Apollo Boilerplate 12 was the first full-sized capsule used to test the launch escape system of the Apollo spacecraft program. It was launched atop a Little Joe II booster rocket at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on May 13, 1964. The mission was successful. The boilerplate, or test capsule, was designed and built in Downey on this property when it housed North American Aviation's NASA facility. It was the same size and shape as the Apollo capsules that took astronauts to the moon and back. Although the capsule was unmanned and reached an altitude of only 28,000 feet, never getting to space, its mission provided valuable information about how to keep astronauts safe during future launches.
