On May 13, 1964, NASA launched the second abort test of the Apollo spacecraft.
This uncrewed mission would demonstrate that the launch escape system could safely eject the Apollo command module in case of an emergency. For the first test, the command module ejected just above the launchpad 15 seconds after liftoff. But the second time it stayed on top of the rocket for 44 seconds. It reached an altitude of almost 30,000 feet, which was six times higher than it went during the first test. By doing the test later in the flight, NASA was checking to see if the escape system worked well under high dynamic pressure. In other words, the rocket was under more mechanical stress because of the aerodynamics of its flight. It lifted off on a Little Joe II rocket from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and the abort test went mostly according to plan. The Command Module did bump in to the booster after they separated, and that damaged one of its parachutes. Thankfully it had two more parachutes, but the landing was still pretty rough.
This uncrewed mission would demonstrate that the launch escape system could safely eject the Apollo command module in case of an emergency. For the first test, the command module ejected just above the launchpad 15 seconds after liftoff. But the second time it stayed on top of the rocket for 44 seconds. It reached an altitude of almost 30,000 feet, which was six times higher than it went during the first test. By doing the test later in the flight, NASA was checking to see if the escape system worked well under high dynamic pressure. In other words, the rocket was under more mechanical stress because of the aerodynamics of its flight. It lifted off on a Little Joe II rocket from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and the abort test went mostly according to plan. The Command Module did bump in to the booster after they separated, and that damaged one of its parachutes. Thankfully it had two more parachutes, but the landing was still pretty rough.
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TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03On May 13, 1964, NASA launched the second abort test of the Apollo spacecraft.
00:09This uncrewed mission would demonstrate that the launch escape system could safely eject
00:12the Apollo command module in case of an emergency.
00:15For the first test, the command module ejected just above the launch pad 15 seconds after
00:19liftoff.
00:20But the second time, it stayed on top of the rocket for 44 seconds.
00:23It reached an altitude of almost 30,000 feet, which was six times higher than it went during
00:28the first test.
00:30By doing the test later in the flight, NASA was checking to see if the escape system worked
00:33well under high dynamic pressure.
00:36In other words, the rocket was under more mechanical stress because of the aerodynamics of its flight.
00:41It lifted off on a Little Joe II rocket from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico,
00:45and the abort test went mostly according to plan.
00:48The command module did bump into the booster after they separated, and that damaged one
00:52of its parachutes.
00:53Thankfully, it had two more parachutes, but the landing was still pretty rough.
00:57And that's what happened on this day in space.