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Atlas-Antares |
ATLAS ANTARES FACT SHEET
Written and Edited by
Cliff Lethbridge
Classification:
Suborbital Research Rocket
Length: 82 feet, 6
inches
Diameter: 10 feet
Date of
Date of
Number Launched from
The
Atlas Antares rocket consisted of an Atlas D missile
as first stage mated to an Antares second stage. The
rocket was used in support of the NASA Project FIRE, standing for Flight
Investigation of Re-entry. Project FIRE 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral on
April 14, 1964, while Project FIRE 2 was launched from the
The
Project FIRE payload consisted of an instrumented cone styled as a miniature
Project Apollo space capsule, designed to mimic the re-entry characteristics of
proposed Apollo re-entry vehicle. Particular attention was paid to the
temperature and thermal characteristics of the re-entry vehicle. The two
flights were suborbital, with the payload launched into space and then pointed
downward for an unpowered re-entry through the atmosphere. Results were
important to the upcoming Apollo program.
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