Thor Able with Pioneer I at Cape Canaveral in Florida

See also: PGM-17 Thor

Thor was a space launch vehicle derived from the PGM-17 Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile. The Thor rocket was the first in a large family of space launch vehicles -- the Delta rockets. Thor's descendants fly to this day as the Delta II and Delta IV. Download high resolution version (450x602, 169 KB)Thor Able I booster with Pioneer I spacecraft on launch pad Uncopywrited NASA image. ... Download high resolution version (450x602, 169 KB)Thor Able I booster with Pioneer I spacecraft on launch pad Uncopywrited NASA image. ... Pioneer 1 atop its launcher Pioneer 1, the second and most successful of three project Able space probes and the first spacecraft launched by the newly formed NASA, was intended to study the ionizing radiation, cosmic rays, magnetic fields, and micrometeorites in the vicinity of the Earth and in lunar... Thor-Ablestar Thor was the United Statess first operational ballistic missile. ... 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... Thor-Ablestar Thor was the United Statess first operational ballistic missile. ... An intermediate-range ballistic missile, or IRBM, is a ballistic missile with a range of 2750-5500 km or 1719-3437 miles. ... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ... The Delta II family of launch vehicles was designed and built by Boeings Integrated Defense Systems division and has been in service since 1989. ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) The Delta IV family of rockets are EELVs (evolved expendable launch vehicles) built by Boeing IDS. They come in five versions: medium, medium+ (4,2), medium+ (5,2), medium+ (5,4), and heavy. ...

Origins and early history

The first space launch type of mission Thor was asked to perform was the testing of the Atlas reentry vehicle. For these three tests a Thor core stage was topped by a second stage named Able using the Aerojet AJ-10-40 engine from the Vanguard second stage. The first such launch, 116, was lost due to turbopump failure of the main engine. The recovery of the reentry vehicles on the succeeding two attempts were not successful. Three mice, one on each vehicle, died in these tests.^[1]

The Able stage from the Atlas reentry vehicle tests was upgraded (to become the Able I) with a third stage consisting of an unguided Altair X-248 solid rocket motor. A Thor Able I was used in in an attempt to place the 84 lb (38 kg) Pioneer spacecraft into lunar orbit where it would take pictures of the lunar surface with a TV camera. The mission ended prematurely at 77 seconds after launch on August 17, 1958, due to a turbopump failure. The Pioneer 0 (also known as Thor-Able 1) probe was designed to go into orbit around the Moon and carried a TV camera and other instruments as part of the first International Geophysical Year (IGY) science payload. ...

On June 22, 1960, a Thor-Able-Star launched the first Galactic Radiation and Background (GRAB) electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite for the United States Navy. These now-declassified satellites, operated under a cover story of providing solar radiation data, included an electronics package to detect Soviet air defense radar signals. GRAB-1 was thus the world's first successful reconnaissance satellite, preceding the first Corona mission to return film (Discoverer 14 on August 18) by almost two months. June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Galactic Radiation and Background (GRAB) is the name of a series of intelligence satellites operated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to collect electronic intelligence (ELINT). ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... A spy satellite (officially referred to as a reconnaissance satellite or recon sat) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. ... KH-4B Corona satellite Recovery of Discoverer 14 return capsule (typical for the Corona series Diagram of J-1 type stereo / panoramic reciprocating Corona reconnaissance satellite camera system used on KH-4A missions from 1963 to 1969. ...

Thor Agena D with SERT-2 satellite at Space Launch Complex 10 (SLC-10), Vandenberg AFB, California. The complex is now listed on the National Historic Registry and serves as the site for a museum known as the Space & Missile Heritage Center

Download high resolution version (1447x1800, 2667 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1447x1800, 2667 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Thor and the Corona program

Thor formed the core of the Thor-Agena vehicle used to launch the early Corona (also known as "Keyhole" and "Discoverer") satellites from Vandenberg AFB.^[2] These were the first photographic spy satellites, used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union, China and other areas. Thor-Agenas were used as launch vehicles for Corona satellites from June 1959 through May 1963. A Thor Agena, ready to launch the SERT-2 (Space Electric Rocket Test-2) spacecraft, February 4, 1970 Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. ... KH-4B Corona satellite Recovery of Discoverer 14 return capsule (typical for the Corona series Diagram of J-1 type stereo / panoramic reciprocating Corona reconnaissance satellite camera system used on KH-4A missions from 1963 to 1969. ... Vandenberg Air Force Base is a base with a spaceport, located in Santa Barbara County, California. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

Thor becomes Delta

A fourth modification to Thor for space launch purposes, the Thor-Delta, has proven to be the longest-lasting of all Thor-derived rockets. Members of the Delta rocket family derived from the Thor-Delta continue to launch satellites and space probes for the United States to this day.

Thrust Augmented Thor

The Thrust Augmented Thor, or TAT, was developed to handle the growing recon sats of the Corona program. It added three Castor solid rocket strapon boosters—each providing 53,000 lbf (236 kN) thrust—to the standard Thor core stage. The boosters were lit on the ground and jettisoned after burnout. KH-4B Corona satellite Recovery of Discoverer 14 return capsule (typical for the Corona series Diagram of J-1 type stereo / panoramic reciprocating Corona reconnaissance satellite camera system used on KH-4A missions from 1963 to 1969. ...

Long Tank Thor

• Tapered fuel tank changed to cylindrical.
• Both tanks lengthened.
• Core stage 14 feet (4.3 m) longer.
• 49,000 lb (22,000 kg) more propellant.

References

1. ^ Thor Able. Encyclopedia Astronautica.
2. ^ Corona. NASA.