe II Qualification Test Vehicle launched from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Its main goals were simple but very important.
- First, it needed to show that the Little Joe II rocket could work well. It had to prove it was a good test vehicle for the Apollo spacecraft.
- Second, scientists wanted to measure how much pressure and heat built up at the bottom of the rocket during launch. This information helped them design future rockets better.
The Rocket's Flight
The Little Joe II QTV was the first time this type of rocket ever flew. It took off on August 28, 1963. The launch site was Complex 36 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
The rocket carried a special "payload." This was a fake version of the Apollo spacecraft. It looked and weighed like the real thing, but it wasn't a working spacecraft. It also had a fake, non-working launch escape system.
Most of the mission's goals were met successfully. There was only one small problem. A system designed to destroy the rocket if something went wrong didn't work perfectly.
