Jupiter-C

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The Juno I was a satellite launch vehicle based on the Jupiter-C, but with the addition of a fourth stage, atop the "tub" of the third stage and the use of Hydyne as fuel. The Juno name derived from Von Braun wishing to make the satellite launch appear as peaceable as the Vanguard rocket, which was not a weapon, but was developed from a weather study rocket, the Viking. Since the Juno I was the same height as the Jupiter-C (21.2 meters), with the added fourth stage being hidden inside the shell, this vehicle which successfully launched the first orbital satellite of the United States is often incorrectly referred to as a Jupiter-C.

Encrypted serial number

The Jupiter-C was part of the IRBM project, and the sequence of manufacture of the rockets (which are not necessarily launched in order, and may be uprated as solutions to technical problems are worked out in tests) was considered a military secret. So the designation painted on the sides of the rocket was not a serial number in clear text, but employed a simple transformation cypher that the staff would be sure not to forget. The key was taken from the name of the design and test base: Huntsville, Alabama, giving HUNTSVILE, with duplicated letters dropped: H was used for 1, U for 2, ..., E for 9 and X for 0. For example, the Jupiter-C / Juno I modified to launch Explorer 1 had "UE" painted on the side, indicating it was S/N 29 (U→2, E→9). [11] [12]

General characteristics

Flight history

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References

  1. "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – 1957". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  2. "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – Jupiter". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  3. "Rockets and Missiles". SpaceLine.org. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  4. Yanek Mieczkowski, 'Cheerleader in Chief, in Eisenhower’s Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige, pp. 105–106.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Jupiter-C Explorer-I". NASA.
  6. "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – Redstone Rocket". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  7. "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – Explorer I". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  8. "ABMA Juno I". Designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  9. Juno V Space Vehicle Development Program Report No. DSP-TM-10-58, NASA, October, 1958.
  10. Juno V Space Vehicle Development Program Status Report, DSP-TM-11-58, NASA, November, 1958.
  11. "Rockets and Missiles / Jupiter C Fact Sheet". www.spaceline.org. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  12. "SP-4402 Origins of NASA Names". history.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  13. 1 2 3 "Jupiter-C". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
Jupiter-C
Jupiter c pad.jpg
Jupiter-C on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral
Function Sounding rocket
Manufacturer Chrysler for the ABMA
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height69.9 feet (21.3 m)
Diameter5.8 feet (1.8 m)
Mass64,000 pounds (29,000 kg)
Stages3
Capacity
Payload to Sub-orbital
Mass11 kg (24 lb)
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites LC-5 and 6, Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida
Total launches3 (all suborbital)
Success(es)1 (suborbital)
Failure(s)1 (suborbital)
Partial failure(s)1 (suborbital)
First flightSeptember 20, 1956
Last flightAugust 8, 1957
First stage – Redstone (stretched)
Powered by1 North American Aviation (Rocketdyne) 75-110-A-7
Maximum thrust93,560 lbf; 416.18 kN (42,439 kgf)
Specific impulse 235 s (2.30 km/s)
Burn time155 s
Propellant LOX/Hydyne