Recovery of the Little Joe 5A spacecraft

S61-01398 (18 March 1961) --- View of the recovery of the Little Joe-5A spacecraft which lifted off on March 18, 1961 from Wallops Island. The photo was taken from the recovery helicopter and shows the craft's parachute still attached and floating in the water next to the capsule. Little Joe-5A was a suborbital flight to test the Mercury capsule. The escape rocket motor fired prematurely and prior to capsule release. Photo credit: NASA