Thor Able II
Launch vehicle · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Able 2/AJ10-42
More at: Thor Able II.
Related
- Family
- orbital launch vehicle
- Country
- USA
- Launch Sites
- Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral LC17A
- Stages
- Able, Thor DM-19
- Agency
- Douglas
Chronology
9 events
1959 January 23
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. FAILURE: Failure.1959 January 23
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.1959 February 28
07:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.- RVX-1 Re-entry Vehicle test - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF.
Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
In the first use of a Thor as a space booster, the world's first polar orbiting satellite, Discoverer I, was launched by a Thor/Agena (Thor 163) booster combination from Vandenberg AFB. The mission was also the first successful flight test of Lockheed's Agena A upper stage vehicle designed for orbiting U.S. satellite systems.
1959 March 21
06:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.1959 April 8
06:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.- RVX-1 Reentry test / particles mission - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF.
Apogee: 1,230 km (760 mi).
A Thor/Able reentry test vehicle launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, completed a successful flight down the Atlantic Missile Range. The reentry body of the Thor/Able was recovered at the far end of the range in the South Atlantic. This was the first recovery of an ablative nose cone following an ICBM-range flight.
1959 May 21
06:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.1959 June 11
06:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.1959 September 17
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. FAILURE: Third stage failed.. Failed Stage: 3.- Transit 1A - . Payload: Transit 1A. Mass: 119 kg (262 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1959-09-17 . A Thor/Able II booster carrying the Navy's Transit IA navigation satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral. A third stage malfunction prevented the satellite from achieving orbit. First Transit test satellite; failed to reach orbit..
1960 April 1
11:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II.- Tiros 1 - .
Payload: Tiros A (A-1). Mass: 120 kg (260 lb). Nation: USA.
Agency: NASA.
Program: Tiros.
Class: Earth.
Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros.
USAF Sat Cat: 29 . COSPAR: 1960-Beta-2. Apogee: 696 km (432 mi). Perigee: 656 km (407 mi). Inclination: 48.40 deg. Period: 98.30 min.
A Thor/Able II booster placed NASA's Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) weather satellite into the most accurate orbit yet achieved by any U.S. satellite. TIROS I opened a new era in meteorology by transmitting nearly 23,000 pictures of global cloud cover from 450 miles in space and providing the first glimpse of global cloud structure data. TIROS I completed 1,302 orbits before its operational life ceased on 29 June 1960. TV and Infrared Observation Satellite; returned 22952 cloud cover photos. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).