Suborbital test flight of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The objective was to test a production Mercury capsule and the launch escape system during an ascent abort at maximum dynamic pressure. Sixteen seconds after liftoff, the escape rocket and the tower jettison rocket both fired prematurely. Furthermore, the booster, capsule, and escape tower failed to separate as intended. The entire stack was destroyed on impact with the Atlantic Ocean. November 8, 1960 at 15:18 UTC · Launch Failure Little Joe — National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to Suborbital Launch Area 1, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA Program: Mercury Data: Launch Library 2, The Space Devs. Image via The Space Devs.