Atlas (missile)
Encyclopedia
The SM-65 Atlas was the first intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) developed and deployed by the United States. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by Convair Division of General Dynamics at the Kearny Mesa assembly plant north of San Diego, California. Atlas became operational as an ICBM in October 1959 and was used as a first stage for satellite launch vehicles for half a century.
An initial development contract was given to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (Convair) on 16 January 1951 for what was then called MX-1593, but at a relatively low priority. The 1953 testing of the first dry H-bomb in the Soviet Union
led to the project being dramatically accelerated. The initial design completed by Convair in 1953 was larger than the missile that eventually entered service. Estimated warhead weight was lowered from 8000 pounds to 3000 pounds based on highly favorable U.S. nuclear warhead tests in early 1954, and on 14 May 1954 the Atlas program was formally given the highest national priority. A major development and test contract was awarded to Convair on 14 January 1955 for a 10 foot diameter missile to weigh about 250,000 pounds. Atlas development was tightly controlled by the Air Force's Western Development Division, WDD, later part of the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division. Contracts for warhead, guidance and propulsion were handled separately by WDD. The first successful flight of a highly instrumented Atlas missile to full range occurred 28 November 1958. Atlas ICBMs were deployed operationally from 31 October 1959 to 12 April 1965.
On 18 December 1958, the launch of Atlas 10B sent the missile into orbit around the Earth (without use of an upper stage) carrying the "SCORE" (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment) communications payload. Atlas 10B/SCORE, at 8750 lb, was the heaviest man-made object then in orbit, the first voice relay satellite, and the first man-made object in space easily visible to the naked eye due to the large, mirror-polished stainless steel tank. This was the first flight in what would be a long career for the Atlas as a satellite launcher. Many retired Atlas ICBMs would be used as launch vehicles, most with an added spin-stabilized solid rocket motor upper stage for polar orbit military payloads. Even before its military use ended in 1965, Atlas had placed four Mercury astronauts in orbit and was becoming the foundation for a family of successful space launch vehicle
s, most notably Atlas Agena and Atlas Centaur.
Mergers led to the acquisition of the Atlas Centaur line by Lockheed-Martin which in turn became part of the United Launch Alliance
. Today Lockheed-Martin and ULA support a new Atlas rocket family
based on the larger "Atlas V" which still uses the unique and highly efficient Centaur upper stage. Atlas V stage one is powered by a Russian RD-180 oxygen/kerosene engine and uses conventional aluminum isogrid tankage rather than the thin-wall, pressure-stabilized stainless steel tanks of the original Convair Atlas. Payload weights have increased along with launch vehicle weights over the years so the current Atlas V family serves many of the same type commercial, DoD, and planetary missions as earlier Atlas Centaurs.
headed the top secret von Neumann ICBM committee. Its purpose was to decide on the feasibility of building an ICBM large enough to carry a thermonuclear weapon. Von Neumann had long argued that while the technical obstacles were indeed formidable, they could be overcome in time. The committee approved a "radical reorganization" and speeding up of the Atlas program. Atlas was informally classifed as a "stage-and-a-half" rocket because the vehicle consisted of only a single set of propellant tanks but two engines, one of which was jettisoned approximately 135 seconds into the flight. (A "stage" of a liquid propellant rocket is normally thought of as tanks and engine(s) together. The jettisoned engine therefore constitutes a "half stage".) The booster engine consisted of two large thrust chambers fed by a single common set of turbopumps. The sustainer engine consisted of a single large thrust chamber and two small verniers, once again fed by a single common set of turbopumps. The verniers provided roll control and final velocity trim. The total sea level thrust of all five thrust chambers was 360,000 lb for Atlas D. Later model Atlas E and F variants were built with two separate booster engines, each with a single large thrust chamber and its own independent set of turbopumps. Total sea level thrust for these three-engine Atlas Es and Fs was 389,000 lb.
The first Atlas to be flown was the Atlas A
in 1957–1958. It was a test model designed to verify the structure and propulsion system, and had no sustainer engine or separable stages. This was followed by the Atlas B and C in 1958–1959. The B had full engines and booster engine staging capability. An Atlas B was used to orbit the SCORE satellite in December 1958, which was the Atlas' first space launch. The C was a slightly more developed model using even thinner skin in the propellant tanks. Finally, the Atlas D, the first operational model and the basis for all Atlas space launchers, debuted in 1959. Atlas D weighed 255,950 pounds (without payload) and had an empty weight of only 11,894 pounds. The other 95.35% was propellant. Dropping the 6720 lb booster engine and fairing reduced the dry weight to 5174 lb, a mere 2.02% of the initial gross weight of the vehicle (still excluding payload). This very low dry weight allowed Atlas D to send its thermonuclear warhead to ranges as great as 9000 miles or orbit payloads without an upper stage. The final variants of the Atlas ICBM were the E and F, introduced in 1960–1961. E and F had fully self-contained inertial navigation systems (INS) and were identical to each other except for interfaces associated with their different basing modes (underground silo for F).
By 1965, with the second-generation Titan II having reached operational status, the Atlas was obsolete as a missile system, and was gradually phased out in the mid 1960s. Many of the retired Atlas D, E and F missiles were used for space launches into the '90s.
Atlas, named for the Atlas
of Greek mythology
and the contractor's parent Atlas Corporation
, got its start in 1946 with the award of an Army Air Forces research contract to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (later Convair) for the study of a 1,500 to 5,000 mi. (2,400 to 8,000 km) range missile that might, at some future date carry a nuclear armed warhead. At the time (the late 1940s), no missile conceived could carry even the smallest nuclear warheads then thought possible. The smallest atomic warheads were all larger than the maximum theoretical payloads of the planned long range missiles. The Convair team was led by Karel Bossart
. This was the MX-774 or Hiroc project. It was for this reason that the contract was canceled in 1947 but the Army Air Forces allowed Convair to launch the three almost-completed research vehicles using the remaining contract funds. The three flights were only partially successful. However they did show that balloon tanks, and gimbaled rocket engines were valid concepts. In the mid 1950s after practical thermonuclear weapons had been demonstrated and an independent design breakthrough drastically reduced the weight of such weapons, along with the CIA learning that the Soviet ICBM program was making progress, Atlas became a crash program of the highest national importance.
The missile was originally given the military designation XB-65, thus making it a bomber; from 1955 it was redesignated SM-65 ('Strategic Missile 65') and, from 1962, it became CGM-16. This letter "C" stood for "coffin" or "Container", the rocket being stored in a semi-hardened container; it was prepared for launch by being raised and fueled in the open. The Atlas-F (HGM-16) was stored vertically underground, but launched after being lifted to the surface.
: the missile sent information from its inertial system to a ground station by radio, and received course correction information in return. The Atlas E and F had completely autonomous inertial guidance systems.
Atlas was unusual in its use of balloon tank
s for fuel, made of very thin stainless steel
(with the uncoated steel necessitating Convair to develop the anti-corrosive spray WD-40
) with minimal or no rigid support structures. Pressure in the tanks provides the structural rigidity required for flight. An Atlas rocket would collapse under its own weight if not kept pressurized, and had to have 5 psi nitrogen in the tank even when not fuelled. The only other known use of balloon tanks at the time of writing is the Centaur
high-energy upper stage, although some rockets (such as the Falcon
series) use partially pressure-supported tanks. The rocket had two small thrust chambers on the sides of the tank called vernier rockets. These provided fine adjustment of velocity and steering after the sustainer engine shut down.
Atlas also had a unique and somewhat odd staging system. Most rockets stage by dropping both engines and fuel tanks simultaneously. However, when the Atlas missile was being developed, there were considerable doubts as to whether or not a rocket motor could be ignited in space. Therefore, the decision was made to ignite all of the Atlas' engines at launch; later the booster engine(s) would be discarded, while the sustainer continued to burn. Rockets using this technique are sometimes called stage-and-a-half boosters. This technique is made possible by the extremely light weight of the balloon tanks. The tanks make up such a small percentage of the total booster weight that the weight penalty of lifting them to orbit is less than the technical and weight penalty required to throw half of them away mid-flight. Depending on how you look at it, this makes Atlas a single-stage-to-orbit booster (though most call it a 1.5 stage to orbit).
Sergey Korolyov
made a similar choice for the same reason in the design of the R-7
, the first Soviet ICBM and the launcher of Sputnik
and Vostok
. The R-7 had a central sustainer section, with four boosters attached to its sides. All engines were started before launch, eliminating the then unexplored task of igniting a large liquid fuel engine at high altitudes. Like the Atlas, the R-7 used cryogenic oxidizer and could not be kept in the state of flight readiness indefinitely. Unlike the Atlas, the R-7 had large side boosters, which required use of an expensive launch pad and prevented launching the rocket from a silo.
XSM-16A (later X-11) was the first testbed for what became the Atlas missile. Later the Convair X-12 became a second, more advanced testbed. A total of 12 X-11's were built and tested. The first three were involved in static tests only. X-11 Number 4 and 6, were destroyed in launch accidents. All others performed successful test flights. The test series began on June 11, 1957 and ended on June 3, 1958.
It was developed into the SM-65A Atlas, or Atlas A, which was the first full-scale prototype of the Atlas missile, which first flew on 11 June 1957. Unlike later versions of the Atlas missile, the Atlas A did not feature the stage and a half design. Instead, the booster engines were fixed in place, and the sustainer engine was omitted.
The Atlas A conducted eight test flights, of which four were successful. All test flights were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, at either Launch Complex 12
or Launch Complex 14
. Atlas A flights were powered by a single engine consisting of two large thrust chambers fed by a single set of turbopumps.
X-12 was the second, more advanced testbed for the Atlas rocket program. It was designed with 2 engines, the booster engine used on the predecessor X-11 plus a sustainer engine. This combination of booster plus sustainer engines was designated the MA-1 engine system. MA-1 was used in Atlas B and Atlas C. MA-1 was the direct predecessor of the MA-2 engine system of Atlas D which in turn was the direct predecessor of the MA-5 engine system used in Atlas Agena and Atlas Centaur launch vehicles. The first flight of X-12 (Atlas B) was in July 1958
. The X-12 pioneered the use of these 1.5 stage rocket engines that became a hallmark of the Atlas rocket program. It was also the first rocket to achieve a flight distance that could be considered intercontinental when it flew 6,325 miles (10,179 km).
Atlas B was first flown on 19 July 1958, and was the first version of the Atlas rocket to use the stage and a half design. Ten flights were made. Nine of these were sub-orbital test flights of the Atlas as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
, with five successful missions and four failures. The seventh flight, launched on 18 December 1958, was used to place the SCORE
satellite into low Earth orbit
, the first orbital launch conducted by an Atlas rocket.
All Atlas-B launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, at Launch Complexes 11
, 13
and 14
.
. It was originally planned to be used as the first stage of the Atlas-Able
rocket, but following an explosion during a static test on 24 September 1959, this was abandoned in favor of the Atlas D.
Six flights were made. These were all sub-orbital test flights of the Atlas as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
, with three tests succeeding, and three failing.
All Atlas C launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, at Launch Complex 12
.
al launches, both with upper stages, such as the RM-81 Agena
, and on their own as a stage and a half vehicle. The Atlas D was used for the orbital element of Project Mercury
, launching four manned
Mercury spacecraft into low Earth orbit
. The modified version of the Atlas D used for Project Mercury was designated Atlas LV-3B
.
Atlas D launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, at Launch Complexes 11
, 12
, 13
and 14
, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
at Launch Complex 576.
Most Atlas D launches were sub-orbital missile tests, however several were used for other missions, including orbital launches of manned Mercury, and unmanned OV1 spacecraft. Two were also used as sounding rocket
s, as part of Project FIRE. A number were also used with upper stages to launch satellites.
, was refurbished for orbit
al launches as the Atlas E/F
. The last Atlas E/F launch was conducted on 24 March 1995, using a rocket which had originally been built as an Atlas-E.
Atlas-E launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, at Launch Complexes 11
and 13
, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
at OSTF-1, LC-576
and SLC-3
.
, was refurbished for orbit
al launches as the Atlas E/F
. The last Atlas E/F launch to use a rocket which had originally been built as an Atlas-F was conducted on 23 June 1981.
Atlas-F launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, at Launch Complexes 11
and 13
, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
at OSTF-2, LC-576
and SLC-3
.
It was also used to launch the Block I series of GPS satellite
s from 1978 to 1985. The last refurbished Atlas-F vehicle was launched from Vandenberg AFB in 1995 carrying a satellite for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
which was fuze
d for either air burst or contact burst. The Mk 4 RV also deployed penetration aid
s in the form of mylar balloons which replicated the radar signature of the Mk 4 RV. The Mk 4 plus W-38 had a combined weight of 4050 lb.
Strategic Air Command
deployed 11 operational Atlas ICBM squadrons between 1959 and 1962. Each of the three missile variants, the Atlas D, E, and F series, were deployed and based in progressively more secure launchers.
, under the operational control of the 576th Strategic Missile Squadron, 704th Strategic Missile Wing
. Completely exposed to the elements, the three missiles were serviced by a gantry crane. One missile was on operational alert at all times. They remained on alert until 1 May 1964.
In September 1959 the first operational Atlas ICBM squadron equipped with six SM-65D Atlas
missiles based in above-ground launchers, went on operational alert at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. Three additional Atlas D squadrons, two near F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming and one at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, were based in above-ground launchers that provided blast protection against over-pressures of only 5 pounds-per-square-inch (psi).
These units were:
The first site at Warren for the 564th SMS consisted of six launchers grouped together, controlled by two launch operations buildings, and clustered around a central guidance control facility. This was called the 3 x 2 configuration: two launch complexes of three missiles each constituted a squadron.
At the second Warren site for the 565th SMS and at Offutt AFB, Nebraska for the 549th SMS, the missiles were based in a 3 x 3 configuration: three launchers and one combined guidance control/launch facility constituted a launch complex, and three complexes comprised a squadron. At these later sites the combined guidance and control facility measured 107 by 121 feet with a partial basement. A dispersal technique of spreading the launch complexes were 20 to 30 miles apart was also employed to reduce the risk that one powerful nuclear warhead could destroy multiple launch sites.
squadrons deployed later in 1961 were also deployed horizontally, but the majority of the launcher was buried underground. These launchers were designed to withstand over-pressures of 25 psi. These units were:
The major enhancement in the Atlas E was the new all-inertial system that obviated the need for ground control facilities. Since the missiles were no longer tied to a central guidance control facility, the launchers could be dispersed more widely in what was called a 1 x 9 configuration, with one missile silo located at one launch site each for the 9 missiles assigned to the squadron.
The Atlas Es were based in "semi-hard" or "coffin" facilities that protected the missile against over-pressures up to 25 psi. In this arrangement the missile, its support facilities, and the launch operations building were housed in reinforced concrete structures that were buried underground; only the roofs protruded above ground level.
squadrons were the first ICBMs to be stored vertically in underground silos. Built of heavily-reinforced concrete, the huge silos were designed to protect the missiles from over-pressures of up to 100 psi.
The Atlas F was the final and most advanced version of the Atlas ICBM and was essentially a quick-firing version of the Atlas E, modified to be stored in a vertical position inside underground concrete and steel silos. When stored, the Atlas F sat atop an elevator. If a missile was placed on alert, it was fueled with RP-1 (kerosene) liquid fuel, which could be stored inside the missile for extended periods. If a decision was made to launch the missile, it was fueled with liquid oxygen. Once the liquid oxygen fueling was complete, the elevator raised the missile to the surface for launching.
This method of storage allowed the Atlas F to be launched in about ten minutes, a saving of about five minutes over the Atlas D and Atlas E, both of which were stored horizontally and had to be raised to a vertical position before being fueled.
CGM-16D Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned:
CGM-16E Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned:
HGM-16F Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned:
SM-65C Atlas
SM-65B Atlas
had become operational in early 1963, the Atlas became rapidly obsolete. By October 1964, all Atlas D missiles had been phased out, followed by the Atlas E/F in April 1965. About 350 Atlas ICBMs of all versions were built, with a peak deployment level of 129 (30 D, 27 E, 72 F). Despite its relatively short life span, Atlas served as the proving ground for many new missile technologies. Perhaps more importantly, its development spawned the organization, policies, and procedures that paved the way for all of the later ICBM programs.
After its retirement from operational ICBM service in 1965, the ICBM's were refurbished and used over twenty years as space launch vehicles.
with both the Agena and Centaur upper stages for the Mariner
space probes used to study Mercury
, Venus
, and Mars
(1962–1973); and to launch ten of the Mercury program
missions (1962–1963). Atlas was suggested for use by the United States Air Force
in what became known as Project Vanguard
. This suggestion was ultimately turned down, however, as Atlas would not be operational in time and was seen by many as being too heavily connected to the military for use in the U.S.'s International Geophysical Year
satellite attempt.
However, the Atlas saw the beginnings of its "workhorse" status during the Mercury-Atlas missions, which resulted in Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr.
becoming the first American to orbit the earth on February 20, 1962 (Major Yuri A. Gagarin
, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first human in orbit on April 12, 1961.) Atlas was also used throughout the mid-1960s to launch the Agena Target Vehicle
s used during the Gemini program. Direct Atlas descendants have continued to be used as satellite launch vehicles into the 21st century. An Atlas rocket is shown exploding, in the 1983 art film Koyaanisqatsi
, directed by Godfrey Reggio
, in the penultimate shot. The vehicle shown in the movie was the first launch attempt of an Atlas-Centaur in May 1962.
Interestingly, the now-ubiquitous penetrating lubricant WD-40
found its first use as a corrosion-resistant coating for the outer skin of the Atlas missile.
Convair X-11 Specifications
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
(ICBM) developed and deployed by the United States. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by Convair Division of General Dynamics at the Kearny Mesa assembly plant north of San Diego, California. Atlas became operational as an ICBM in October 1959 and was used as a first stage for satellite launch vehicles for half a century.
An initial development contract was given to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (Convair) on 16 January 1951 for what was then called MX-1593, but at a relatively low priority. The 1953 testing of the first dry H-bomb in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
led to the project being dramatically accelerated. The initial design completed by Convair in 1953 was larger than the missile that eventually entered service. Estimated warhead weight was lowered from 8000 pounds to 3000 pounds based on highly favorable U.S. nuclear warhead tests in early 1954, and on 14 May 1954 the Atlas program was formally given the highest national priority. A major development and test contract was awarded to Convair on 14 January 1955 for a 10 foot diameter missile to weigh about 250,000 pounds. Atlas development was tightly controlled by the Air Force's Western Development Division, WDD, later part of the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division. Contracts for warhead, guidance and propulsion were handled separately by WDD. The first successful flight of a highly instrumented Atlas missile to full range occurred 28 November 1958. Atlas ICBMs were deployed operationally from 31 October 1959 to 12 April 1965.
On 18 December 1958, the launch of Atlas 10B sent the missile into orbit around the Earth (without use of an upper stage) carrying the "SCORE" (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment) communications payload. Atlas 10B/SCORE, at 8750 lb, was the heaviest man-made object then in orbit, the first voice relay satellite, and the first man-made object in space easily visible to the naked eye due to the large, mirror-polished stainless steel tank. This was the first flight in what would be a long career for the Atlas as a satellite launcher. Many retired Atlas ICBMs would be used as launch vehicles, most with an added spin-stabilized solid rocket motor upper stage for polar orbit military payloads. Even before its military use ended in 1965, Atlas had placed four Mercury astronauts in orbit and was becoming the foundation for a family of successful space launch vehicle
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
s, most notably Atlas Agena and Atlas Centaur.
Mergers led to the acquisition of the Atlas Centaur line by Lockheed-Martin which in turn became part of the United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. U.S...
. Today Lockheed-Martin and ULA support a new Atlas rocket family
Atlas (rocket family)
Atlas is a family of U.S. space launch vehicles. The original Atlas missile was designed in the late 1950s and produced by the Convair Division of General Dynamics, to be used as an intercontinental ballistic missile...
based on the larger "Atlas V" which still uses the unique and highly efficient Centaur upper stage. Atlas V stage one is powered by a Russian RD-180 oxygen/kerosene engine and uses conventional aluminum isogrid tankage rather than the thin-wall, pressure-stabilized stainless steel tanks of the original Convair Atlas. Payload weights have increased along with launch vehicle weights over the years so the current Atlas V family serves many of the same type commercial, DoD, and planetary missions as earlier Atlas Centaurs.
History
Shortly before his death, John von NeumannJohn von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
headed the top secret von Neumann ICBM committee. Its purpose was to decide on the feasibility of building an ICBM large enough to carry a thermonuclear weapon. Von Neumann had long argued that while the technical obstacles were indeed formidable, they could be overcome in time. The committee approved a "radical reorganization" and speeding up of the Atlas program. Atlas was informally classifed as a "stage-and-a-half" rocket because the vehicle consisted of only a single set of propellant tanks but two engines, one of which was jettisoned approximately 135 seconds into the flight. (A "stage" of a liquid propellant rocket is normally thought of as tanks and engine(s) together. The jettisoned engine therefore constitutes a "half stage".) The booster engine consisted of two large thrust chambers fed by a single common set of turbopumps. The sustainer engine consisted of a single large thrust chamber and two small verniers, once again fed by a single common set of turbopumps. The verniers provided roll control and final velocity trim. The total sea level thrust of all five thrust chambers was 360,000 lb for Atlas D. Later model Atlas E and F variants were built with two separate booster engines, each with a single large thrust chamber and its own independent set of turbopumps. Total sea level thrust for these three-engine Atlas Es and Fs was 389,000 lb.
The first Atlas to be flown was the Atlas A
SM-65A Atlas
The SM-65A Atlas, or Atlas A, also designated X-11 was the first full-scale prototype of the Atlas missile, which first flew on 11 June 1957. Unlike later versions of the Atlas missile, the Atlas A did not feature the stage and a half design...
in 1957–1958. It was a test model designed to verify the structure and propulsion system, and had no sustainer engine or separable stages. This was followed by the Atlas B and C in 1958–1959. The B had full engines and booster engine staging capability. An Atlas B was used to orbit the SCORE satellite in December 1958, which was the Atlas' first space launch. The C was a slightly more developed model using even thinner skin in the propellant tanks. Finally, the Atlas D, the first operational model and the basis for all Atlas space launchers, debuted in 1959. Atlas D weighed 255,950 pounds (without payload) and had an empty weight of only 11,894 pounds. The other 95.35% was propellant. Dropping the 6720 lb booster engine and fairing reduced the dry weight to 5174 lb, a mere 2.02% of the initial gross weight of the vehicle (still excluding payload). This very low dry weight allowed Atlas D to send its thermonuclear warhead to ranges as great as 9000 miles or orbit payloads without an upper stage. The final variants of the Atlas ICBM were the E and F, introduced in 1960–1961. E and F had fully self-contained inertial navigation systems (INS) and were identical to each other except for interfaces associated with their different basing modes (underground silo for F).
By 1965, with the second-generation Titan II having reached operational status, the Atlas was obsolete as a missile system, and was gradually phased out in the mid 1960s. Many of the retired Atlas D, E and F missiles were used for space launches into the '90s.
Atlas, named for the Atlas
Atlas (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Atlas was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens. Although associated with various places, he became commonly identified with the Atlas Mountains in north-west Africa...
of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and the contractor's parent Atlas Corporation
Atlas Corporation
The Atlas Corporation, was formed in 1928, from a merger of the United Corporation, an investment firm started in 1923 with $40,000, with Atlas Utilities and Investors Ltd. The corporation specialized in capital formation and management. In 1929, Atlas was a $12,000,000 investment trust...
, got its start in 1946 with the award of an Army Air Forces research contract to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (later Convair) for the study of a 1,500 to 5,000 mi. (2,400 to 8,000 km) range missile that might, at some future date carry a nuclear armed warhead. At the time (the late 1940s), no missile conceived could carry even the smallest nuclear warheads then thought possible. The smallest atomic warheads were all larger than the maximum theoretical payloads of the planned long range missiles. The Convair team was led by Karel Bossart
Karel Bossart
Karel Jan Bossart was a pioneering rocket designer and creator of the Atlas ICBM...
. This was the MX-774 or Hiroc project. It was for this reason that the contract was canceled in 1947 but the Army Air Forces allowed Convair to launch the three almost-completed research vehicles using the remaining contract funds. The three flights were only partially successful. However they did show that balloon tanks, and gimbaled rocket engines were valid concepts. In the mid 1950s after practical thermonuclear weapons had been demonstrated and an independent design breakthrough drastically reduced the weight of such weapons, along with the CIA learning that the Soviet ICBM program was making progress, Atlas became a crash program of the highest national importance.
Design
The Atlas A-D used radio guidanceMissile guidance
Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness...
: the missile sent information from its inertial system to a ground station by radio, and received course correction information in return. The Atlas E and F had completely autonomous inertial guidance systems.
Atlas was unusual in its use of balloon tank
Balloon tank
A balloon tank is a style of fuel tank used in the Atlas ICBM and Centaur upper stage that does not use an internal framework, but instead relies on a constant internal pressurization to keep its shape....
s for fuel, made of very thin stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
(with the uncoated steel necessitating Convair to develop the anti-corrosive spray WD-40
WD-40
WD-40 is the trademark name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household...
) with minimal or no rigid support structures. Pressure in the tanks provides the structural rigidity required for flight. An Atlas rocket would collapse under its own weight if not kept pressurized, and had to have 5 psi nitrogen in the tank even when not fuelled. The only other known use of balloon tanks at the time of writing is the Centaur
Centaur (rocket stage)
Centaur is a rocket stage designed for use as the upper stage of space launch vehicles. Centaur boosts its satellite payload to geosynchronous orbit or, in the case of an interplanetary space probe, to or near to escape velocity...
high-energy upper stage, although some rockets (such as the Falcon
Falcon 1
The Falcon 1 is a partially reusable launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX, a space transportation company in Hawthorne, California. The two-stage-to-orbit rocket uses LOX/RP-1 for both stages, the first powered by a single Merlin engine and the second powered by a single Kestrel engine...
series) use partially pressure-supported tanks. The rocket had two small thrust chambers on the sides of the tank called vernier rockets. These provided fine adjustment of velocity and steering after the sustainer engine shut down.
Atlas also had a unique and somewhat odd staging system. Most rockets stage by dropping both engines and fuel tanks simultaneously. However, when the Atlas missile was being developed, there were considerable doubts as to whether or not a rocket motor could be ignited in space. Therefore, the decision was made to ignite all of the Atlas' engines at launch; later the booster engine(s) would be discarded, while the sustainer continued to burn. Rockets using this technique are sometimes called stage-and-a-half boosters. This technique is made possible by the extremely light weight of the balloon tanks. The tanks make up such a small percentage of the total booster weight that the weight penalty of lifting them to orbit is less than the technical and weight penalty required to throw half of them away mid-flight. Depending on how you look at it, this makes Atlas a single-stage-to-orbit booster (though most call it a 1.5 stage to orbit).
Sergey Korolyov
Sergey Korolyov
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev ; died 14 January 1966 in Moscow, Russia) was the lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer in the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s...
made a similar choice for the same reason in the design of the R-7
R-7 Semyorka
The R-7 was a Soviet missile developed during the Cold War, and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 made 28 launches between 1957 and 1961, but was never deployed operationally. A derivative, the R-7A, was deployed from 1960 to 1968...
, the first Soviet ICBM and the launcher of Sputnik
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
and Vostok
Vostok 1
Vostok 1 was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer...
. The R-7 had a central sustainer section, with four boosters attached to its sides. All engines were started before launch, eliminating the then unexplored task of igniting a large liquid fuel engine at high altitudes. Like the Atlas, the R-7 used cryogenic oxidizer and could not be kept in the state of flight readiness indefinitely. Unlike the Atlas, the R-7 had large side boosters, which required use of an expensive launch pad and prevented launching the rocket from a silo.
Convair XSM-16A/X-11/SM-65A Atlas
The ConvairConvair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
XSM-16A (later X-11) was the first testbed for what became the Atlas missile. Later the Convair X-12 became a second, more advanced testbed. A total of 12 X-11's were built and tested. The first three were involved in static tests only. X-11 Number 4 and 6, were destroyed in launch accidents. All others performed successful test flights. The test series began on June 11, 1957 and ended on June 3, 1958.
It was developed into the SM-65A Atlas, or Atlas A, which was the first full-scale prototype of the Atlas missile, which first flew on 11 June 1957. Unlike later versions of the Atlas missile, the Atlas A did not feature the stage and a half design. Instead, the booster engines were fixed in place, and the sustainer engine was omitted.
The Atlas A conducted eight test flights, of which four were successful. All test flights were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at either Launch Complex 12
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 12
Launch Complex 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It is the second-most southern of the pads known as missile row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north...
or Launch Complex 14
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
Launch Complex 14 is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth....
. Atlas A flights were powered by a single engine consisting of two large thrust chambers fed by a single set of turbopumps.
Convair X-12/SM-65B Atlas
The ConvairConvair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
X-12 was the second, more advanced testbed for the Atlas rocket program. It was designed with 2 engines, the booster engine used on the predecessor X-11 plus a sustainer engine. This combination of booster plus sustainer engines was designated the MA-1 engine system. MA-1 was used in Atlas B and Atlas C. MA-1 was the direct predecessor of the MA-2 engine system of Atlas D which in turn was the direct predecessor of the MA-5 engine system used in Atlas Agena and Atlas Centaur launch vehicles. The first flight of X-12 (Atlas B) was in July 1958
1958 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1958:- Events :* Gulfstream Aerospace is founded in Savannah, Georgia, in the United States.* The Argentine Navy acquires its first aircraft carrier by purchasing HMS Warrior from the United Kingdom....
. The X-12 pioneered the use of these 1.5 stage rocket engines that became a hallmark of the Atlas rocket program. It was also the first rocket to achieve a flight distance that could be considered intercontinental when it flew 6,325 miles (10,179 km).
Atlas B was first flown on 19 July 1958, and was the first version of the Atlas rocket to use the stage and a half design. Ten flights were made. Nine of these were sub-orbital test flights of the Atlas as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
, with five successful missions and four failures. The seventh flight, launched on 18 December 1958, was used to place the SCORE
Project SCORE
Project SCORE was the world’s first communications satellite. Launched aboard an Atlas rocket on December 18, 1958, SCORE provided a first test of a communications relay system in space, as well as the first successful use of the Atlas as a launch vehicle...
satellite into low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
, the first orbital launch conducted by an Atlas rocket.
All Atlas-B launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at Launch Complexes 11
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 11
Launch Complex 11 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as missile row...
, 13
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13
Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1978. It is the third-most southern of the complexes known as missile row, between LC-12 and LC-14...
and 14
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
Launch Complex 14 is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth....
.
SM-65C Atlas
The SM-65C Atlas, or Atlas C was a prototype of the Atlas missile. First flown on 24 December 1958, the Atlas C was the final development version of the Atlas rocket, prior to the operational Atlas DSM-65D Atlas
The SM-65D Atlas, or Atlas D, was the first operational version of the U.S. Atlas missile. It first flew on April 14, 1959. Atlas D missiles were also used for orbital launches, both with upper stages and on their own as a stage-and-a-half vehicle....
. It was originally planned to be used as the first stage of the Atlas-Able
Atlas-Able
The Atlas-Able was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch several Pioneer spacecraft towards the Moon...
rocket, but following an explosion during a static test on 24 September 1959, this was abandoned in favor of the Atlas D.
Six flights were made. These were all sub-orbital test flights of the Atlas as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
, with three tests succeeding, and three failing.
All Atlas C launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at Launch Complex 12
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 12
Launch Complex 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It is the second-most southern of the pads known as missile row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north...
.
SM-65D Atlas
The SM-65D Atlas, or Atlas D, was the first operational version of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 14 April 1959. Atlas D missiles were also used for orbitOrbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
al launches, both with upper stages, such as the RM-81 Agena
RM-81 Agena
The RM-81 Agena was an American rocket upper stage and satellite support bus which was developed by Lockheed initially for the canceled WS-117L reconnaissance satellite program...
, and on their own as a stage and a half vehicle. The Atlas D was used for the orbital element of Project Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
, launching four manned
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
Mercury spacecraft into low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. The modified version of the Atlas D used for Project Mercury was designated Atlas LV-3B
Atlas LV-3B
The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a man-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. It was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of...
.
Atlas D launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at Launch Complexes 11
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 11
Launch Complex 11 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as missile row...
, 12
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 12
Launch Complex 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It is the second-most southern of the pads known as missile row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north...
, 13
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13
Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1978. It is the third-most southern of the complexes known as missile row, between LC-12 and LC-14...
and 14
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
Launch Complex 14 is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth....
, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
at Launch Complex 576.
Most Atlas D launches were sub-orbital missile tests, however several were used for other missions, including orbital launches of manned Mercury, and unmanned OV1 spacecraft. Two were also used as sounding rocket
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
s, as part of Project FIRE. A number were also used with upper stages to launch satellites.
SM-65E Atlas
The SM-65E Atlas, or Atlas-E, was the first 3-engine operational variant of the Atlas missile, the third engine resulting from splitting the two booster thrust chambers into separate engines with independent sets of turbopumps. It first flew on 11 October 1960, and was deployed as an operational ICBM from September 1961 until March 1965. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-E, along with the Atlas-FSM-65F Atlas
The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between 1961 and 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-F, along with the Atlas-E, was refurbished for orbital launches as the...
, was refurbished for orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
al launches as the Atlas E/F
Atlas E/F
The Atlas E/F, also designated SB-1A was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket built using parts of decommissioned SM-65 Atlas missiles...
. The last Atlas E/F launch was conducted on 24 March 1995, using a rocket which had originally been built as an Atlas-E.
Atlas-E launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at Launch Complexes 11
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 11
Launch Complex 11 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as missile row...
and 13
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13
Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1978. It is the third-most southern of the complexes known as missile row, between LC-12 and LC-14...
, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
at OSTF-1, LC-576
Vandenberg AFB Launch Complex 576
Launch Complex 576, also known as Area 576, is a group of rocket launch pads at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The pads at the complex were used from 1959 until 1971 to launch SM-65 Atlas missiles. The site was also known as Complex ABRES...
and SLC-3
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 3
Space Launch Complex 3 is a launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base that has been used by Atlas and Thor rockets. It was built in the early 1960s and consists of two pads, SLC-3E and SLC-3W . The East-West coastline at Vandenberg allows SLC-3 to launch over-ocean polar trajectories that avoid...
.
SM-65F Atlas
The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between September 1962 and April 1965. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-F, along with the Atlas-ESM-65E Atlas
The SM-65E Atlas, or Atlas-E, was an operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 11 October 1960, and was deployed as an operational ICBM from September 1961 until April 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-E, along with the Atlas-F, was refurbished for orbital launches...
, was refurbished for orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
al launches as the Atlas E/F
Atlas E/F
The Atlas E/F, also designated SB-1A was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket built using parts of decommissioned SM-65 Atlas missiles...
. The last Atlas E/F launch to use a rocket which had originally been built as an Atlas-F was conducted on 23 June 1981.
Atlas-F launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, at Launch Complexes 11
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 11
Launch Complex 11 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as missile row...
and 13
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13
Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1978. It is the third-most southern of the complexes known as missile row, between LC-12 and LC-14...
, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
at OSTF-2, LC-576
Vandenberg AFB Launch Complex 576
Launch Complex 576, also known as Area 576, is a group of rocket launch pads at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The pads at the complex were used from 1959 until 1971 to launch SM-65 Atlas missiles. The site was also known as Complex ABRES...
and SLC-3
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 3
Space Launch Complex 3 is a launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base that has been used by Atlas and Thor rockets. It was built in the early 1960s and consists of two pads, SLC-3E and SLC-3W . The East-West coastline at Vandenberg allows SLC-3 to launch over-ocean polar trajectories that avoid...
.
It was also used to launch the Block I series of GPS satellite
GPS satellite
A GPS satellite is a satellite used by the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System . The first satellite in the system, Navstar 1, was launched February 22, 1978. The GPS satellite constellation is operated by the 50th Space Wing of the United States Air Force....
s from 1978 to 1985. The last refurbished Atlas-F vehicle was launched from Vandenberg AFB in 1995 carrying a satellite for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
Warhead
The warhead of the Atlas D was originally the G.E. Mk 2 "heat sink" re-entry vehicle with a W-49 bomb, combined weight 3700 lb and yield 1.44MT. The W-49 was later placed in a Mk 3 ablative RV, combined weight 2420 lb. The Atlas E and F had an AVCO Mk 4 re-entry vehicle containing a W-38 thermonuclear bomb with a yield of 3.75 MT megatonsTNT equivalent
TNT equivalent is a method of quantifying the energy released in explosions. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 gigajoules, which is approximately the amount of energy released in the detonation of one ton of TNT...
which was fuze
Fuze
Fuze Beverage, commercially referred to as just Fuze , is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins. Currently the brand consists of five vitamin-infused lines: Slenderize, Refresh, Tea, Defensify, and Vitalize...
d for either air burst or contact burst. The Mk 4 RV also deployed penetration aid
Penetration aid
A penetration aid is a device or tactic used to increase an intercontinental ballistic missile warhead's chances of penetrating a target's defenses...
s in the form of mylar balloons which replicated the radar signature of the Mk 4 RV. The Mk 4 plus W-38 had a combined weight of 4050 lb.
Operational deployment
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
deployed 11 operational Atlas ICBM squadrons between 1959 and 1962. Each of the three missile variants, the Atlas D, E, and F series, were deployed and based in progressively more secure launchers.
Atlas-D deployment
To provide the United States with an interim or emergency ICBM capability, in September 1959 the Air Force deployed three SM-65D Atlas missiles on open launch pads at Vandenberg AFB, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, under the operational control of the 576th Strategic Missile Squadron, 704th Strategic Missile Wing
704th Strategic Missile Wing
The 404th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. It is attached to Seventeenth Air Force [Air Forces Africa], stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
. Completely exposed to the elements, the three missiles were serviced by a gantry crane. One missile was on operational alert at all times. They remained on alert until 1 May 1964.
In September 1959 the first operational Atlas ICBM squadron equipped with six SM-65D Atlas
SM-65D Atlas
The SM-65D Atlas, or Atlas D, was the first operational version of the U.S. Atlas missile. It first flew on April 14, 1959. Atlas D missiles were also used for orbital launches, both with upper stages and on their own as a stage-and-a-half vehicle....
missiles based in above-ground launchers, went on operational alert at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. Three additional Atlas D squadrons, two near F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming and one at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, were based in above-ground launchers that provided blast protection against over-pressures of only 5 pounds-per-square-inch (psi).
These units were:
- 389th Strategic Missile Wing389th Strategic Missile WingThe 389th Strategic Missile Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 13th Strategic Missile Division, being stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965...
- Francis E. Warren AFB, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
(2 September 1960-1 July 1964) - 564th Strategic Missile Squadron (6 missiles)
- 565th Strategic Missile Squadron565th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 565th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 389th Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.-World War II:...
(9 missiles)
- 385th Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing385th Strategic Aerospace WingThe 385th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Mobility Command. It was last known to be stationed at Incirlik AB, Turkey...
- Offut AFB, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
(30 March 1961-1 October 1964) - 549th Strategic Missile Squadron549th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 549th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 385th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 15 December 1964.-World War II:...
(9 missiles)
The first site at Warren for the 564th SMS consisted of six launchers grouped together, controlled by two launch operations buildings, and clustered around a central guidance control facility. This was called the 3 x 2 configuration: two launch complexes of three missiles each constituted a squadron.
At the second Warren site for the 565th SMS and at Offutt AFB, Nebraska for the 549th SMS, the missiles were based in a 3 x 3 configuration: three launchers and one combined guidance control/launch facility constituted a launch complex, and three complexes comprised a squadron. At these later sites the combined guidance and control facility measured 107 by 121 feet with a partial basement. A dispersal technique of spreading the launch complexes were 20 to 30 miles apart was also employed to reduce the risk that one powerful nuclear warhead could destroy multiple launch sites.
Atlas-E deployment
The SM-65E AtlasSM-65E Atlas
The SM-65E Atlas, or Atlas-E, was an operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 11 October 1960, and was deployed as an operational ICBM from September 1961 until April 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-E, along with the Atlas-F, was refurbished for orbital launches...
squadrons deployed later in 1961 were also deployed horizontally, but the majority of the launcher was buried underground. These launchers were designed to withstand over-pressures of 25 psi. These units were:
- 92nd Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing
- Fairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Spokane, Washington.The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force...
, Washington (28 September 1961-17 February 1965) - 567th Strategic Missile Squadron567th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 567th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 92d Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...
, (9 missiles)
- 21st Strategic Aerospace Division
- Forbes AFB, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
(10 October 1961-4 January 1965) - 548th Strategic Missile Squadron548th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 548th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 40th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas. It was inactivated on 1 September 1964-World War II:...
, (9 missiles)
- 389th Strategic Missile Wing389th Strategic Missile WingThe 389th Strategic Missile Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 13th Strategic Missile Division, being stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965...
- Francis E. Warren AFB, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
(20 November 1961-4 January 1965) - 566th Strategic Missile Squadron566th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 566th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 389th Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.-World War II:...
(9 missiles)
The major enhancement in the Atlas E was the new all-inertial system that obviated the need for ground control facilities. Since the missiles were no longer tied to a central guidance control facility, the launchers could be dispersed more widely in what was called a 1 x 9 configuration, with one missile silo located at one launch site each for the 9 missiles assigned to the squadron.
The Atlas Es were based in "semi-hard" or "coffin" facilities that protected the missile against over-pressures up to 25 psi. In this arrangement the missile, its support facilities, and the launch operations building were housed in reinforced concrete structures that were buried underground; only the roofs protruded above ground level.
Atlas-F deployment
The six SM-65F AtlasSM-65F Atlas
The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between 1961 and 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-F, along with the Atlas-E, was refurbished for orbital launches as the...
squadrons were the first ICBMs to be stored vertically in underground silos. Built of heavily-reinforced concrete, the huge silos were designed to protect the missiles from over-pressures of up to 100 psi.
- 310th Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing
- Schilling AFB, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
(9 September 1962-1 February 1965) - 550th Strategic Missile Squadron550th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 550th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Shilling Air Force Base, Kansas. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...
(12 missiles)
- 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing
- Lincoln AFB, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
(15 September 1962-10 March 1965) - 551st Strategic Missile Squadron551st Strategic Missile SquadronThe 551st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...
(12 missiles)
- 11th Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
- Altus AFB, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(9 October 1962-30 December 1964) - 577th Strategic Missile Squadron577th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 577th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 11th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965-World War II:...
(12 missiles)
- 96th Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing96th Air Base WingThe 96th Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Air Armament Center. It is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida...
- Dyess AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(15 November 1962-1 December 1964) - 578th Strategic Missile Squadron578th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 578th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 96th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.-World War II:...
(12 missiles)
- 6th Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing6th Air Mobility WingThe United States Air Force's 6th Air Mobility Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force....
- Walker AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
(30 November 1962-5 January 1965) - 579th Strategic Missile Squadron579th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 579th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965-World War II:...
(12 missiles)
- 820th Air (later Strategic Aerospace) Division820th Strategic Aerospace DivisionThe 820th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Eighth Air Force, being stationed at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York...
- Plattsburgh AFB, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(20 December 1962-12 March 1965) - 556th Strategic Missile Squadron556th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 556th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 820th Strategic Aerospace Division. It was inactivated at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...
(12 missiles)
The Atlas F was the final and most advanced version of the Atlas ICBM and was essentially a quick-firing version of the Atlas E, modified to be stored in a vertical position inside underground concrete and steel silos. When stored, the Atlas F sat atop an elevator. If a missile was placed on alert, it was fueled with RP-1 (kerosene) liquid fuel, which could be stored inside the missile for extended periods. If a decision was made to launch the missile, it was fueled with liquid oxygen. Once the liquid oxygen fueling was complete, the elevator raised the missile to the surface for launching.
This method of storage allowed the Atlas F to be launched in about ten minutes, a saving of about five minutes over the Atlas D and Atlas E, both of which were stored horizontally and had to be raised to a vertical position before being fueled.
Service history
The number of Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles in service, by year:CGM-16D Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned:
- 1959: 6
- 1960: 12
- 1961: 32
- 1962: 32
- 1963: 28
- 1964: 13
CGM-16E Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned:
- 1961: 32
- 1962: 32
- 1963: 33
- 1964: 30
HGM-16F Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned:
- 1961: 1
- 1962: 80
- 1963: 79
- 1964: 75
Launch history
SM-65A Atlas| Date | Time (GMT) | Pad | Serial | Apogee | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-06-11 | 19:37 | LC-14 | 4A | 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) | Failure |
| 1957-09-25 | 19:57 | LC-14 | 6A | 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) | Failure |
| 1957-12-17 | 17:39 | LC-14 | 12A | 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) | Success |
| 1958-01-10 | 15:48 | LC-12 | 10A | 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) | Success |
| 1958-02-07 | 19:37 | LC-14 | 13A | 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) | Failure |
| 1958-02-20 | 17:46 | LC-12 | 11A | 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) | Failure |
| 1958-04-05 | 17:01 | LC-14 | 15A | 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) | Success |
| 1958-06-03 | 21:28 | LC-12 | 16A | 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) | Success |
SM-65C Atlas
| Date | Time (GMT) | Serial | Apogee | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3C | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | ||
| 4C | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Failure | ||
| 5C | 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) | Failure | ||
| 7C | 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) | Failure | ||
| 8C | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | ||
| 11C | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | ||
SM-65B Atlas
| Date | Time (GMT) | Pad | Serial | Apogee | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) | Failure | ||||
| 1958-08-02 | 22:16 | LC-13 | 4B | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | |
| 1958-08-29 | 04:30 | LC-11 | 5B | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | |
| 1958-09-14 | 05:24 | LC-14 | 8B | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | |
| 1958-09-18 | 21:27 | LC-13 | 6B | 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) | Failure | |
| 1958-11-18 | 04:00 | LC-11 | 9B | 800 kilometres (497.1 mi) | Failure | |
| 1958-11-29 | 02:27 | LC-14 | 12B | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | First full-range test flight |
| 1958-12-18 | 22:02 | LC-11 | 10B | N/A | Success | Placed SCORE Project SCORE Project SCORE was the world’s first communications satellite. Launched aboard an Atlas rocket on December 18, 1958, SCORE provided a first test of a communications relay system in space, as well as the first successful use of the Atlas as a launch vehicle... satellite into 185 km x 1,484 km x 32.3° orbit |
| 1959-01-16 | 04:00 | LC-14 | 13B | 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) | Failure | |
| 1959-02-04 | 08:01 | LC-11 | 11B | 900 kilometres (559.2 mi) | Success | |
Retirement
After the LGM-30 MinutemanLGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
had become operational in early 1963, the Atlas became rapidly obsolete. By October 1964, all Atlas D missiles had been phased out, followed by the Atlas E/F in April 1965. About 350 Atlas ICBMs of all versions were built, with a peak deployment level of 129 (30 D, 27 E, 72 F). Despite its relatively short life span, Atlas served as the proving ground for many new missile technologies. Perhaps more importantly, its development spawned the organization, policies, and procedures that paved the way for all of the later ICBM programs.
After its retirement from operational ICBM service in 1965, the ICBM's were refurbished and used over twenty years as space launch vehicles.
NASA use
Though never used for its original purpose as a weapon, the Atlas was used as the expendable launch systemExpendable launch system
An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...
with both the Agena and Centaur upper stages for the Mariner
Mariner program
The Mariner program was a program conducted by the American space agency NASA that launched a series of robotic interplanetary probes designed to investigate Mars, Venus and Mercury from 1963 to 1973...
space probes used to study Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
, Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, and Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
(1962–1973); and to launch ten of the Mercury program
Mercury program
Mercury Program might refer to:*the first successful American manned spaceflight program, Project Mercury*an American post-rock band, The Mercury Program...
missions (1962–1963). Atlas was suggested for use by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in what became known as Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory , which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida....
. This suggestion was ultimately turned down, however, as Atlas would not be operational in time and was seen by many as being too heavily connected to the military for use in the U.S.'s International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
satellite attempt.
However, the Atlas saw the beginnings of its "workhorse" status during the Mercury-Atlas missions, which resulted in Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr.
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
becoming the first American to orbit the earth on February 20, 1962 (Major Yuri A. Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first human in orbit on April 12, 1961.) Atlas was also used throughout the mid-1960s to launch the Agena Target Vehicle
Agena Target Vehicle
The Agena Target Vehicle was an unmanned spacecraft used by NASA during its Gemini program to develop and practice orbital space rendezvous and docking techniques and to perform large orbital changes, in preparation for the Apollo program lunar missions.-Operations:Each ATV consisted of an Agena-D...
s used during the Gemini program. Direct Atlas descendants have continued to be used as satellite launch vehicles into the 21st century. An Atlas rocket is shown exploding, in the 1983 art film Koyaanisqatsi
Koyaanisqatsi
Koyaanisqatsi also known as Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, is a 1982 film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke....
, directed by Godfrey Reggio
Godfrey Reggio
Godfrey Reggio is an American director of experimental documentary films.-Life:Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Reggio co-founded La Clinica de la Gente, a facility that provided medical care to 12,000 community members in Santa Fe, and La Gente, a community-organizing project in...
, in the penultimate shot. The vehicle shown in the movie was the first launch attempt of an Atlas-Centaur in May 1962.
Interestingly, the now-ubiquitous penetrating lubricant WD-40
WD-40
WD-40 is the trademark name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household...
found its first use as a corrosion-resistant coating for the outer skin of the Atlas missile.
Survivors
- HGM-16F Atlas is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air ForceNational Museum of the United States Air ForceThe National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
in Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. For years the missile was displayed outside the museum. In 1998 it was removed from display. It was restored by the museum's restoration staff and returned to display in the museum's new Missile Silo Gallery in 2007. The white nose cone atop the museum's Atlas is an AVCO IV re-entry vehicle built to contain a nuclear warhead. This nose cone actually stood alert in defense of the United States, as it was initially installed on an Atlas on 2 October 1962 at a Denton Valley launch site near Clyde, TexasClyde, TexasClyde is a city in Callahan County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,345 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Clyde is located at ....
. - Atlas 5A (56-6742) is on display on the lawn in front of the Canada Science and Technology MuseumCanada Science and Technology MuseumThe Canada Science and Technology Museum is located in Ottawa, Ontario, on St. Laurent Boulevard, to the south of the Queensway .-Mission:...
in Ottawa, CanadaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. - Atlas 8A is diplayed in front of the Strategic Air and Space MuseumStrategic Air and Space MuseumThe Strategic Air and Space Museum is a museum focusing on United States Air Force military aircraft and nuclear missiles located near Ashland, Nebraska, along Interstate 80 southwest of Omaha, Nebraska. The objective of the museum is to preserve and display historic aircraft, missile, and space...
. It has been reconfigured into Atlas D configuration. - Atlas 2E is on display in front of the San Diego Aerospace Museum at Gillespie Field, El Cajon, California.
- Atlas 2D mounted with a Mercury capsule is on display in the Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexKennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexThe Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, a range of bus tours of the spaceport, and the Shuttle Launch Experience, a simulated ride into...
, Merritt Island, Florida
Specifications (Atlas ICBM)
- Length: 75 ft. 1 in. (22.9 m) with Mk 2 re-entry vehicle, 82 ft. 6 in. (25.2 m) with Mk 3
- Span of outboard engine fairings: 16 ft (4.88m)
- Diameter: 10 ft. 0 in. (3.05 m)
- Launch weight: 255,950 lb. (116,100 kg) for Atlas D w/o payload, 260,000 lb. (118,000 kg) for Atlas D with Mk 2/3 RV and W49 warhead, 268,000 lb. (121,600 kg) for Atlas E&F with Mk 4 RV and W38 warhead
- Range: 9000 st. mi.
- Powerplant: 1 × RocketdyneRocketdyneRocketdyne was a Rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, United States. The company was related to North American Aviation for most of its history. NAA merged with Rockwell International, which was then bought by Boeing in December, 1996...
LR105 rocket engine with 57,000 lbf (254 kN) thrust, 1 × RocketdyneRocketdyneRocketdyne was a Rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, United States. The company was related to North American Aviation for most of its history. NAA merged with Rockwell International, which was then bought by Boeing in December, 1996...
XLR89 rocket engine with two 150,000 lbf (670 kN) thrust chambers (Atlas D), 2 × RocketdyneRocketdyneRocketdyne was a Rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, United States. The company was related to North American Aviation for most of its history. NAA merged with Rockwell International, which was then bought by Boeing in December, 1996...
LR101 vernier rocket engines with 1,000 lbf (4.4 kN) of thrust (propellant feed from LR105 sustainer engine turbopumps); 2 × LR89 booster engines (independent turbopumps) with 165,000 lbf (734 kN) (Atlas E&F) - Warhead:Mk 2 or Mk 3 re-entry vehicle with W-49 warhead (1.44 MT yield) (Atlas D); Mk 4 re-entry vehicle with W-38 warhead (3.75 MT yield) (Atlas E&F)
- CEPCircular error probableIn the military science of ballistics, circular error probable is an intuitive measure of a weapon system's precision...
: 4,600 ft (1,400 m)
Convair X-11 Specifications
See also
External links
- bio Karel J. Bossart
- Karel Jan Bossart, Ir.
- Atlas SM-65, from the FEW Museum
- Atlas launch vehicle profile
- Atlas D from Encyclopedia Astronautica
- Atlas ICBM Information/History
- Video of an early Atlas launch in 1960
- 1958 Video of "Atlas in Orbit" Newsreel
- Atlas ICBM Launch on 5/23/1960 Video
- 556th Missile Sites