NEVWS RELEASE

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20546
TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155 -------- WORTH3-6925

FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY

November 24, 1963
RELEASE NO. 63-254

SECOND CENTAUR FLIGHT TEST (AC-2)

SCHEDULED BY NASA

The second test flight of the Centaur space launch

vehicle by the National Aero:.autics and Space Administra-

tion is scheduled within the next several days. The

mission, designated AC-2, will be attempted from Cape

Canaveral, Fla., no earlier than November 26.

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In this second developmental flight, Centaur will not

carry a scientific payload. The burned-out Centahr second
stage -- weighing about five tons -- will go into orbit,

however, and the weight of a spacecraft will be simulated

by developmental instruments located throughout the vehicle
to gather flight performance data.

After burnout and separation of the Atlas booster and

sustainer engines, the two second stage engines will be
ignited and burn for more than six minutes (380 seconds).
If this performance is as planned, the empty Centaur stage --

weighing about 10,200 pounds -- will be injected into Earth

orbit with an apogee of 1,035 statute miles and a perigee of
345 miles. This will result in an orbit of the Earth in
a little under two hours. The launch azimuth will be 100.5
degrees.

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BACKGROUND

Centaur is a two-stage launch vehicle which will take

advantage of the high energy characteristics of hydrogen

as a fuel to perform more complex deep space missions for

NASA than have been attempted heretofore. Hydrogen offers

more pounds of thrust per pound of propellant consumed than

any other fuel now used in chemical rockets. It provides

about a 35 percent increase in launch vehicle capability

over conventional kerosene-type fuels.

Since it is pioneering liquid hydrogen technology in

flight, Centaur has broad applications in other major NASA

programs. kydrogen also will fuel upper stages of the

Saturn I, I-B, and V vehicles and NERVA--nuclear engine

for rocket vehicle applications.

With its high-energy capability, Centaur will play

a key role in launching U.S. scientific payloads of medium

weight. It will be capable of lifting some 8,500 pounds

of scientific equipment into near-Earth orbit, 2,300

pounds to the Moon, and 1,300 pounds to Mars or Venus.

It is planned for use by NASA in launching the Surveyor soft-

landing spacecraft to the surface of the Moon and, later,

Mariner B spacecraft on missions about the near planets.

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Firs';, however, the vehicle must be proven in flight

test. This is the second of eight planned Centaur vehicle

test flights.

Th first was attempted on Mky 8, 1962, and ended 55

seconds after lift-off when a weather shield came off the

second stage and was followed by a rupture of the hydrogen

tank which resulted in an explosion.

That flight was followed by a criticai reappraisal of

the Centaur development program. Both gove.. ent and

industry Centaur program management was tightened and

responEibilities were more specifically defined.

Within NASA, Centaur management was transferred from

the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. to the

Lewis Research Center, Cieveland, Ohio, to free Dr. Wernher

von Braun's team at Marshall l r Their vital Saturn develop-

mnti work an" to take advantage of Lewis' long experience

in propulsion research.

Under Lewis direction, extensive design changes were

made in the Oentaur vehicle and a vigorous ground test

program was oegun.

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The At-2 configuration is not the same as the Centaur

which will perform operation missions. To simplify

performance requirements on this flight, for instance,

second stage insulation panels and the nose cone fairing

will not be jettisoned.

In the operational Centaur, the RL-10 engines will

have the capability of being started, shut down and

restarted in space to accomplish changes of direction and

velocity. In the AC-2 mission, however, there will be

only a single ignition of the engines.

Lift-off thrust of the Atlas booster stage is 367,000

pounds. The Centaur stage is powered by two RL-10 engines

with a thrust of 15,000 pounds each.

Centaur is a project of the Vehicle and Propulsion

Pi-ograms Division of NASA Headquarters' Office of Space

Science and Applications.

It is being developed by General Dynamics/i.stronautics

under the direction of NASA's Lewis Research Center. The

.RL-10engines are produced by Pratt anJ Whitney Aircraft

Division of United Aircraft Corporation under technical

direction of NASAb Marshall Space JVlight Center. Launch

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by GD/A will be supervised by Goddard Space Flight Center's

Field Projects Branch.

More than 300 other contractors are participating in

the Centaur development effort.

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FLIGHT OBJECTIVES

Major test objectives co the AC-2 mission art to:

1. Demonstrate the structural integrity of the
Atlas Centaur vehicle.
2. Verify the Atlas Centaur separation system.
3. Demonstrate the ability of the Centaur propul-
sion system to be ignited in space and to burn
for 380 seconds.
4. Evaluate the accuracy of the Centaur guidance
system.

In addition, the mission will serve to evaluate Atlas

Centaur vibration, elastic behavior and structural adequacy;
determine environmental levels; verify trajectory and orbit
parameters; and evaluate performance of major subsystems.

In appearance, the AC-2 vehicle closely resembles the

vehicle used for the first Centaur test mission. A number
of significant changes have been made, however, both in the
space vehicle itself and in flight procedures.

One important change is in the engine chilldown pro-

cedure -- described in detail later -- which results in an

increase of some 50 pounds of payload. Improved RL-10

engines will be used on AC-2, Second stage insulation panels

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and the payload nose fairing, normally jettisoned after

the vehicle leaves the atmosphere, will remain on through-

out the AC-2 mission since no payload is being carried.

A new separation system, consisting of linear-shaped

explosive charges which cut through the interstage adapter

and retro-rockets mounted on Atlas will be used for the

first time. Baffles have been added to the Centaur liquid

oxygen tank to prevent sloshing.

To determine how well the flight objectives are met

hj AC-2, a wealth of information will be radioed back to

ground stations during the flight.

Of the 1180 data measurements to be radioed from

Centaur, some 320 are devoted to the upper stage. A

maJority oC the upper stage instrumentation will gather

data on cnginc sequenuing, autopilot operation and structural

behavior.

The 160 booster stage measurements are primarily to

record the normal functions of engines and guidance systems,

plus standard vibration, bending and temperature measurements.

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TRACKING

Centaur will be carefully tracked during powered and

orbital portions of its flight to obtain information on its
performance.

Initial tracking down the Atlantic Missile Range will

be done by stations at Cape Canaveral, Antiqua, Grand Bahama,
San Salvador, and Ascension Islands.

Following injection into orbit, a 960 megacycle beacon

attached to the Centaur stage wili be tracked for its ten-
hour lifetime by the Deep Space Network of stations located
at Johannesburg, South Africa; Woomera, Australia; and Gold-
stone, Calif. This network is operated by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory which is contracted to NASA by the California
Institute of Technology.

DSN is the network which will be used to track the

Surveyor spacecraft when Centaur launches this spacecraft on
its lunar missions.

Precision tracking data for a longer period of time will

be supplied by the Smithsonian Astrophysical observztory's
world-wide network of Baker Nunn cameras.

This tracking data will be used to accurately determine

parameters of orbital injection at the time of burnout which
in turn will be a measure of the performance of the vehicle.

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 LAUNCH COMPLSX 36

Launch Complex 36 now comprises two pads. AC-2 will be

launched from 36A which was used for the first time on May 8,
1962: when tIe first Centaur test flight was attempted.
Construction on 36B was begun last March under direction of
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and it is due for completion
in late 1964.

Each ptd will include a service tower, propellant storage

tanks and transfer lines and numerous electric ':stems to test
and activate the vehicle, to fuel it by remote control, and
to launch it. They will share a common blockhouse.

With the comple4tion of 36B, the Centaur program will have

a dual launch capability so that one vehicle can be ready for
launch while a second is being prepared for a mission.

The launch will be conducted by cD/A under direction of

the Goddard Space Flight Center's Field Projects Branch which
acts as launch systems manager for the Lewis Research Center,

This is Field Projects Branch's firs; launch operation

with the Centaur but is has logged 19 strELight successes with
the Delta vehicle. FPB acts as launch operations systems
manager for all NASA unmanned spacecraft at Cape Canaveral
which use the Atlas Agene (except for Gemini target vehicles),
Atlas Centaur or Delta vehicles.

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 FLIGHT SEQUENCE

The first stage portion of the Centaur flight Is similar

to that of the normal Atlas rocket. The booster's three main
engines and two verniers are ignited on the pad and the vehicle
is released. After about 15 seconds of flight, the vehicle
will begin a progrwnmed pitchover, or tilting. The launch
asimuth will be 100.5 degrees to make effective use of track-
ing facilities.

After more than two minutes of powered flight, Lhe two

main engines are Jettisoned. The sustainer engine continues
to provide thrust. First stage power ends after nearly four
minutes of flight.

Insulation panels around the second stage fuel tanks

serve to keep liquid hydrogen boiloff at an acceptable level
while on the pad and during flight through the atmosphere
when peak aerodynamic heating is encountered. The insulation
panels and nose cone fairing, the latter designed to protect
the payload, will be Jettisoned in later flights, but will
remain a part of the AC-2 second stage throughout the mission.

At the time of Atlas sustainer engine cutoff--about four

minutes after liftoff--the Atlas will be separated from Centaur
by linear-shaped charges, which cut through the int3rstage
adapter, and eight retrorockets mounted on the aft end of
Atlas. Thi. will occur at an altitude of about l!O miles.

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Immediately following Atlas/Centaur separation, Centaur's

two RL-10 engines will be ignited and burn for about 380
seconds. This will place the Centaur in an eccentric earth
orbit with a 1035 statute mile apogee and 345 mile perigee.

For the LG-2 mission, the hydrogen-oxygen engines will

be ignited only once, to demonstrate successful ignition and
burn. During later missions, Centaur will fly into a parking
orbit about the Earth, coast until it is in the most advan-
tageous position for & lunar or deep space trajectory, then
restart its engines to accelerate the vehicle to escape
velocity.

In addition to the new separation system, a second major

change in the Centaur flight sequence has been made since
transfer of the project to the Lewis Center. Previously,
because of aerodynamic heating during time on the pad and
flight through the atmosphere, the boost pumps for the RL-10
engines required a 24-second chilldown period following
Atlas/Centaur separation. This was accomplished by pumping
liquid hydrogen through the pumps and overboard, which
resulted in a payload loss of 3A pounds per second of pre-
start time.

A new procedure premits chilldown of the pumps with

liquid helium prior to launch, thus reducing the inflight
prestart chilldown time to about four seconds.

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VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

The Centaur space vehicle is a multistage, high-energy,

liquid-fueled launch vehicle combining a modified Series D
Atlas with a Centaur second stage. Both stages are of a
constant 10-foot diameter and use stainless steel tank con-
struction developed for the Atlas program. The entire vehicle
maintains its shape through pressurization.

All main engines and the Atlas verniers are gimballed

for directional control.

The entire vehicle is 10 feet in diameter and 109 feet

high. Its fueled weight is about 300,000 pounds.

First Stao
The Centaur first stage is a modified Series D Atlas
space booster similar to that used for Mercury and Agena
projects, except that the tapered nose has been eliminated
to accommodate the second stage. A 10-foot diameter inter-
stage adapter and separation system have been added.

Two booster engines and one sustainer engine are powered

by liquid oxygen and a type of kerosene called RP-1. They
are produced by the Rocketdyne Division of North American
Aviation. In addition to the main engines, two small verniers
provide directional control. A total of 367,000 pounds cf
thrust is produced in the first stage.

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 The standard Atlas radio guidance is eliminated since a
new inertial guidance system is carried in the second stage.

The first stage is about 60 feet in height, plus the

13-foot interstage adapter. Fueled, the stage weighs about
260,000 pounds.

Second Stage

The second stage, 28.5 feet in length and ten feet in

diameter, weighs about 38,500 pounds fully fueled, plus
several hundred pounds of insulation around the fuel tank
to prevent excessive liquid hydrogen boiloff.

The second stage is powered by two Pratt and Whitney

RL-10 engines of 15,000 pounds thrust each. They are capable
of being shut down and re-started during flight. These
engines burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

Small hydrogen per-ox-1e rockets mounted on the periphery

of the second stage provide additional thrust for propellant
ullage control as vell as attitude control during coast
periods.

The payload, guidance and electronic equipment are

mounted on the forward bulkhead of the liquid hydrogen tank
and are protected by a plastic fiberglass nose fairing which
is jettisoned after the vebicle leaves the atmosphere.

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Guidance

The ve.itaur vehicle is controlled in flight by a single

inertial (self-contained) four-gimbal guidance system. Min-
iaturization.of these inertial components, built by Minneapolis-
Honeywell Regulator Co., allows an advanced, overall light-
weight platform. In addition, each stage has its own autopilot
control system.

The guidance system was originally designed for the

precision task of launching a 24-hour synchronous communi-
cations satellite but has been adapted to the current Surveyor
soft-landing lunar mission and Mariner planetary fly-bye.

The guidance system is calibrated before launch and

correction factors are stored in the computer memory. During

flight the guidance system provides steering commands to the

Atlas sustainer and the Centaur stage. For the AC-2 flight
the guidance system will be flown "open loop"; that is, steer-
ing commands will be monitored by telemetry for evaluation
purposes, but they will not steer the vehicle, Vehicle steer-
ing will be accomplished by a program stored in the Centaur
jrogramimer. This procedure is accurate enough for a test

flight like AC-2 where the actual orbit achieved is not

important.

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 The inertial guidance system is comprised of five boxes
mounted on the forward end of the Centaur stage. The 30-
pound inertial platform has four gimbals, three gyros for
stabilization and three accelerometers for measurements. The
18.3-pound platform electronics unit contains amplifiers,
resolvers, and relays. The 60-pound pulse rebalance unit
contains the accelerometer rebalance circuits and the system
power supply. The 65-pound computer consists of memory and
arithmetic sections. The 9-pound signal conditioner processes
information about the guidance system operation and feeds it
to the telemetry system for post flight evaluation on the
ground.

RL-10 Engine
Two RL-10 engines are used to power the second stage of
the Centaur launch vehicle. Using liquid hydrogen and liquid
oxygen as propellants, each engine generates 15,000 pounds of
thrust for a total of 30,000 pounds. The RL-10 is the first
such high-energy engine developed by the United States for
space applicatf on.

The RL-10, developed by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Division

of United Aircraft C-rporation, is under the technical direction
of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Six of these engines
will be used in the upper stage of the Saturn I vehicle.

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The RL-10 dces not look like an evolut:onary step in

engine design from the outside, but the advances in internal
engine design are immense. One such advance is multiple
utilization of the fuel. Most rocket engines use a portion
of the burning propellant to drive gas generators. These
generators in turn drive the pumps to move the main body oi
propellant to the thrust chamber.

The RL-10 eliminates this cycle. Liquid hydrogen at

423 degrees below zero enters the cooling jacket around the
thrust chamber. Inside the thrust chamber, hydrogen and oxygen
are burning at temperatures around 6,000 degrees F. The hydrogen
in the outer jacket cools the engine wall, protecting it from
the destructive heat of the mixture buring inside. As it
removes heat from the engine, the hydrogen becomes a gas.

This gas, still cold at 100 degrees below zero, is expanded

through a turbine to furnish the mechanical power needed to
pump more liquid hydrogen into the combustion chamber. The
same turbine also furnishes the power to keep liquid oxygen
flowing through pumps toward the thrust chamber. Thus, hydrogen
serves two purposes before it is burned. It 3ools the thrust
cnamber and drives the pumps in a "boot strap" system. It is
burned only in the thrust chamber where it produces useful
thrust.

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The RL-10 has a nozzle area ratio of 41 to 1, that is,

the nozzle's exhaust area is 40 times as large as its throat.
It operates at a nominal chamber pressure of 300 pounds per
square inch.

Work on the RL-10 began in 1958. Seven months later the

first engine thrust chamber was actually tested. Extensive
testing--more than 700 firings for an accumulated time of more
than 60,000 seconds-- followed.
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LIQUID HYDROGEN

Hydrogen in its natural gaseous state has been known as

a major element of our atmosphere for almost four centuries.

Men have been trying to use hydrogen to fly for almost half
that time -- since 1766 when the English chemist Henry

Cavendish announced that hydrogen or "inflammable air" was

lighter than air.

Twenty years after Cavendish's work, the first "charliers"

began to bob about in the skies above France. Named for their
inventor, J. A. C. Charles, these hydrogen balloons fell into
disuse when the explosive qualities of hydrogen became apparent.
Hydrogen was not widely used again until the dirigible era that
ended abruptly with the fatal flight of the Hindenburg in 1937.

Now, as a liquid fuel for Centaur, hydrogen has again en-

tered the propulsion scene. But this time research and develop-
ment preceeded the use of hydrogen. In fact, an entire new
technology has been evolved for handling, controlling and utiliz-
ing hydrogen in its liquid form.

Supercooled to 423 degrees below zero, this colorless, odor-

less liquAd is powerful -- and tempermental. It must be kept at
its cryogenic temperature of -423 degrees or it will vaporize.
It is very lightweignt -- only one-fourteenth as heavy as air.

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 As long as ignition is avoided, liquid hydrogen is chemically

inert in the presence of all common materials including air, oil

and oxygen. It is nontoxi ., nonirritating and noncorrosive. It

does not deteriorate or decompose from long-term storage.

Mixed with liquid oxygen in a rocket engine, hydrogen will

provide about 35 per cent more thrust for every pound than the

conventional kerosene-type rocket fuels. In short, it is an

ideal rocket fuel.

NASA's Lewis Research Center did much pioneering work in

developing the new technology for liquid hydrogen. In 1953, the

Lewis Center was far enough along in liquid hydrogen work to fire

an experimental liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine with 5000

pounds of thrust.

A decade later, in 1962, Lewis was assigned technical manage-

inent of Centaur -- the evolutionary step between conventional

rocketry and high energy fueled vehicles. Centaur faced many

problems in the beginning. Many on these problems demanded so-
lutions near or even beyond the current state-of-the-art. But,
as the problems were studied and clearly defined, they were met

and solved.

One such problem centered around the rapid boiloff and violent

expansion of liquid hydrogen exposed to heat. Fuel storage tanks

must be carefully shielded from friction heat, the heat of the en-

gines and even the warming rays of the Sun.

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The cryogenic temperature requires tank construction

materials that will not freeze, become brittle and fail under

the stresses of space flight. The production of large quantities

of liquid hydrogen require new processing systems, new storagec

facilities and new means of transporting the sensitive fuel.

Behavior ot liquiA hydrogen under weightlessness was another

unknown and vital question. It is hoped that development flights

late in tle Centaur R&D program will provide more vital information

on the weightlessness problem. Does the liquid hydrogen gather

around the walls of a half-filled tank? Will it pass through

the pumps into the ignition chamber? Is the shielding adequate
to protect it from violent boiloff in the increased heating nec-

essary in lift off? How does it behave during steering maneuvers?

During coasting?

Zero gravity fields can be simulated for brief times in air-

craft or drop towers. But most of these questions can be completely

answered only in actual flight.

Chemical rockets such as Centaur are the backbone of NASA's

current program. But taming liquid hydrogen for use in chemical

engines is a stepping stone toward the eventual use of liquid

hydrogen in nutclear rockets. The lightweight, cold liquid hydrogen

can be passed through a nuclear reactor. As it passes through, it

heats up and the resulting hot gas can be expanded through a rocket

nozzle to provide thrust.

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Although Centaur is pioneering in practical use of the

new liquid hydrogen technology, its potential as a rocket
fuel has been known for a long time.

In 1903, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian theoretician,

wrote "Treatise on Space Travel,'.' urging that a rocket engine
using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen be built.

Six years later, Dr. Robert Goddard, the American rocket

pioneer, listed liquid hydrogen in his notebook as an excellent
potential rocket propellant. He further proposed a method for
regenerative cooling of a hydrogen engine. In 1910, he announced
that it might be possible to produce hydrogen and oxygen on the
Moon. Recent research tends to confirm this. NASA scientists
speculate that reactor-powered rockets of the future may land
on the Moon or planets and convert their reactor to a power plant
for processing Moon minerals into fuel for the return trip.

In 1921, Dr. Goddard fired a gaseous hydrogen rocket.

Literary interest in liquid hydrogen continued through these early
phases of' rocketry but liquid hydrogen was still a laboratory
curiosity and not available in the quantities necessary for actual
experimentation.

In 1945, the first significant firing of a liquid hydrogen

engine occurred at Ohio State University. Two years later,

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Aerojet-General Corporation developed a 3,000 pound thrust

engine using liquid hydrogen. Then in 1953, the National
Bureau of Standards solved another problem with liquid hydrogen
by devising a nethod to keep it from rapidly evaporating in
storage.

As interest in liquid hydrogen grew, it oecame more available.

The first production-line plant for liquid hydrogen began operation
in 1947. Its output was a low 12 pounds an hour.

When Pratt and Whitney received the contract to build

Centaur's RL-10 engines, the U.S. Air Force built the first
tonnage production facility next to the P&W Florida Research
and Development Center in West Palm Beach. This facility takes

crude oil and natural gas, breaks it down into hydrogen gas,
carbon dioxide, and other products and then refrigerates and
purifies the hydrogen. The end product -- liquid hydrogen --

is believed to be 99.99999 per cent pure, rankingz it among the

purest materials known tr, man.

The current interest in liquid hydrogen is well-indexed by

its consumption. In 1961, industry, university and government

research used six million pounds of liquid hydrogen. In 1963, the

figure is nearly six times greater -- 35 million pounds. Estimates

for 1966 run as high as 95 million pounds.

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 Lightweight hydrogen has been called the ultimate fuel.
The Sun itself "burns" hydrogen in its internal thermonuclear
reactions that provide light and heat to our solar system.
Fusion rockets duplicating the energetic reactions of the Sun
are in the infancy stages of research but hydrogen will find
more immediate use in nuclear rockets.

With additional research and the Centaur development pro-

gram, liquid hydrogen will develop to the desired end-point
where the now-exotic fael will become commonplace.

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TEST PROGRAM

4
Because of the many problems to be overcome in developing

a space vehicle system employing liquid hydrogen technology,

Centaur is being subjected to one of the most extensive ground

test programs in the history of U.S. rocketry.

Ground test facilities are being used at the Lewis Research

Center, General Dynamics/Astronautics in California, Pratt and

Whitney in Florida and Connecticut and at subcontractor facilities

located throughout the country.

At GD/A, maJor Centaur test facilities are located in three

areas: Pt. Loma, Sycamore Canyon and Edwards Rocket Test Site,

near Edwards Air Force Base.

At Pt. Loma, near San Diego, a multiple test stand facility

is in operation conducting cryogenic tests of propellant tanks,

structural tests of tanks, insulation panels and nose fairings,

dynamic tests of separation systems, and functional tests of coast

phase attitude control systems.

At Edwards Rocket Site, a heavy-walled propulsion type

vehicle is used for exhaustive captive firing.

Full-duration captive firings of the complete Centaur vehicle

are conducted at Sycamore Canyon near San Diego to verify functional

operation of all airborne systems, plus development of launch

countdown procedures.
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Ultimate in the Centaur ground test program will be a

Combined Systems Test Stand (CSTS) now under construction for

NASA at GD/A, San Diego, where both the Atlas and Centaur

vehicles are produced.

The $6 million CSTS, scheduled for completion in late 1964,

will permit cGmplete pre-launch ground testing of the Centaur

vehicle and Surveyor spacecraft prior to shipment to Cape

Canaveral. It is anticipated the facility will reduce consider-

ably time-on-the-pad required prior to Centaur missions.

In the CSTS, the Atlas will be horizontal. Centaur, with

Surveyor mounted on top, will stand vertically near the Atlas.

All three systems will be mated electrically and will function

as if on an actual mission.

Prior to completion of CSTS, an interim combined systems test

stand is in use at GD/A to check out the Atlas-Centaur combination

with the Surveyor payload.

At the Lewis Research Center's Plum Brook Station near

Sandusky, Ohio, a full-scale Atlas booster has been erected and

is undergoing a series of structural dynamic tests to determine

how it will react during flight through the Earth's atmosphere.

A second stage test vehicle will be mated to Atlas in late 1963

to continue structural testing of the Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle

system. Shortly thereafter a dynamic model of the Surveyor space-

craft will be mated to Centaur for complete combined systems

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Centaur engineers at Lewis have modified an altitude

wind tunnel, now called a space power chamber, to accommodate

a Centaur test vehicle for extensive environmental testing.
Engine and electrical systems will be tested in a simulated
space environment up to Centaur engine ignition. These tests
will continue for possibly two years with the vehicle being
modified periodically.

A second area in the space power chamber was used to con-

iuct Atlas-Centaur separation tests using a full-scale "whalebone"
Atlas configuration and a mock-up Centaur vehicle. These tests,
conducted at a simulated altitude of 97,000 feet, successfully
demonstrated a new method of separation using flexible linear-
shaped charges and eight 500-pound thrust retrorockets mounted
on the aft end of Atlas. This system is being tested for the
first time in actual flight on the AC-2 mission.

Lewis engineers also used the Center's 10 x 10-foot supersonic

wind tunnel to study hydrogen venting characteristics of a 1/10th
scale model of Centaur.

The RL-10 engine has been fired extensively in Lewis'

Propulsion System Laboratory altitude chamber, which can be ex-
hausted to simula-e approximately 90,000 feet altitude. A single
RL-10 engine can be gimballed while under test. Pre-launch chill-
down of the engine pumps with cold helium also was studied in the
chamber.
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Pratt and Whitney test facilities at its West Palm Beach

Research and Development Center include two horizontal single-

engine stands and a vertical dual--engine stand for test firings.

All three stands have steam ejector systems to simulate altitude

conditions.

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PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

The Centaur project is under the overall direction of

NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications, headed by
Dr. Homer E. Newell. Dr. Richard B. Morrison directs the
Launch Vehicle and Propulsion Programs Division.

Technical direction of the project is under NASA's Lewis

Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Abe Silverstein is
Director of Lewis. Bruce T. Lundin is Associate Director for
Development. David S. Gabriel is Centaur Project Manager.

Prime contractor for Centaur is General Dynamics/Astronautics,

San Diego, Calif. Grant L. Hansen is a vice-president of GD/A
and Centaur program director.

Technical direction of the RL-10 engine is the responsibility

of NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
RL-10 project manager for MSFC is Rodney Stewart.

Associate prime contractor for the RL-10 is Pratt and Whitney

Division of United Aircraft Corp., Hartford, Conn. The engine is
assembled and tested at P&W's West Palm Beach, Fla., plant. P&W's
project manager is Gordon Titcomb.

Centaur launches will be supervised by Goddard Space Flight

Ce.'.er's Field Projects Branch, Cape Canaveral, under Lewis
direction. Robert Gray is in charge of Field Projects Branch.

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Under Lewis contract, Space Technology Laboratories.,

Redondo Beach, Calif., has provided technical support to the 4

Centaur program by evaluating vehicle and ground support

equipment design and performance in order to better determine
requirements of the development program.

The guidance system was developed by Minneapolis-Honeywell

Regulator Co., Minneapolis, Minn., and the system's computer by
Librascope Division of General Precision, Inc., San Marcas, Calif.

The MA-5 first-stage propulsion system was built by

Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation, Inc., Canoga
Park, Calif.

Boost pumps for the RL-10 engines were designed and built
by Pesco Products Division, Borg-Warner Corp., Cleveland, Ohio.
Turbines for the boost pumps are built by General Electric Co.,
Lynn, Mass.

Bell Aerosystems Co., Buffalo, N.Y., makes the attitude

control rockets for the second stage and the hydrogen perioxide
propellant tank.

Telemetry equipment is provided by Texas Instruments, Inc.,

Dallas, Tex.; Collins Radio Co., Dallas, Tex.; and Motorola, Inc.,
Scottsdale, Ariz.

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