RM-89 Blue Scout I

(Redirected from Blue Scout I)

The RM-89 Blue Scout I was an American sounding rocket which was flown four times between January 1961 and April 1962. It was used for two HETS test flights, and a flight to investigate atmospheric re-entry. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.

Blue Scout D6 ahead of the second HETS launch
FunctionSounding rocket
ManufacturerVought
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height21.65 metres (71.0 ft)
Diameter1.02 metres (3 ft 4 in)
Mass16,738 kilograms (36,901 lb)
StagesThree
Associated rockets
FamilyScout
Derivative workRM-90 Blue Scout II
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesCanaveral LC-18B
Total launches4
Success(es)2
Failure(s)2
First flight1961-01-07
Last flight1962-04-12
First stage – Algol 1B
Powered by1 solid
Maximum thrust471 kilonewtons (106,000 lbf)
Specific impulse236 sec
Burn time40 seconds
PropellantSolid
Second stage – Castor 1A
Powered by1 solid
Maximum thrust286 kilonewtons (64,000 lbf)
Specific impulse247 sec
Burn time27 seconds
PropellantSolid
Third stage – Antares 1A
Powered by1 X-254
Maximum thrust60 kilonewtons (13,000 lbf)
Specific impulse256 sec
Burn time39 seconds
PropellantSolid
Fourth stage – Castor 1A
Powered by1 X-254
Maximum thrust65 kilonewtons (15,000 lbf)
Specific impulse249 sec
Burn time29 seconds
PropellantSolid

The Blue Scout I was a four-stage rocket derived from the Scout X-1. All four launches occurred from Launch Complex 18B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The first two launches were conducted on 7 January and 9 May 1961 respectively. They both carried HETS A1 plasma research experiments on suborbital trajectories. The second two launches were conducted on 12 April 1962, with a payload that was intended to investigate atmospheric reentry.

The first two launches was successful, however recovery of the payload failed. The second two launches failed due to problems with the Blue Scout.

The Blue Scout II was a four-stage derivative of the Blue Scout I. It was flown four times in 1961, twice with HETS payloads, and twice with the Mercury-Scout 1 satellite.

References

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  • Wade, Mark. "Scout". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  • Krebs, Gunter. "Scout". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  • McDowell, Jonathan. "Scout". Orbital & Suborbital Launch Database. Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  • Heyman, Jos; Parsch, Andreas (2007-07-09). "LTV SLV-1 Scout". Appendix 3: Space Vehicles. Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. Retrieved 2009-06-20.