Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad

The Atlas is a venerable line of space launch vehicles built by Lockheed Martin. Originally designed as an ICBM in the late 1950s, the Atlas is today used as a launch platform for commercial and military satellites, and other space vehicles. Download high resolution version (195x687, 18 KB)Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad NASA public domain image from http://images. ... Download high resolution version (195x687, 18 KB)Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad NASA public domain image from http://images. ... Rockets (including missiles) can be launched from the following: for a launch into an orbital spaceflight and beyond: a launch pad, including a floating platform (see San Marco platform, Sea Launch) for the launch into a suborbital flight also: a missile silo a mobile launcher vehicle a submarine air launch... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ... // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ...

History

The Atlas, first tested in 1959, was the United States' first successful ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). It was a "1.5 stage", liquid-fueled (LOX and RP-1) rocket, with three engines producing 1,590 kN of thrust. A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ... The second stage of a Minuteman III rocket // Description A multistage (or multi-stage) rocket is, like any rocket, propelled by the recoil pressure of the burning gases it emits as it burns fuel. ... Lox can stand for any of several things: Lox (salmon) - a type of salmon produce LOx (oxidizer) - liquid oxygen used as oxidizer in aerospace The Lox - was a Yonkers, NY-based rap trio This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... RP-1 (refined petroleum) is a highly refined form of kerosene similar to jet fuel, used in the United States as a rocket fuel. ... A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket engine. ... Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newtons Second and Third Law. ...

Atlas, named for the Atlas of Greek mythology, got its start in 1946 with the award of a Army Air Forces research contract to Convair for the study of a 1,500 to 5,000 mi. (2,400 to 8,000 km) range nuclear armed missile. This was the MX-774 or Hiroc project. The contract was canceled in 1947 but the Army Air Forces allowed Convair to launch the three almost-completed research vehicles using the remaining contract funds. The three flights were only partially successful. However they did show that balloon tanks, and gimbaled rocket engines were valid concepts. In 1955 the CIA learned that the Soviet ICBM programme was making progress so Atlas became a crash programme of the highest national importance. In Greek mythology, Atlas was a member of a race of giant gods known as Titans. ... Greek mythology consists of an extensive collection of narratives detailing the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, which were first envisioned and disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition. ... The Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, universally known as Convair, was the result of a 1943 merger between Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft, resulting in a leading aircraft manufacturer of the United States. ...

The missile was originally given the military designation "XB-65", thus making it a bomber; from 1955 it was redesignated "SM-65" and, from 1962, it became "CGM-16". This letter "C" stood for "coffin" or "Container", the rocket being stored in a hardened container; it was prepared for launch by being raised and fueled in the open. The Atlas-F (HGM-16) was stored vertically underground, but launched after being lifted to the surface. The Atlas never was used in a missile silo, deep underground. From the mid-1960s, the Atlas (and its 'bigger brother', the Titan) were phased out in favour of the LGM-30 Minuteman, a solid-fuelled rocket which could be stored for long periods and launched, without fuelling, at the turn of a key. A missile silo is a underground vertical cylindrical container for the storage and launching of ICBMs. ... Titan is a family of U.S. expendable rockets. ... The LGM-30 Minuteman is a United States nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). ...

Though never used in combat, the Atlas was used as the expendable launch system for the Mariner space probes used to study Mercury, Venus, and Mars (1962–1973); and to launch ten of the Mercury program missions (1962–1963). Atlas was suggested for use by the United States Air Force in what became known as Project Vanguard. This suggestion was ultimately turned down, however, as Atlas would not be operational in time and was seen by many as being too heavily connected to the military for use in the U.S.' IGY satellite attempt. The Mercury-Atlas missions resulted in the first American to orbit the earth (Lt. Col. John H. Glenn Jr.) in February of 1962. (Major Yuri A. Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first human in orbit on April 12, 1961.) Atlas launched the Agena Target Vehicles used during the Gemini program. Direct Atlas descendants continue to be used as satellite launch vehicles into the 21st century. An expendable launch system is a single-use launch vehicle usually used to launch a payload into space. ... Mariner can refer to The PBM Mariner flying boat The Mariner Space Program An archaic term for sailor This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure trace Potassium 31. ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... Description Role: Orbital spaceflight Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Height: 11. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. ... Project Vanguard was the name of the United States program that was to have launched the first artificial satellite of the Earth. ... The International Geophysical Year or IGY was an international scientific effort that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. ... Description Role: Orbital spaceflight Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Height: 11. ... This article is about the astronaut. ... Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: Юрий Алексеевич Гагарин; March 9, 1934 – March 27, 1968), was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first human to travel into space. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Agena Target Vehicle was designed to develop and practice orbital rendezvous and docking in space, in preparation for the lunar mission. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Atlas ICBM launching from semi-hardened bunker.

Atlas ICBM sequence images of missile erection, fueling, and launch. ... Atlas ICBM sequence images of missile erection, fueling, and launch. ...

Mercury-Atlas Three (Orbit Flight Events- April 25, 1961)

Design

Atlas is rare in its use of balloon tanks for fuel, made of very thin stainless steel with minimal or no rigid support structures. Pressure in the tanks provides the structural rigidity required for flight. An Atlas rocket will collapse under its own weight if not kept pressurized. The only other known use of balloon tanks at the time of writing is the Centaur high-energy upper stage. The rocket tank had small side rockets called Vernier Rockets that helped to steer it's trajectory. In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ... Balloons are given for special occasions, like greeting cards or flowers. ... Model of Centaur with Surveyor as payload. ...

Atlas also has a unique and somewhat odd staging system. Most rockets stage by dropping both engines and fuel tanks. However, when the Atlas missile was being developed, there were considerable doubts as to whether or not a rocket motor could be ignited in space. Therefore, the decision was made to ignite all three of the Atlas' engines at launch - later, two of the engines would be discarded, while the third continued to burn. Rockets using this technique are sometimes called stage and a half boosters. This technique is made possible by the extremely light weight of the balloon tanks. The tanks make up such a small percentage of the total booster weight that the weight penalty of lifting them to orbit is not offset by the technical and weight penalty required to throw half of them away mid-flight. Depending on how you look at it, this makes Atlas a single-stage-to-orbit booster (though most call it a 1.5 stage to orbit). A single-stage to orbit (or SSTO) launcher describes an as-yet theoretical class of spacecraft designed to place a load into orbit as a self-contained vehicle without the use of multiple stages. ...

Current Atlas Family

• Atlas II
• Atlas III
• Atlas V
• GX

The Atlas II series had 63 successful flights with the last launched August 31, 2004, it is considered the most reliable launcher in the world. Mission Atlas II is a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program. ... Launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 7:43:00 a. ... The GX launch vehicle is a rocket currently under development by the Galaxy Express Corporation, a joint-venture between Lockheed Martin (LM), Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and several other Japanese comapanies. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The newest version of Atlas, the Atlas V, is an Atlas in name alone as it contains little Atlas technology. It no longer uses balloon tanks nor 1.5 staging, but incorporates a rigid framework for its first stage booster much like the Titan family of vehicles. Ironically, given Atlas's origin as a military weapon, the Atlas III and Atlas V use Russian-designed/built Energomash RD-180 engines. These engines are now prepared for licence production by Pratt and Whitney company in the US.

Atlas EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt)

Atlas launch vehicle evolution. (USAF)

Atlas EELV family of rockets (USGovt) Downloaded form the US Govt FAA website: http://ast. ... Atlas EELV family of rockets (USGovt) Downloaded form the US Govt FAA website: http://ast. ... Atlas II EELV rocket evolution (USAF) Downloaded from USAF website: http://www. ... Atlas II EELV rocket evolution (USAF) Downloaded from USAF website: http://www. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Atlas (rocket)

• Atlas launch vehicle profile
• Atlas D from Encyclopedia Astronautica
• Atlas ICBM History site
• Atlas II - Lockheed Martin

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

Related content

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Designation sequence: MGM-13 Mace - MIM-14 - RGM-15 - CGM-16/HGM-16 - PGM-17 - MGM-18 - PGM-19 // Background CGM-13 launch from a hardened bunker. ... Launch of a Nike Zeus missile Project Nike was a US Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. ... The SSM-N-8A Regulus cruise missile was the nuclear deterrent weapon employed by the United States Navy from 1955 to 1964. ... Thor-Ablestar Thor was the United Statess first operational ballistic missile. ... Jupiter IRBM mobile missile The Jupiter Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, first tested in 1957, was the United States second Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). ...

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Related lists: List of missiles Below is a list of (links to pages on) missiles, sorted alphabetically by name. ...