Little Joe II

This rocket assembly was used to test the Apollo launch escape system (LES) which was designed to pull the Command Module away from a failing rocket either on the launch pad or through the first stage burn. The tests were done at White Sands Missile Range which is adjacent to Alamogordo, New Mexico. This display is at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. The LES is the white tower at the tip of the conical Command Module. This image was taken at 24mm focal length with an exposure of 1/80 seconds at f/11, ISO 200 with a polarizer.