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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0641.PDF
- FLIGHT International, 25 April 1963 615 This photograph of a sectional model of the Pegasus space booster proposed by Martin Orlando also gives a clear idea of the interior layout of the two stages of propulsion of the Pershing tactical missile. In the latter the motor coses are of u.h.t. steel, and it may be remarked that a relatively small proportion of the overall length is occupied by the propellant charges (this results from the use of single propulsive nozzles, instead of the quartets employed in Polaris and Minu- teman). A, payload; 6, third-stage (op tional) spin-stabilized motor; C, inertial guidance and control; D, instrumentation and radio; £, four forward-facing thrust- termination ports; F, second-stage motor; G, aerodynamic and jet control vanes; H, first-stage motor; ), aerodynamic and jet control vanes capable of fully mobile operation. Certainly Pegasus is the'first space booster system which carries its launch pad with it. Martin-Orlando propose the Pegasus as a fully guided booster capable of lifting payloads to altitudes up to 3,000 n.m. (see data). Such a vehicle would provide a carrier for components and sub systems under space-environment, high-g and re-entry testing; it could serve as a space probe with a large payload in comparison with present vehicles of comparable cost; and it could also serve such varied tasks as photographic or flare mapping and a number of reconnaissance and surveillance duties, as a booster for high- alritude communications packages and as a target in anti-missile research. Compared with other existing or proposed boosters, Pegasus is claimed to have the following significant advantages: it consists almost entirely of off-the-shelf components of very high reliability; development cost has practically all been accounted for in the perfection of the US Army Pershing; accuracy, structural rigidity and reliability are greater; and, again stemming from the original Army requirements, the system has unrivalled mobility. Pegasus need not—say Martin—compete with existing launch facilities or schedules, but can be deployed by ship, road, train, aeroplane or helicopter to any location and made ready for firing by 12 men in "less than a day's time." Delivery is offered within six to twelve months from date of contract. MARTIN-ORLANDO PEGASUS Dimensions Overall length in three-stage configuration, 35ft (420.000in); diameter of propulsion stages, 48in; diameter of payload, 30 to 40in. Translauncher dimensions, overall length, 278.57in: maximum width, I02.76in; maximum height, 6l.562in. Weights Launch weight in three-stage configuration, 10,0001b; weight of trans- launcher, notstated. Performance Payload varies with altitude according to two curves, one for the 'wc-stage Pegasus and the other for the three-stage vehicle. The two-stage version an lift 2,0081b to 105.4 n.m. altitude, 1,0001b to 175.5 n.m., 5001b to239 n.m. or 1001b to 319.7 n.m. Re-entry velocities measured at 300,000ft at a flight-path angle of - I5J vary from 4,700ft/sec with a 2,0001b payload to 9,700ft/sec with a 1001b pay- lo"i- In three-stage configuration Pegasus can lift 2,0001b to 153.3 n.m., 1,0001b 50 321.6 n.m., 5001b to 601.9 n.m., 1001 b to 1,824 n.m. or 501b to 3,000 n.m. In this c»s«, re-entry velocity ranges from 5,579ft/s«c with 2,0001b payload to 2l,l40ft/sec with 1001b. QUIET-SUN SPACE PROGRAMME Space activities will play a major part in the International Years of the Quiet Sun (IQSY) during 1964-5. This programme of world wide co-ordinated studies, in which some 60 nations are expected to join, is designed to complete the work of the International Geophysical Year which observed the "noisy" Sun and its effects in 1957-8. During the IQSY, conditions at the solar minimum fall ing in 1964-5 will be observed; last month scientists from the member nations met in Rome to draw up the final plans. Virtually the whole of the NASA unmanned spaceflight pro gramme during the coming two years will contribute to IQSY studies. This amounts to about 70 satellites and space probes and 700 high-altitude rockets. In addition, some 3,000 large research balloons will be launched, many of them at high latitudes, and the Weather Bureau will be firing small met rockets from eight US locations at the rate of about 1,000 a year. Of NASA vehicles planned for orbital or escape paths, the fol lowing have been scheduled to contribute during the IQSY period : three Orbiting Solar Observatories, with three more under con sideration; two Eccentric Orbiting Geophysical Observatories, at 200km to 100,000km, with possible follow-ups; three Interplanet ary Monitoring Probes at 180km to 320,000km, with three possible back-up vehicles; one Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory; two Mariner Rs and a possible Mariner B for planetary missions; two lunar-landing Surveyors and a possible lunar orbiter; two iono spheric satellites; two atmospheric-structure satellites; and the beginning of the Nimbus polar-orbiting weather-satellite pro gramme, which may involve as many as seven satellites during the period. The USA is expected to spend between $300m and $500m on its IQSY programme, of which the bulk is likely to go on space research. The Soviet Union has not yet released full details of its IQSY space programme, but satellites in highly elliptical orbits and satel lites instrumented to measure solar ultra-violet and X-rays have been mentioned. At least nine nations will be involved in launching sounding rockets during the quiet-sun period; and the geographic distribution will be greater than this suggests, since Britain, France, the USA and the USSR will all be launching from one or more overseas sites as well as from their own territory. Of particular interest is the proposed co-operative venture between British and Indian scientists to fire rockets to examine the equatorial electro-jet from the new Indian range at Trivandrum, which has the unique advan tage that it straddles the geomagnetic equator. The IGY discovered that a meteorological vortex lies over the poles, and Prof J. Winckler of the University of Minnesota pro poses to make use of this during the IQSY. He plans to launch a lm cu ft balloon with a 2501b payload from Spitzbergen, so that it will be carried round the Arctic by the natural vortex while making observations and telemetering them to ground all the way. By launching at those seasons when either permanent day or permanent night covers the pole, it is thought the balloon will fly at a steady height of some 15 to 20 miles for about a week—sufficient time for it make a complete revolution of the Arctic. An automatic ballast- dropping device will be carried, and the balloon will have over lapping Mylar skins to minimize gas leakage. From it will hang a radio aerial 1J miles long, since a very-low-frequency system is preferable over the great distances of the sparsely populated Arctic. The path taken by the balloon will be of prime interest to meteoro logists but, for full exploitation, the project will require all coun tries bordering the Arctic to take part. For the present the Russians have reservations, since the balloon will pass close to the Novaya Zemlya testing area. USAF IN SPACE A modest amount of light was shed on US Department of Defense space activities in President Kennedy's report to Congress earlier this year on aeronautics and space activities in 1962. The following quotations are taken from the report:— Inspector Work is continuing on the Satellite Inspector pro gramme to demonstrate rendezvous and inspection of a non-co operative object in space by orbiting with it. Programme assess ment resulted in the termination of a prototype co-orbital demon stration system, and initiation of an inspection system definition study. Efforts continued in close co-ordination with the NASA Gemini programme. A joint DoD/NASA study of both pro-
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