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Redstone (rocket)
Encyclopedia
The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American
ballistic missile
. A short-range
surface-to-surface rocket, it was in active service with the U.S. Army in West Germany
from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War
defense of Western Europe
. It was also the first missile to launch examples of a live nuclear bomb, first detonated in a 1958 Pacific Ocean weapons test
, with two tests occurring over a period of 12 days
.
A direct descendant of the German
V-2 rocket
, the missile was the foundation for the Redstone rocket family
, It was developed by a team of predominantly German rocket engineers relocated to the United States after World War II as part of Operation Paperclip
. Redstone's prime contractor was the Chrysler
Corporation.
For its role as a field artillery theater ballistic missile, Redstone earned the moniker "the Army's Workhorse". It was retired by the U.S. in 1964, though in 1967 a surplus Redstone helped launch Australia's first satellite
.
(ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal
in Huntsville, Alabama
under the leadership of Wernher von Braun
, Redstone was designed as a surface-to-surface missile for the U.S. Army. It was named for the arsenal on April 8, 1952, which traced its name to the region's red
rocks
and soil. Chrysler was awarded the prime production contract and began missile and support equipment production in 1952 at the newly-renamed Michigan Ordnance Missile Plant in Warren, Michigan. The Navy-owned facility was previously known as the Naval Industrial Reserve Aircraft Plant used for jet engine production. Following the cancellation of a planned Navy jet engine program, the facility was made available to the Chrysler Corporation for missile production. Rocketdyne
Division of North American Aviation Company provided the rocket engines; Ford Instrument Company, division of Sperry Rand Corporation, produced the guidance and control systems; and Reynolds Metals Company fabricated fuselage assemblies as subcontractors to Chrysler. On 28 January 1954, Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team launched Redstone missile No. 2 from Cape Canaveral, Florida
.
Redstone was capable of flights from 57.5 miles (92.5 km) to 201 miles (323.5 km). It consisted of a thrust unit for powered flight and a missile body for overall missile control and payload delivery on target. During powered flight, Redstone burned a fuel mixture of 25 percent water–75 percent ethyl alcohol with liquid oxygen
(LOX) used as the oxidizer. The missile body consisted of an aft unit containing the instrument compartment, and the warhead unit containing the payload compartment and the radar fuze. The missile body was separated from the thrust unit 20 to 30 seconds after the termination of powered flight, as determined by the preset range to target. The body continued on a controlled ballistic trajectory to the target impact point. The thrust unit continued on its own uncontrolled ballistic trajectory, impacting short of the designated target. Redstone utilized a pre-programmed self-correcting fixed reference inertial guidance platform system for missile attitude and path control along a predetermined trajectory. The inertial guidance system was not dependent on any ground to missile links for missile control, and was therefore immune from any known external jamming techniques.
The Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle
was a derivation of the Redstone and was used in May 1961 to launch Alan Shepard
on his sub-orbital flight to become the second person and first American in space.
in the U.S. Army arsenal. All Redstone missiles and equipment deployed to Europe were returned to the United States by the third quarter of 1964. In October 1964 the Redstone missile was ceremonially retired from active service at Redstone Arsenal.
were launched from Woomera, South Australia
as part of a joint U.S.–United Kingdom
–Australian research program aimed at understanding re-entry phenomena. These Redstones had two solid fuel upper stages added. The U.S. donated a spare Sparta for Australia's first satellite launch, WRESAT
, in November 1967.
in the center of the village green. It was donated by Henry T. Asselin, who transported the missile from Redstone Arsenal in 1971, then placed in honor of long-time U.S. Senator Norris Cotton
, a Warren native. A Redstone also launched another Granite Stater
into suborbital flight: Alan Shepard of Derry
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
. A short-range
Short-range ballistic missile
A short-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,000 km or less. They are usually capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In potential regional conflicts, these missiles would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low cost...
surface-to-surface rocket, it was in active service with the U.S. Army in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
defense of Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. It was also the first missile to launch examples of a live nuclear bomb, first detonated in a 1958 Pacific Ocean weapons test
Hardtack Teak
HARDTACK-Teak was an exoatmospheric high altitude nuclear weapon test performed during Operation Hardtack I. It was launched from Johnston Island on a Redstone missile. On 1 August 1958, the 3.8 Mt shot detonated at an altitude of 76.8 km. Teak caused communications impairment over a...
, with two tests occurring over a period of 12 days
Operation Hardtack I
Operation Hardtack I was a series of 35 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958 in the Pacific Ocean.Operation Newsreel was a series of three high-altitude nuclear tests conducted as part of Hardtack I. The individual tests in the series were Orange, Teak and Yucca.-Test Blasts:-...
.
A direct descendant of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
, the missile was the foundation for the Redstone rocket family
Redstone (rocket family)
The Redstone family of rockets consisted of a number of American ballistic missiles, sounding rockets and expendable launch vehicles operational during the 1950s and 60s. The first member of the family was the PGM-11 Redstone missile, from which all other members were derived. The first large U.S...
, It was developed by a team of predominantly German rocket engineers relocated to the United States after World War II as part of Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
. Redstone's prime contractor was the Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
Corporation.
For its role as a field artillery theater ballistic missile, Redstone earned the moniker "the Army's Workhorse". It was retired by the U.S. in 1964, though in 1967 a surplus Redstone helped launch Australia's first satellite
WRESAT
WRESAT was the name of the first Australian satellite. It was named after its designer....
.
History
A product of the Army Ballistic Missile AgencyArmy Ballistic Missile Agency
The Army Ballistic Missile Agency was the agency formed to develop the US Army's first intermediate range ballistic missile. It was established at Redstone Arsenal on February 1, 1956 and commanded by Major General John B...
(ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
under the leadership of Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
, Redstone was designed as a surface-to-surface missile for the U.S. Army. It was named for the arsenal on April 8, 1952, which traced its name to the region's red
Iron(III) oxide
Iron oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Fe2O3. It is one of the three main oxides of iron, the other two being iron oxide , which is rare, and iron oxide , which also occurs naturally as the mineral magnetite. As the mineral known as hematite, Fe2O3 is the main...
rocks
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
and soil. Chrysler was awarded the prime production contract and began missile and support equipment production in 1952 at the newly-renamed Michigan Ordnance Missile Plant in Warren, Michigan. The Navy-owned facility was previously known as the Naval Industrial Reserve Aircraft Plant used for jet engine production. Following the cancellation of a planned Navy jet engine program, the facility was made available to the Chrysler Corporation for missile production. Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne was a Rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, United States. The company was related to North American Aviation for most of its history. NAA merged with Rockwell International, which was then bought by Boeing in December, 1996...
Division of North American Aviation Company provided the rocket engines; Ford Instrument Company, division of Sperry Rand Corporation, produced the guidance and control systems; and Reynolds Metals Company fabricated fuselage assemblies as subcontractors to Chrysler. On 28 January 1954, Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team launched Redstone missile No. 2 from Cape Canaveral, Florida
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...
.
Redstone was capable of flights from 57.5 miles (92.5 km) to 201 miles (323.5 km). It consisted of a thrust unit for powered flight and a missile body for overall missile control and payload delivery on target. During powered flight, Redstone burned a fuel mixture of 25 percent water–75 percent ethyl alcohol with liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
(LOX) used as the oxidizer. The missile body consisted of an aft unit containing the instrument compartment, and the warhead unit containing the payload compartment and the radar fuze. The missile body was separated from the thrust unit 20 to 30 seconds after the termination of powered flight, as determined by the preset range to target. The body continued on a controlled ballistic trajectory to the target impact point. The thrust unit continued on its own uncontrolled ballistic trajectory, impacting short of the designated target. Redstone utilized a pre-programmed self-correcting fixed reference inertial guidance platform system for missile attitude and path control along a predetermined trajectory. The inertial guidance system was not dependent on any ground to missile links for missile control, and was therefore immune from any known external jamming techniques.
The Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle
Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle
The Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, designed for NASA's Project Mercury, was the first American manned space booster. It was used for six sub-orbital Mercury flights from 1960–61; culminating with the launch of the first, and 11 weeks later, the second American in space.A member of the...
was a derivation of the Redstone and was used in May 1961 to launch Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
on his sub-orbital flight to become the second person and first American in space.
Operators
: United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- 40th Field Artillery Group 1958-1961 – West Germany
- 1st Battalion, 333rd Artillery Regiment
- 46th Field Artillery Group 1959-1961 – West Germany
- 2nd Battalion, 333rd Artillery Regiment
- 209th Field Artillery Group – Fort Sill, Oklahoma
- 4th Battalion, 333rd Artillery Regiment
End of service
Redstone production by the Chrysler Corporation was halted in 1961. The 40th Artillery Group was deactivated in February 1964 and 46th Artillery Group was deactivated in June 1964, as Redstone missiles were replaced by the Pershing missilePershing missile
Pershing was a family of solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon. The Pershing systems lasted over 30 years from the first test...
in the U.S. Army arsenal. All Redstone missiles and equipment deployed to Europe were returned to the United States by the third quarter of 1964. In October 1964 the Redstone missile was ceremonially retired from active service at Redstone Arsenal.
Sparta
From 1966–67, a series of surplus modified Redstones called SpartasSparta (rocket)
The Sparta was a three-stage rocket that launched Australia's first Earth satellite, WRESAT, on 29 November 1967.Sparta used a surplus American Redstone as its first stage, an Antares as a second stage, and a BE-3 as a third stage...
were launched from Woomera, South Australia
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
as part of a joint U.S.–United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
–Australian research program aimed at understanding re-entry phenomena. These Redstones had two solid fuel upper stages added. The U.S. donated a spare Sparta for Australia's first satellite launch, WRESAT
WRESAT
WRESAT was the name of the first Australian satellite. It was named after its designer....
, in November 1967.
New Hampshire landmark
A Redstone serves as a landmark in Warren, New HampshireWarren, New Hampshire
Warren is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 904 at the 2010 census. Warren includes the village of Glencliff....
in the center of the village green. It was donated by Henry T. Asselin, who transported the missile from Redstone Arsenal in 1971, then placed in honor of long-time U.S. Senator Norris Cotton
Norris Cotton
Norris H. Cotton was an American Republican politician from the state of New Hampshire.Norris Cotton was born on a farm in Warren, New Hampshire. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Wesleyan University in Connecticut...
, a Warren native. A Redstone also launched another Granite Stater
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
into suborbital flight: Alan Shepard of Derry
Derry, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 33,109 people, 12,537 households, and 8,767 families residing in the town. The population density was 924.8 people per square mile . There were 13,277 housing units at an average density of 143.2/km²...
.
Gallery
External links
- The Mercury Redstone Project (PDF) December 1964
- Redstone from Encyclopedia Astronautica
- Redstone timeline
- Boeing: History– Products - North American Aviation Rocketdyne Redstone Rocket Engine
- Appendix A: The Redstone Missile in Detail
- Redstone at the White Sands Missile Range
- 40th Artillery Group (Redstone)
- 46th Artillery Group (Redstone)
- From the Stars & Stripes Archives: "Redstone Rocketeers"
- Jupiter A
- The Chrysler Corporation Missile Division and the Redstone missiles