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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1665.PDF
FLIGHT, 16 November 1961 769 Left, Aerobee 150 A in enclosed launch tower prior to recent launch carrying liquid-hydrogen e>periment. Right, the launch-tower building. Vehicles are assembled in the single-storey section "Flight" photographs BY KENNETH OWEN ing rockets to obtain scientific data from the atmosphere, many of which carry experiments designed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Wallops is the Space Administration's main sound- ing-rocket launch site. A fourth aspect is to provide assistance to government agencies and other scientific groups. This has involved working with UK scientists on the S-51 joint ionospheric satellite until the change from Scout to Delta was made; with Canadians on the joint top- side sounder satellite; and with various university groups. The simplicity of launch operations at Wallops makes the station an ideal example for other countries planning to set up their ow n launch facilities, and scientists from Sweden, Italy and Pakistan have spent periods at the Virginia base for this purpose. Other visiting groups have come from India, Brazil, Venezuela, Britain, West Germany, France, Japan and other countries. As Wallops is a purely civilian establishment, no problem of military security is involved. The fifth and most recent development at Wallops is the launch- ing of small scientific satellites, made possible by the use of the Scout \ehicle. To date successful launchings have comprised Explorer 9 (February 16, 1961), and Explorer 13 (August 25, 1 961). Wallops' participation in most cases does not include the con- cep.ijn of the project, but begins at the design stage when both launch vehicle and payload instrumentation must be tailored to the island's facilit.es. Wherever the payload is built, a project manager at Wallops v ill be in touch throughout the construction phase. Next comes the period of preparation for firing, in which clearances are obtained from the FAA, Navy and Air Force (the range area covers a 90° segment out into the Atlantic from 080 -170 ), and the vehicle is assembled, checked out and mounted on its launcher. The flight and data-acquisition phases are followed by a period of data reduction, the final element in Wallops' participation. Data analysis, experimental reports and the application of data are the responsibility of the sponsoring group. Wallops Station comprises three associated units; the launch area on Wallops Island, a radar site known as Wallops Mainland, and the main base (also on the mainland) which was previously Chin- coteague Naval Air Station. Originally NACA occupied only a small part of the island, but since the formation of NASA the island site has been expanded to accommodate new launch pads and other facilities, the two mainland sites have been established, and as many as possible of the personnel and facilities not directly involved in launchings have been transferred to the main base. The original launch area on the island is Area No 2 (see map), which is a simple concrete pad with four launch locations. Pad 2A has an I-beam, boom-type launcher able to handle vehicles of various sizes, including NASA's five-stage rockets using Honest John as first stage. A tubular-type launcher is mounted on Pad 2B, also able to handle a range of vehicles, including NASA's five-stager based on the XM-33 booster. A small model launcher is located on Pad 2C, while Pad 2D is an area used for mobile laun- chers such as those for Areas and for radar test rockets. This area is served by Blockhouse No 2, which contains tele- metry receiving, timing and programming, doppler recording and model instrumentation checkout equipment. As these facilities are transferred to the main base area and elsewhere the blockhouse will be used for personnel protection and to house model checkout equipment. [Continued overleaf Argo D-4 firing on October 10 to determine density of charged helium and hydrogen atoms in upper ionosphere. Below, Tiros station manager Charles Lundstedt "Flight" photograph below
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