Big Joe Ready for Launch at Cape Canaveral
(September 9, 1959) Big Joe ready for launch at Cape Canaveral, FL. The objective of "Big Joe" was to test the ablating heatshield. The flight was both a success and failure – the heatshield survived reentry and was in remarkably good condition when retrieved from the Atlantic. The Atlas-D booster, however, failed to stage and separated too late from the Mercury capsule.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: B-59-714
Date: September 9, 1959
Big Joe Ready for Launch at Cape Canaveral
(September 9, 1959) Big Joe ready for launch at Cape Canaveral, FL. The objective of "Big Joe" was to test the ablating heatshield. The flight was both a success and failure – the heatshield survived reentry and was in remarkably good condition when retrieved from the Atlantic. The Atlas-D booster, however, failed to stage and separated too late from the Mercury capsule.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: B-59-714
Date: September 9, 1959