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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0222.PDF
232 FLIGHT, 21 February 1958 EXPLORER FURTHER DETAILS OF THE U.S. ARMY'S SATELLITE ON this page are photographs and drawings giving additionalinformation on the satellite Explorer and its carrying vehicle, successfully put into an orbit by the U.S. Army on January 31.Preliminary details and a firing picture were published in our issue of February 7. The first-stage vehicle was basically aRedstone, with lengthened tankage and a special fuel—Hydyne, developed originally by Rocketdyne, the manufacturers of therocket motor, with properties similar to alcohol but based on hydrazine—giving a thrust of 83,000 lb and about 12 per centlonger burning time. Subsequent stages are shown in the large diagram below. The satellite itself was a cylinder 6in in diameterand some 80in long (including 4th-stage case) with a weight of 30.8 lb and a payload of 18.13 lb. One of the photographs on thispage shows the spin-launcher assembly. The flight sequence was as follows: lst-stage burn-out at 160 sec (6,800 m.p.h. at53 miles altitude); 2nd-stage ignition by radio control after coast- ing to between 200 and 220 miles some 400 sec after launching;ignition of the 3rd and 4th stages; and final burn-out of the 4th stage at a speed of 18,000 m.p.h. in an orbit with perigee andapogee at 230 and 1,600 miles. (Right) Principal features of the satellite and 4th-stage motor:— A, nose cone; B, temperature probe; C,, C2, external temperature gauges; D, internal temperature gauge; E, low-power transmitter; F, high-power trans- mitter; 6, cosmic ray and micrometeorite package; H, micrometeorite impact microphone; J, micrometeorite erosion gauges (on 4th-stage case); K^ K2, glass-fibre rings; L, turnstile-type aerials with end-weights. (Below) The various units making up the complete four-stage satellite- launching equipment. A total of sixteen scaled-down Sergeant solid- propellant motors power the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stages. 4T-S STAGE 3£E STAGE , NOSE SECTION (EXPLODED VIEW) The lengthened Redstone is termed a Jupiter C, although it bears little resemblance to the IRBM of that name. This striking photograph shows the vehicle at Patrick A.F.B., Cape Canaveral, shortly before firing on January 31. (Right) The lst-stage nose and spin-launcher contain- ing subsequent stages. Eleven minutes before launching, the drum was rotated at some 560 r.p.m., increased to 750 r.p.m. at launching to provide gyro- scopic stabilization and equal thrust - distribution. The component was built by Re/nolds Metals in Sheffield, Alabama. (Below) The satellite itself, held by three of those chiefly responsible: Dr. William Pickering, Mr. James A. van Allen and Dr. von Braun. NOSE SECTION (TOP VIEW)
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