Scout X-1
Encyclopedia
Scout X-1 was an American
expendable launch system
and sounding rocket
which was flown seven times between August 1960 and October 1961. Four orbit
al and three suborbital launches were made, with four of the launches resulting in failures.
The Scout X-1 was similar to the Scout X
test vehicle which was launched in April 1960, however it had live second and fourth stages, as opposed to the battleship
versions used on the Scout X. It also featured an improved first stage, using an Algol 1B instead of the earlier Algol 1A used on the Scout X.
All seven launches occurred from Launch Area 3
at the Wallops Flight Facility
. The maiden flight was a suborbital test of the rocket's systems, and was conducted successfully on 2 July 1960, with the rocket launching at 00:04 GMT. Following this, a suborbital radiation experiment was successfully launched on 4 October. The first orbital launch attempt, with the S-56 satellite, was made on 4 December, and ended in failure after the second stage malfunctioned.
On 16 February 1961, a Scout X-1 successfully placed Explorer 9
, a reflight of the failed S-56, into Earth orbit, in the first successful orbital launch to be conducted by a Scout rocket. The next launch attempt on 30 June carried the S-55 satellite, but this did not reach orbit because the third stage failed to ignite. A reflight of S-55, Explorer 13, was launched on 25 August, but reached a lower than planned orbit, and was unusable. The final flight of the Scout X-1 was made on 19 October, carrying plasma
and aeronomy
research payloads on a suborbital trajectory. This launch was successful.
Several derivatives of the Scout X-1 were also flown. The United States Navy
developed the Blue Scout
, which was a three stage sounding rocket
, and the Blue Scout II
which was almost identical to the Scout X-1. The Scout X-1A
, a five stage variant of the Scout X-1, was used for a single suborbital launch in March 1962. It featured an improved first stage, and a NOTS-17 upper stage.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
expendable launch system
Expendable launch system
An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...
and 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 seven times between August 1960 and October 1961. Four orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
al and three suborbital launches were made, with four of the launches resulting in failures.
The Scout X-1 was similar to the Scout X
Scout X
Scout X, also known as Cub Scout, was an American rocket which served as a prototype of the Scout, which was launched on a single test flight in 1960...
test vehicle which was launched in April 1960, however it had live second and fourth stages, as opposed to the battleship
Battleship (rocketry)
In rocketry, a battleship is a non-functional rocket or rocket stage which is used to test configuration and integration of a launch vehicle.The term should not be confused with the term boilerplate, which refers to a non-functional spacecraft....
versions used on the Scout X. It also featured an improved first stage, using an Algol 1B instead of the earlier Algol 1A used on the Scout X.
All seven launches occurred from Launch Area 3
Wallops Flight Facility Launch Area 3
Launch Area 3 at the Wallops Flight Facility is a launch complex which was used, mostly by Scout rockets, between 1960 and 1985. Forty one Scout launches occurred from the complex, making both orbital and suborbital. In addition, four Nike sounding rockets were launched from the complex in...
at the Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
. The maiden flight was a suborbital test of the rocket's systems, and was conducted successfully on 2 July 1960, with the rocket launching at 00:04 GMT. Following this, a suborbital radiation experiment was successfully launched on 4 October. The first orbital launch attempt, with the S-56 satellite, was made on 4 December, and ended in failure after the second stage malfunctioned.
On 16 February 1961, a Scout X-1 successfully placed Explorer 9
Explorer 9
Explorer 9, known as S-56A before launch, was an American satellite which was launched in 1961 to study the density and composition of the upper thermosphere and lower exosphere. It was a reflight of the failed S-56 mission, and consisted of a , balloon which was deployed into a medium Earth orbit...
, a reflight of the failed S-56, into Earth orbit, in the first successful orbital launch to be conducted by a Scout rocket. The next launch attempt on 30 June carried the S-55 satellite, but this did not reach orbit because the third stage failed to ignite. A reflight of S-55, Explorer 13, was launched on 25 August, but reached a lower than planned orbit, and was unusable. The final flight of the Scout X-1 was made on 19 October, carrying 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...
and aeronomy
Aeronomy
Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
research payloads on a suborbital trajectory. This launch was successful.
Several derivatives of the Scout X-1 were also flown. The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
developed the Blue Scout
RM-89 Blue Scout I
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....
, which was a three stage 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...
, and 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...
which was almost identical to the Scout X-1. The Scout X-1A
Scout X-1A
Scout X-1A was an American sounding rocket which was flown in 1962. It was a five stage derivative of the earlier Scout X-1, with an uprated first stage, and a NOTS-17 upper stage....
, a five stage variant of the Scout X-1, was used for a single suborbital launch in March 1962. It featured an improved first stage, and a NOTS-17 upper stage.