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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2096.PDF
FLIGHT International, 16 July 1964 117 a novel launching technique. "Our plans call for it to be literally popped from the cell by a separate ejector placed under it at the time the cell is loaded. Once ejected, Sprint's booster rocket will be ignited . . . There are a couple of advantages to popping Sprint out of the cell instead of flying it out. One is that we can use simpler, less expensive cells. Right now we visualize the possibility of boring a hole with a big auger and slipping a steel liner into it to make a launching cell. Another advantage is that if we pop the missile out of the cell we can start it on-trajectory shortly after it leaves the hole. At this point its acceleration is still relatively low, and a turn does not impose such prohibitive g-loadings on the missile airframe as to require heavier structure." Col Drcwry indicated the Nike-X system will not be rated as fully effective until it can cope with such problems as: multiple ICBMs, or massive attacks; the variety of possible re-entry trajectories of incoming ICBMs, including missiles which come to the US via the "back door" across the South Pole; warheads accompanied by sophisticated penetration aids; IRBMs of the Polaris type, launched from any ocean area; and warheads that approach hidden behind the charged atmosphere of a preceding atomic blast. "Suffice it to say," he declared, "that many of the heavily guarded aspects of the Nike-X system are countertactics designed to defeat such things." The Army officer reported that the Nike-Zeus is continuing to be used successfully in the Pacific to intercept special target vehicles sent against it aboard Atlas and Titan ICBMs, and that the radars presently available in the Nike-Zeus system are being used to observe re-entry vehicles from Titan II, Atlas D and E and the Polaris, some of which have been equipped with various penetration aids. He concluded, "Using these vehicles as test devices has a salutary effect. Not only does the Army gain information about how to intercept ICBMs, but it also is able to pass along to the Air Force and Navy information it has been able to learn about their birds." FIRST ESRO FIRINGS The first two launchings in the European Space Research Organiz- ation's sounding-rocket programme were made from Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, on July 6 and 9. The rockets were British Skylarks, and each of the two identical payloads comprised two vapour- release experiments, one from Liege University (ammonia release) and the other from the Max Planck Institute, Munich (barium release). Clouds formed on release of the chemicals (at 150 and 200km) were observed from the ground in order to derive data on diffusion and photo-ionization phenomena. Payloads were checked out and the rockets were launched by an ESRO team from the European Space Technology Centre, Delft, and ESRO headquarters, Paris, with Italian personnel responsible for range services and safety. Both firings were made at twilight. Later this year ESRO plans to fire further Skylarks from Sardinia (in ionospheric experiments); and French Centaure rockets from He du Levant (in solar investigations). Pictured at the 13th rocket and space conference held recently at Darmstadt by the Hermann Oberth Society, formerly the German Rocket Society: below, Dr Hermann Oberth (left) with Dr Kurt Debus, Director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, who was principal guest; right, the Society's Cirrus B two-stage rocket and VR/SH 4 single-stage rocket RECENT ORBITS The following list covers all the artificial Earth satellites known to have been launched between June 4 and July 9, 1964. It follows on from the "Recent Orbits" feature in our June 11 issue. Orbital elements quoted normally refer to the initial values. June 4 1964-26. USAF satellite launched from Pt Arguello at about 03.50 GMT by Blue Scout. Orbit 850-962km (527-600 miles), inclination 90.48°, nodal period 103.13min. Estimated lifetime: satellite, 200 years; rocket, 100 years. Components: 26A, small satellite (dimensions unknown); 26D, Altair rocket body (531b cylinder, 5ft long, lft 6in dia); 26B and C, two payload shrouds or de-spin weights. June 4 1964-27. USAF satellite launched from Vandenberg at about 23.02 GMT by Thor Agena. Orbit 159-423km (98-263 miles), 80.0°, 90.43min. Decayed in Earth's atmosphere June 18, lifetime 14 days. Only component 27A, Agena satellite (cylinder 5ft dia, about 30ft long). June 6 1964-28. Cosmos 31 launched from the Soviet Union at about 06.05 GMT. Orbit 220-492km (136-306 miles), 48.91°, 91.61min. Estimated lifetime: satellite, 3J months; rocket, two months. Components: 28A, Cosmos 31 (possibly domed cylinder 4ft dia, 6ft long, weight about 1,0001b, transmitting on 20.005, 30.007, 90.022Mc/s); 28B, rocket body. June 10 1964-29. Cosmos 32 launched from the Soviet Union at about 11.00 GMT. Orbit: satellite, 198-324km (123-201 miles), 51.24°, 89.77min; rocket, 214-330km (133-205 miles), 51.27°, 89.95 min. Satellite re-entered atmosphere June 18, lifetime eight days; fragment decayed June 12, lifetime two days; estimated lifetime of rocket, four weeks. Components: 29A, Cosmos 32 (transmitted on 19.996Mc/s); 29B, rocket body; 29C, fragment. June 13 1964-30. Starflash satellite launched by the USAF using a Thor Agena from Vandenberg at 15.42 GMT. Orbit 353-369km (219-229 miles), 114.97°, 91.67min. Estimated lifetime ten months. Only component 30A, Starflash (carried inside Agena stage). Continued overleaf
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