LMSD-3183

TABLE OF CONTENTS
FRO N TISPIECE T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S .................................................................... P R E F A C E ................................................................................................... F O R E W O R D ..............................................................................................i i i I N T R O D U C T I O N ................................................................................... i v P O T E N T I A L A R E A S O F E X P L O R A T I O N .......................... T H E E X P L O R E R M O D E L S ......................................................... 1 6 i ii

I n t r o d u c t i o n to t h e E x p l o r e r M o d e l s ............................... 7 M o d e l A ............................................................................................. 8 - 9 M o d e l B ............................................................................................. 1 0- 11 M o d e l C ..............................................................................................1 2 - 1 3 M o d e l D ..............................................................................................1 4 - 1 5 M o d e l E ..............................................................................................1 6 - 1 7 A D D I T I O N A L E Q U I P M E N T AND C A P A B I L I T I E S . . . 21

G R O U N D S U P P O R T E Q U I P M E N T ..........................................25 TH E R E -E N T R Y TEST VEHICLE PROGRAM . . . . 31

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PREFACE

The L ockheed E x p lo re r m odels a r e sim plified, lo w -c o st v ersio n s of t h e X - 1 7 b a l l i s t i c r e - e n t r y t e s t v e h i c l e . T h e i r p e r f o r m a n c e c h a r a c te r is tic s m ake th e m acceptable for geophysical and com m unications data g a t h e r i n g . H o w e v e r , t h e y a r e n o t r e c o m m e n d e d f o r e v a l u a t i o n of c o m p o n e n t s o r e q u i p m e n t t h a t i s s e n s i t i v e to r o l l i n g o r h i g h g a c c e l e r a t i o n s (100 g). A v eh icle in c o rp o ra tin g ro ll s tab iliz atio n and guidance is now u n d e r s t u d y a t L o c k h e e d M i s s i l e S y s t e m s D i v i s i o n . It w i l l m e e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t f o r a v e h i c l e c a p a b l e of e v a l u a t i n g s e n s i t i v e b u t v i t a l c o m p o n e n t s in the IC B M and A ICBM p r o g r a m s .

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FOREWORD

W e a r e u n d e r s te a d y p r e s s u r e to e x te n d o u r s c ie n t if ic f r o n t i e r s th is y e a r to a c c o m m o d a t e th e e n g i n e e r i n g r e q u i r e m e n t s of n e x t y e a r . S c ie n t i f i c i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n t o t h e r e g i o n m o r e t h a n 100 m i l e s a b o v e t h e s u r f a c e of t h e e a r t h h a s b e e n s h a r p l y a c c e l e r a t e d b y t h e i m m i n e n t a d v e n t of m a n m a d e e a r t h s a te l li te s , long ra n g e b a llis tic m i s s i l e s , and lu n a r ro c k e ts . Y e t , p r e s e n t t h e o r i e s c o v e r i n g t h e p h y s i c s of t h e u p p e r a t m o s p h e r e ----t h e e n v i r o n m e n t i n t o w h i c h t h e s e c o s t l y v e h i c l e s w i l l b e l a u n c h e d -----h a v e only li m it e d s u b s ta n tia tio n f r o m high altitu d e m e a s u r e m e n t s . T he m o s t p r o m i s i n g a p p r o a c h t o t h e n e c e s s a r y g e o g r a p h i c e x t e n s i o n of u p p e r a i r s o u n d i n g a c t i v i t i e s l i e s i n t h e u s e of r o c k e t s t h a t a r e o p e r a t i o n a l l y so s im p le th a t th e y can be s e t up and f ir e d in r e m o t e lo c a tio n s with r e a s o n a b l e c o s t s a n d w i t h a m i n i m u m of e n g i n e e r i n g , l o g i s t i c , a n d o p e r a t i o n a l s u p p o rt. At the p r e s e n t ti m e , the solid p r o p e lla n t r o c k e t o ffe rs p r o m i s e of f i l l i n g t h i s n e e d . T h i s d o c u m e n t i n t r o d u c e s a s p e c i f i c a p p r o a c h t o t h e t a s k of g a t h e r i n g v i t a l i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t w i l l i n c r e a s e m a n ' s k n o w l e d g e i n t h e f i e l d of g e o p h y s i c s a n d e n a b l e h i m t o d e t e r m i n e t h e n a t u r e of t h e e n v i r o n m e n t t h a t f u t u r e h i g h a l t i t u d e v e h i c l e s w i l l e n c o u n t e r -----t h e L o c k h e e d E x p l o r e r .

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IN T R O D U C T IO N
O u r a b i l i t y t o b r o a d e n t h e s c o p e of i n v e s t i g a t i o n of t h e r e g i o n a b o v e 100 m i l e s a l t i t u d e i s d e p e n d e n t t o a g r e a t e x t e n t on t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y of s u ita b le d a t a - g a t h e r i n g v e h i c l e s . T h e s e v e h i c l e s m u s t c o m b in e a wide r a n g e of p a y l o a d a n d a l t i t u d e c a p a b i l i t i e s w i t h t h e a d d i t i o n a l f e a t u r e s of re lia b ility , safety, s im p lic ity and e a s y p o rtab ility . In a n e f f o r t t o m e e t t h e s e s t r i n g e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s , L o c k h e e d h a s d e v e l o p e d t h e E x p l o r e r s e r i e s of s o u n d i n g r o c k e t s . T h e y a r e b a s i c a l l y s i m p l e i n d e s i g n , of p r o v e n r e l i a b i l i t y , a n d r e a d i l y p o r t a b l e . B e c a u s e the individual r o c k e t m o t o r s a r e the s o lid p r o p e lla n t type, the v e h ic le s a r e su itab le for o p e ra tio n at r e m o t e lo c a tio n s. Individual co m p o n en ts h ave b e e n th o ro u g h ly flight t e s t e d in p re v io u s o p e r a tio n s . T h e s e f a c t o r s , c o u p l e d w i t h t h e w i d e r a n g e of p a y l o a d a n d a l t i t u d e c a p a b i l i t i e s a v a i l a b l e f r o m the v a r io u s c o n fig u ra tio n s , m a k e the L o c k h e e d E x p l o r e r s in g u la rly a ttra c tiv e as a vehicle for u p p er a tm o s p h e r e scientific r e s e a r c h . T h e f i r s t p a r t of t h i s b r o c h u r e o u t l i n e s p o t e n t i a l E x p l o r e r a p p l i c a t i o n s -----a r e a s of i n t e r e s t i n w h i c h f u t u r e m e a s u r e m e n t s w i l l p r o v e u s e f ul to t h e s c i e n c e of g e o p h y s i c s , a n d m a y p l a y a v i t a l r o l e i n t h e f u t u r e of o u r A I C B M , s a t e l l i t e a n d m i s s i l e p r o g r a m s . T h e s e c o n d p a r t d e s c r i b e s t e c h n i c a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a n d c a p a b i l i t i e s of f i v e m o d e l s of t h e E xplorer.

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POTENTIAL

A R E A S OF E X P L O R A T I O N

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POTENTIAL

A R E A S OF E X P L O R A T I O N

A T M O S P H E R I C D ENSITY AND C O M POSITION I n c r e a s e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g of u p p e r a tm o s p h e re p r o c e s s e s , such as the f o r m a t i o n a n d d i s t r i b u t i o n of a t o m i c o x y gen and n itro g en , can be gained f ro m a t m o s p h e r ic s a m p le s and m e a s u r e m e n t s f r o m r e l a t i v e l y low a ltitu d e s up into the e x o s p h e r e and beyond. M e a s u r e d a i r d e n s i t y d a t a c a n b e u s e d to c o r r e c t p r e s e n t e s t i m a t e s of t h e l e n g t h of t i m e a n a r t i f i c i a l s a t e l l i t e w i l l r e m a i n in o rb it.

COSMIC R ADIATION Q u e s t i o n s of i n t e r e s t i n t h i s a r e a a r e : W h a t i s t h e e n e r g y s p e c t r u m of the p r i m a r y r a d ia tio n , and its g e o g rap h ic d is trib u tio n ? W hat effect w ill th e s e high e n e rg y p a r t i c l e s have on m a t e r i a l s an d e l e c t r o n i c e q u i p m e n t, particularly tra n s is to rs ?

D E T E C T I O N AND TR A C K IN G O u r c a p a b ility to d e t e r m i n e e x a c t p o s i t i o n a n d v e l o c i t y of t e s t m i s s i l e s , s a t e l l i t e s , an d b a l l i s t i c m i s s i l e s at a l t i t u d e s a b o v e 200 m i l e s h a s y e t to b e a s c e r t a i n e d i n t e r m s of e x p e r i m ental evidence. Among fa c to rs af fecting such o p e ra tio n s w ill be s t r a t o s p h e r i c a n d i o n o s p h e r i c i n f l u e n c e on wave propagation, re fra c tio n , d iffra c tion, and in t e r f e r e n c e effects b e tw e e n f r e e sp a c e and e a r t h re f le c te d r a d i a t i o n . O u r k n o w l e d g e of t h e l i m i t s of t h e p r e s e n t a n d p r o p o s e d m e t h o d s f o r d e t e c t i o n a n d t r a c k i n g c o u l d b e c o n s i d e r a b l y i n c r e a s e d b y u s e of a h i g h s p e e d , h i g h a l t i t u d e t a r g e t of k n o w n s i z e a n d p r e d i c t a b l e s p e e d .

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INSTRUM ENTATION Although c e r t a i n i n s t r u m e n t s su ch as m a g n e to m e te r s and m a s s s p e c t r o m e t e r s a r e e x p e c te d to o b ta in valid m e a s u r e m e n ts above a l t i t u d e s of 200 m i l e s , t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s of a l l i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n i s q u e s t i o n a b l e until p ro v e n in u se.

IONIZATION T w o a r e a s of i n t e r e s t a r e : 1. T h e i o n o s p h e r e . C o n s i d e r a b l e k n o w l e d g e of t h e p h y s i c a l c o n d i t i o n s of i o n i z e d r e g i o n s of t h e a t m o s p h e r e h a s a lre a d y been d erived fro m extensive ground statio n o b s e rv a tio n s and a t m o s p h e re soundings. H ow ever, m uch a d ditio n al in f o r m a tio n r e g a r d i n g the p h y s i c a l s t a t e of t h e i o n s p h e r e i s n e e d e d . T h i s d a t a c a n b e o b t a i n e d b y a d d itio n a l h ig h - a l ti tu d e r o c k e t so u n d in g s f r o m v a r i e d lo c a tio n s a r o u n d the w orld. 2. I o n i z a t i o n p r o d u c e d b y t h e v e h i c l e . R e c e n t h y p e r s o n i c f l i g h t t e s t r e s u l t s h a v e i n d i c a t e d a f a d e - o u t of e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c t r a n s m i s s i o n s a s t h e v e lo c ity i n c r e a s e s beyond a c r i t i c a l point.

M AGNETIC FIELD S M agnetic field m e a s u r e m e n t at all altitu d e s is an i n t e r e s tin g g e o p h y s ic a l e x p e r i m e n t w hich m a y shed a d d i t i o n a l l i g h t on s o m e e x i s t i n g a n o m a lie s in t e r r e s t r i a l m a g n e tic variations.

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M E T E O R IT E IM PACT M e te o r s p e n e tra tin g the u p p e r a t m o s p h e r e c a n be e x p e c te d to p r o duce noticable, and p o ssib ly d r a s ti c , e f f e c t s on m a n - m a d e s a t e l l i t e s . T h e s e e ffe c ts m a y be p r e d i c t e d f r o m m e te o r ite im p a c t m e a s u r e m e n t s and th e r e s u l t a n t d a t a a p p lie d to s a t e l l i t e and m is s ile d esig n c o n s id e ra tio n s .

PROPULSION The s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t in solid p ro p e lla n ts is advancing rapidly; t h e o r e t i c a l i m p r o v e m e n t s of u p t o 30 p e r c e n t a p p e a r i m m i n e n t . I m p ro v e d p r o p e ll a n ts now b eing s t a t i cally te ste d can im m e d ia te ly in c r e a s e the E x p l o r e r 's sp e e d by o v er 10 p e r c e n t . T e s t i n g t h e s e m o t o r s and p r o p e lla n ts in flight f r o m s e a l e v e l to v e r y high a l tit u d e s w ould y ie ld u r g e n t l y n e e d e d d ata.

R E L E A S E OF M ATERIALS T h e r e l e a s e of m a t e r i a l s a t e x t r e m e a l t i t u d e s , to e x p l o r e e ffe c ts su ch a s a i r glow lu m in o s ity and i o n ization, p re s e n ts som e in terestin g p o ssibilities. F or instance, re le a s e of m o l e c u l a r o x y g e n i n t h e " F " r e gion m ig h t p r o d u c e an o b s e r v a b le e f f e c t . R e l e a s e of s o d i u m a t e v e n h ig h e r altitu d e s m a y a lso be u seful.

SIGNAL DENSITY Signal d e n s it y at low a ltitu d e s is a s e r io u s p ro b le m . W ill this d e n s ity p r o b l e m be even m o r e s e v e r e a t h i g h a l t i t u d e s b e c a u s e of in creased line-of-sight range?

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SIGNAL R E F R A C T IO N R e c e n t s t u d i e s of t h e i o n o s p h e r e in d ic a te th a t the t r u e h e ig h t at w hich radio waves re fle c t is co n sid erab ly lo w e r than the a p p a re n t height. A d d i t i o n a l d a t a on s i g n a l r e f r a c t i o n s h o u l d i m p r o v e o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of this signal re f le c tio n p h en o m enon.

ULTRAVIOLET A l t h o u g h m o s t of t h e u l t r a v i o l e t s p e c t r u m p e n e t r a t e s to f a i r l y low a ltitu d e s , an im p o r t a n t band betw ee n 100 a n d 900 a n g s t r o m s m a y n o t p e n e t r a t e b e l o w 150 to ZOO m i l e s . It i s s u s p e c te d that this ra d ia tio n m a y have a p a r ti c u la r ly dam aging effect on p l a s t i c s u r f a c e s e x p o s e d a t h i g h altitudes.

WAVE PRO PA G A TIO N A c c u r a c y of s o m e h i g h f r e q u e n c y in s tr u m e n ta tio n s y s te m s is dependent on p r e c i s e m e a s u r e m e n t of p h a s e a n g l e s a t r a d i o f r e q u e n c i e s . At l o n g d is ta n c e s th ro u g h the a t m o s p h e r e a n d / o r i o n o s p h e r e do t h e w a v e p r o p a g a t i o n tu rb u len ces contribute e r r o r s g reatly i n e x c e s s of t h e e q u i p m e n t e r r o r s ? A r e t h e s e e f f e c t s s u f f i c i e n t to d e g r a d e high p r i o r i t y s y s t e m s now u n d e r d e v e l o p m e n t ?

THE UNEXPECTED T h e h i s t o r y of s c i e n t i f i c i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n d i c a t e s t h a t e x p l o r a t i o n of unknow n a r e a s often p r o d u c e s u n e x pe c te d r e s u l t s w hich have valuable a p p l i c a t i o n o u t s i d e t h e d i r e c t i o n of investigation.

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[ [ [ [

THE EX P L O R E R MODELS

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AN I N T R O D U C T I O N T O T H E E X P L O R E R M O D E L S

D u r i n g t h e c o u r s e of t h e X - 1 7 p r o g r a m , i t b e c a m e o b v i o u s t h a t a v e h i c l e of s i m i l a r c a p a b i l i t i e s c o u l d b e u t i l i z e d to p r o b e p r o b l e m s b e y o n d t h o s e of i m m e d i a t e c o n c e r n t o t h e I C B M r e - e n t r y p h a s e . A s u r v e y of a r e a s of i n t e r e s t w a s c o n d u c t e d , a n d a r e - e v a l u a t i o n of t h e X - 1 7 v e h i c l e i n i t i a t e d . T h e r e s u l t w a s t h e " E x p l o r e r " s e r i e s of s i m p l i f i e d l o w e r c o s t v e h ic le s em b o d y in g the s a m e d e p e n d a b ility and p o r ta b i li ty as the o r i g i n a l , b u t w i t h a m u c h w i d e r r a n g e of c a p a b i l i t i e s . T h e f o l l o w i n g s e c t i o n d e s c r i b e s a n d i l l u s t r a t e s f i v e m o d e l s of t h e " E x p l o r e r , " a n d c o n t a i n s b r i e f d e s c r i p t i o n s of a c c e s s o r y a n d s u p p o r t i n g e q u i p m e n t w h ich can be u ti l i z e d in c o n ju n c tio n with the b a s i c v e h ic le . S ta n d a rd a c c e s s o r y eq u ip m en t (d e stru c t, b eacon, and te le m e te rin g ) can u s u a l l y be i n s t a l l e d in the v e h i c le i n t e r s p a c e s , le a v in g the c a r g o s p a c e f re e for in s tru m e n ta tio n payload. Since a lengthy d e v e lo p m e n t p e r io d is not r e q u ir e d , E x p l o r e r m o d e l s A, B, a n d C , p l u s s u i t a b l e s u p p o r t e q u i p m e n t c a n be m a d e availab le w ithin a s h o r t tim e a fte r p r o g r a m go -ah ea d .

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EXPLORER

MQDEL A
T h is s in g le - s t a g e veh icle u tiliz e s the p ro v e n X M -2 0 S e r g e a n t in an a e r o d y n a m ic c o n f ig u r a t i o n . T h e c a r g o c o m p a r t m e n t , 31 i n c h e s i n d i a m e t e r a n d f o u r t o 15 f e e t l o n g , c a n c a r r y f r o m 100 t o 500 l b . of d a t a g a t h e r i n g i n s t r u m entation. B e c a u s e of i t s a b i l i t y to s t a y w i t h i n 10 m i l e s of p e a k a l t i t u d e f o r a s l o n g a s 120 s e c o n d s , t h e v e h i c l e i s c a p a b l e of c o l l e c t i n g d a t a in m a n y o f t h e g e o p h y s i c a l f i e l d s of i n t e r e s t . It c a n a l s o b e l a u n c h e d i n a t r a j e c t o r y s u i t a b l e fo r te s tin g ra n g e in s tr u m e n ta t io n . W ith an i n s t r u m e n t l o a d o f 100 l b . , l a u n c h e d t o a n a p o g e e of f i f t y m i l e s , i t w o u l d h a v e a r a n g e of a p p r o x i m a t e l y 40 0 m i l e s .

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MAXIMUM ALT ITUDEM ILES

T IM E MIN.

PAYLOAD LB.

G ro ss T h ru st

t a k e o ff

w e ig h t: :

9,000 lb .* 50,000 lb. (A p pro x.)

P a y lo a d

200 500

lb. to lb. on d e sire d )

(dependent apogee

*D ep en d en t d e s ire d

on

p a y lo a d

and

a c c e s s o r ie s

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EXPLORER

MODEL B
P r o p u l s i o n a n d a e r o d y n a m i c c o n f i g u r a t i o n of this tw o -sta g e vehicle utilize proven p ro p e l lan ts and design. A tria n g u la r-sh a p e d cargo space m e a su re s a p p r o x i m a t e l y 18 i n c h e s w i d e , 14 i n c h e s h i g h , a n d f r o m t h r e e to 10 f e e t l o n g , a s r e q u ir e d . In s tr u m e n ta tio n w eighing f r o m 80 t o 500 l b . c a n b e f i t t e d i n t o t h i s s p a c e . T h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h i s m o d e l m a k e it u n i q u e l y c a p a b l e of c o l l e c t i n g g e o p h y s i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n i n t h e a r e a f r o m 200 t o 350 m ile s altitude the lo w e s t a ltitu d e w h e r e it is in t e n d e d to h a v e th e f i r s t s a t e l l i t e s o r b it .

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MAXIMUM ALTITUDEM ILES

TIM EMIN.

PAYLOAD-LB.

2 3/4 MIN.

200 LB.

pon- 500 LB.

33 FT. TO 40 FT.

G ro ss T h ru s t

ta k e o ff

w e ig h t:

1 0 ,0 0 0 lb .*

F ir s t Second P a y lo a d

S ta g e S ta g e

: :

5 0 ,0 0 0 lb . 1 0 4 ,0 0 0 lb . 200 500 lb . lb . to

*D ep end ent d e s ir e d

on

p a y lo a d

and

a c c e s s o r ie s

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EXPLORER

MODEL C
T h is t h r e e - s t a g e v e h ic le h a s a c a rg o sp a c e nine in c h e s in d i a m e t e r an d two f e e t lo n g , and can a c c o m m o d a t e a p a y l o a d of 100 t o 290 l b . T h e p a y l o a d c a n b e c a r r i e d t o a l t i t u d e s of 350 t o 700 m i l e s a n d r e m a i n w i t h i n 10 m i l e s of p e a k a l t i t u d e f o r 120 s e c o n d s . The M odel C is a v e r s a t i l e , p ro v e n v eh icle, c a p a b l e of o b t a i n i n g a v a r i e t y of g e o p h y s i c a l m e a s u r e m e n t s o v e r a w i d e r a n g e of a l t i t u d e s .

-12-

1 LM SD-3183

MAXIMUM ALTITUDEM ILES 700-

T IM E MIN.

PAYLOAD-LB

3 3/4 MIN.

rr

5 0 LB .

350250 LB.

G ro ss T h ru st

ta k e o f f

w e ig h t:

1 0 ,4 0 0 lb .

F ir s t Second T h ir d P a y lo a d

S ta g e S ta g e S ta g e

: : : :

5C,0G0 lb . 1 0 4 ,0 0 0 lb . 3 4 ,0 0 0 lb . 50 250 lb . lb . to

*D ep end ent d e s ired

on

p a y lo a d

and

a c c e s s o r ie s

-13-

LM SD-3183

EXPLORER

MODEL D
T h is f o u r - s t a g e m o d e l c l e a r l y i l l u s t r a t e s the v e r s a t i l i t y a n d a d a p t a b i l i t y of t h e E x p l o r e r . W i t h a m i n i m u m of d e v e l o p m e n t , a f o u r t h s t a g e c a n b e a d d e d t o t h e t h r e e - s t a g e M o d e l C, t h e r e b y e x t e n d i n g i t s r a n g e t o a n a l t i t u d e of 20 00 m i l e s . T h e c a r g o s p a c e i s 10 i n c h e s long by six in c h e s in d i a m e t e r . T he E x p l o r e r M odel D p ro v id e s an un u su al o p p o r tu n i ty to o b ta in d a ta now, f r o m an a l t i tude th a t h as p r e v io u s ly b een c o n s id e r e d i n accessible . As in the o th e r m o d e ls , known and p ro v e n solid p ro p ellan ts a r e em ployed.

-14-

LM SD-3183

MAXIMUM ALTITUDEM ILES

TIM EMIN.

PAYLOAD-LB.

G ro ss T h ru s t

ta k e o f f

w e ig h t:

1 0 ,4 5 9 lb .

F ir s t Second T h ir d F o u r th P a y lo a d

S ta g e S ta g e S ta g e S ta g e

: : : : :

5 0 ,0 0 0 lb . 1 0 4 ,0 0 0 lb . 3 4 ,0 0 0 lb . 1 ,6 8 0 lb . 10 lb .

15-

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EXPLORER

MODEL E
The re la tiv e ly sim p le E x p lo re r M odel E , b ased on a p r o v e n a n d r e l i a b l e d e s i g n c o n c e p t , r e p r e s e n t s a p r a c t i c a b l e m e t h o d of e x t e n d i n g m e a s u r e m e n t s i n t o t h e r e g i o n f r o m 20 00 to 80 00 m i l e s ab o v e th e s u r f a c e of th e e a r t h . Using p r e s e n tly av ailab le solid p ro p e lla n ts , this v e h ic le is e x p e c te d to e x c e e d o r b ita l v e lo c itie s . A c h i e v e m e n t of h i g h e r a l t i t u d e s a p p e a r s p o s s i b l e , sin c e e s c a p e v elo c ity is w ithin r e a c h w ith r e a s o n able p ro p ellan t im p ro v e m e n t. P r e li m in a r y design re s u lts indicate that a carg o s p a c e s i x i n c h e s i n d i a m e t e r a n d s i x t o 10 i n c h e s i n l e n g t h , w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e f o r a p a y l o a d of 10 lb .

1 6-

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II

<i

MAXIMUM ALTITUDEM ILES 8000-

TIMEMIN.

PAYLOAD-LB

32 MIN.

10 LB.

2000-

10 LB.

APPROX. 39 FT.

G ro ss T h ru st

ta k e o f f

w e ig h t:

1 9 ,0 0 0

lb .

F ir s t Second T h ir d F o u rth F ifth P a y lo a d

S ta g e S ta g e S ta g e S ta g e S ta g e

: : : : : :

6 2 ,0 0 0 lb. 1 1 5 ,0 0 0 lb . 3 7 ,3 0 0 lb. 8 ,1 0 0 lb. 1 ,8 0 0 lb . 10 lb .

i-

LM SD-3183

40,000

xicr

30,000

20,000

MAXIMUM ALTITUDE (D RAG -FREE) VS BURNOUT VELOCITY V 2000 3000 4000 6000 8000 12000 16000 24000 28000 32000 36800 h (STA TU TE M IL E S ) 118 1 T H E S E W IL L B E LO W ER 26 5 IF DRAG IS CO N SID ERED 478) 106

10,000

197 477 930 2960 5420 12250 00

APO GEE X IO ;

4,000

2,000

XIO 2

10,000

20,000

30,000

VER TICA L

BURNOUT FPS

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LM SD-3183

EX P LO R E R

BURNOUT V ELO C IT Y

V S PAYLOAD

E U J Q .

1 1 1
J

< >

PAYLOAD-POUNDS

] 1 1 ]

J ]

T h e c a p a b i l i t y of the Model A E x p lo r e r to f o llo w pr e d icte d t r a j e c t o r i e s i s sh o w n by the a b o v e t y p i c a l d i s p e r s i o n pattern.

19-

r
LM SD-3183

r i r

r l
n

a
r 1 n

n n

n n n
- Z O -

LM SD-3183

A D D I T IO N A L

EQ UIPMENT AND C A P A B IL IT IE S

In a d d i t i o n t o t h e b a s i c v e h i c l e , t h e f o l l o w i n g e q u i p m e n t a n d o r g a n i z a tio n al c a p a b ilitie s a r e a v a ila b le for u s e w ith the E x p l o r e r flights.

SPIN R O C K E T S E x p e r i e n c e i n d i c a t e s t h e a d v i s a b i l i t y of p r o v i d i n g s p i n r o c k e t s t o m i n i m i z e d e v i a tio n s f r o m th e p la n n e d t r a j e c t o r y due to s t r u c t u r a l o r r o c k e t th ru st m isalignm ent.

S p in ro c k e ts are e je c te d w ith in se co n d s a fte r lau n ch .

DESTRUCT SYSTEM A ra d io - c o m m a n d e d ignition c ir c u it and an explosive n n g - c h a r g e allow t h r u s t t e r m in a t io n in a c c o r d a n c e with ra n g e s a fe ty r e q u i r e m e n t s . R e l i a b i l i t y of t h i s c i r c u i t , w h i c h h a s b e e n d e m o n s t r a t e d i n a c t u a l o p e r a t i o n s , i s i n c r e a s e d b y t h e u s e of d u a l r e c e i v e r s .

-21-

LM SD-3183

BEACON S - b a n d r a d a r s ig n a ls t r a n s m i t t e d f r o m the g r o u n d a r e r e c e i v e d by the t r a n s p o n d e r , w hich e m its a r e t u r n signal for tra c k in g . T h is s y s t e m h as o p e r a t e d a t r a n g e s u p to 800 m i l e s .

l!

1 ] ] 1 ] ] 1
SUN POSITION INDICATOR

[ 1 L 1

T h e F M / F M T e le m e t e r

n
TELEMETER T h is V H F F M / F M s y s t e m with F M t r a n s p o n d e r u ti li z e s a rin g a n te n n a to p ro v id e n e a r l y o m n i d ir e c t i o n a l c o v e r a g e . T he m i n i a t u r i z e d s ix c h a n n e l a n d l Z - c h a n n e l p a c k a g e s w e i g h 35 a n d 40 lb . r e s p e c t i v e l y . T e s t vehicle p e rfo rm a n c e and e n v iro n m en ta l data have been re c e iv e d fro m d i s t a n c e s u p t o 1100 m i l e s . SUN P O S I T I O N I N D I C A T O R T h i s e x t r e m e l y s m a l l (2" x 2" x 3 " ), r u g g e d a n d a c c u r a t e s e n s i n g d e v ic e can be u s e d to m e a s u r e v e h i c le a ttitu d e and r o l l r a t e , o r m a y a l s o be u s e d a s the s e n s in g e l e m e n t fo r a s u n - f o llo w e r m e c h a n i s m .

ri
u
n

-22-

LM SD-3183

RECO V ERA BLE CAPSULE T h e b e s t m e a n s of r e c o r d i n g c e r t a i n t y p e s of g e o p h y s i c a l d a t a i s on f i l m L o c k h e e d h a s d e s i g n e d a r e c o v e r a b l e c a p s u l e i n w h i c h c a n be m o u n t e d a c a m e r a , o r o th e r r e c o r d i n g d e v ic e , r e c o v e r y g e a r , and a s ig n a l d ev ice t o a s s i s t i n l o c a t i o n of t h e c a p s u l e .

LM SD-3183

nL r

[
. ._. .
. . - - sj / c : r n a l a o o D D Q o n a W -~ ~

SHELTERED ASSEMBLY AREA

W EATHER STATION

r
ROCKET STORAGE

p
Y
RADAR TRACKIN G
M
Sn _

r r
L [. 1 [ 1

DESTRUCT CONTROL

EXPLORER SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

-24-

[ I
i

LM SD-3183

GROUND SUPPORT E Q U IP M E N T
T he following b a s ic g ro u n d s u p p o r t eq u ip m e n t s u ita b le for E x p l o r e r f i r ings h a s b e e n d ev elo p ed and u s e d in p re v io u s field o p e r a tio n s .

H A N D L I N G AND L A U N C H I N G E Q U I P M E N T

T h e E x p lo re r typ e lau n ch er is sim p le , rugged, and tra n sp o rta b le * r a ils are not req u ired .

S c a ffo ld in g or lau n ch

T his eq u ip m e n t in c lu d e s the la u n c h e r p ic t u r e d above, u m b ilic a l stand, m obile c ra n e , handling slin g s, m obile scaffolding, forklift and tr a c t o r and l i f t - t r a i l e r c o m b in a tio n fo r towing and e r e c tin g the m i s s i l e .

n
LM SD-3183

n
n

r i
T e le m e t e r R e c e i v i n g Sta t io n

n i

n : i n r x n
F i r i n g Sta tio n

LM SD-3183

GROUND STA TIO N E Q U I P M E N T

T E L E M E T E R REC EIV IN G STATION

T h e v a n s h o w n on t h e o p p o s i t e p a g e contains c o m p lete d ata re c e iv in g and re c o rd in g eq u ip m en t, including FM r e c e i v e r s , m a g n e tic tape r e c o r d e r s , o s c illo g ra p h s , and s u b c a r r i e r d i s c r im in a to r s and a m p lifie rs .

J
1

J J J J J J
] ]

FIRING STATION T his e q u ip m e n t in c lu d e s an o p e ra tin g console for initiating launch and des tru c t; and o sc illo s c o p e s , F M r e c e iv e rs , and other e lectro n ic eq u ip m e n t f o r p r e l a u n c h m o n i t o r i n g of s u c h vehicle functions as te le m e te r in g and beacon response.

2 7-

LM SD-3183

TEST EQUIPM ENT

r
E x istin g checkout co n so les and te s t equipm ent for checking e le c tr ic a l a n d e l e c t r o n i c s u b s y s t e m s a r e c o m p a c t a n d m o b i l e . In a d d i t i o n , t h e v e h i c l e m a y b e a l i g n e d a n d c h e c k e d o u t on t h e t r a i l e r u s e d f o r t o w i n g to th e la u n c h s ite .

1
l i i

c i i r i i : i n
-28-

LM SD-3183

J
J

J
J
1
-29T h e s t r o n g b a c k , sh o w n he re s u p p o r t in g a Model C E x p l o r e r type v e h i c l e , s e r v e s a d u a l pu r p o s e . It is u s e d for v e h i c l e s u r f a c e t ransp ort, and a s a method of e r e c t i n g and lo c a t i n g the m i s s i l e on the la u n c h e r .

LM SD-3183

C l
DATA REDUCTION A s a r e s u l t of s o l v i n g t h e u n u s u a l i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n a n d d a t a g a t h e r i n g p r o b l e m s of p r e v i o u s p r o g r a m s , L M S D h a s b u i l t u p a m a r k e d c a p a b i l i t y i n t h e f i e l d of d a t a p r o c e s s i n g . U t i l i z i n g h i g h s p e e d a u t o m a t i c d i g i t a l c o m p u te r eq u ip m en t o p e ra te d by e x p e rie n c e d p e rs o n n e l, this facility r e g u l a r l y p r o c e s s e s flig h t d a ta in t h r e e to five d a y s . T h is " Q u ic k L o o k " r e p o r t c o v e r s 60 p e r c e n t of t h e f i n a l p r o c e s s e d d a t a a n d c o n t a i n s 1) h i g h l y a c c u r a t e d i g i t a l p l o t s of c r i t i c a l q u a n t i t i e s s u c h a s a l t i t u d e , M a c h n u m b e r , p r e s s u r e s , a n d a c c e l e r a t i o n s , a n d 2) c o n t i n u o u s a n a l o g t i m e h i s t o r i e s of m o s t q u a n t i t i e s d u r i n g t h e t i m e p e r i o d of m a j o r i n t e r e s t . T h i s f a c i lit y is a v a i la b l e to p r o c e s s d a t a f r o m E x p l o r e r f i r i n g s .
AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING

[ [
[

1 1
I

ri
L
I

[ 1 I n [ j n c i n r j
-30-

(L

LM SD-3183

THE R E - E N T R Y TEST V E H I C L E P R O G R A M
In J a n u a r y 1 95 5 , t h e L o c k h e e d M i s s i l e S y s t e m s D i v i s i o n b e g a n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of a h y p e r s o n i c r e - e n t r y t e s t v e h i c l e . T h e r e s u l t i n g p r o g r a m of r e s e a r c h f l i g h t s c o n f i r m e d t h e s o u n d n e s s of t h e X - 1 7 v e h i c l e d esig n , and p ro v id ed re lia b le r e - e n t r y data. T h e X - 1 7 i s a t h r e e - s t a g e v e h i c l e . T h e f i r s t s t a g e of t h e t a n d e m c o n f i g u r a t i o n c o n s i s t s of a s o l i d f u e l e d , f i n - s t a b i l i z e d S e r g e a n t r o c k e t m o t o r . T h e s e c o n d s t a g e c o n s i s t s of t h r e e s o l i d - f u e l R e c r u i t r o c k e t s , and the final sta g e is a single R e c r u i t r o c k e t m o t o r . The th i r d sta g e co n tain s the t e l e m e t e r p a c k a g e , and the n o se cone.

T h e c h a r t a b o v e s h o w s s o m e of t h e a l t i t u d e s r e a c h e d b y t h e f i r s t s ta g e , c a r r y i n g a h e a v y payload. The s im p lifie d wind d a ta i n t e r p r e t a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s d e v e l o p e d f o r l a u n c h i n g s h a v e m i n i m i z e d t h e e f f e c t of c r o s s w i n d s on v e h i c l e t r a j e c t o r y .

-31-

LM SD-3183
n

t i r L I [ : n n

LJ

n a
n