RM-89 Blue Scout I
Encyclopedia
The RM-89 Blue Scout I was an American
sounding rocket
which was flown three 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.
The Blue Scout I was a three stage rocket derived from the Scout X-1
. All three 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 third launch was conducted on 12 April 1962, with a payload that was intended to investigate atmospheric reentry.
The first launch was successful, however recovery of the payload failed. Both other 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 three times in 1961, twice with HETS payloads, and once with the Mercury-Scout 1
satellite.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
which was flown three times between January 1961 and April 1962. It was used for two HETS
Hets
Hets may refer to:* A tribe in Argentina also known as the Querandíes or Pampas*Torment , a 1944 film by Alf Sjöberg and Ingmar BergmanHETS may refer to:*Heavy Equipment Transport System, a military logistics vehicle...
test flights, and a flight to investigate atmospheric re-entry. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.
The Blue Scout I was a three stage rocket derived from the Scout X-1
Scout X-1
Scout X-1 was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket which was flown seven times between August 1960 and October 1961. Four orbital and three suborbital launches were made, with four of the launches resulting in failures....
. All three launches occurred from Launch Complex 18B
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 18
Launch Complex 18 is a launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was used by Viking, Vanguard, Thor and Scout rockets...
at the 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...
. The first two launches were conducted on 7 January and 9 May 1961 respectively. They both carried HETS A1 plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
research experiments on suborbital trajectories. The third launch was conducted on 12 April 1962, with a payload that was intended to investigate atmospheric reentry.
The first launch was successful, however recovery of the payload failed. Both other launches failed due to problems with the Blue Scout.
The Blue Scout II
RM-90 Blue Scout II
The RM-90 Blue Scout II was an American sounding rocket and expendable launch system which was flown three times during 1961. It was used for two HETS test flights, and the launch of the Mercury-Scout 1 satellite for NASA. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.The Blue Scout II was a...
was a four stage derivative of the Blue Scout I. It was flown three times in 1961, twice with HETS payloads, and once with the Mercury-Scout 1
Mercury-Scout 1
Mercury-Scout 1, or MS-1, was a United States spacecraft intended to test tracking stations for Project Mercury flights. It grew out of a May 5, 1961 NASA proposal to use Scout rockets to launch small satellites to evaluate the worldwide Mercury Tracking Network in preparation for manned orbital...
satellite.