usaf atlas ••• free world's first...

USAFATLAS •••FREE WORLD'SFIRST ICBM

David Jenkins 556th SMS - Scanned by Jeff Stephens - atlasbases.homestead.com

522-RS-330

WHAT IS ATLAS?The U.S. Air Force Atlas is the free world'sfirst operational intercontinental ballistic mis-sile (ICBM). It is designed as a major deterrentweapon in the arsenal of the Air Force StrategicAir Command.

The SAC mission, as outlined by Gen. ThomasS. Power, SAC commander, at a Congressionalhearing, is "to be prepared to conduct strategicair operations on a global basis so that, in theevent of sudden aggression, SAC can mountsimultaneous nuclear retaliatory attacks de-signed to destroy the warmaking capacity of anaggressor to the point that he no longer wouldhave the will or the capability to wage war."

With its capability of delivering a thermo-nuclear warhead more than a quarter of the wayaround the world, Atlas is designed to destroytop-priority enemy targets within minutes of anational decision to strike. The real goal of theAtlas weapon system is enforcement of an armedpeace by posing such a powerful threat that po-tential aggressors are unwilling to risk startinga war. Atlas is achieving this goal today.

Atlas has been developed under a compressedtime schedule. The flight-test program started inmid-1957, and the weapon achieved operationalstatus in 1959. General DynamicsfAstronautics,A Division of General Dynamics Corporation, isprincipal contractor and conducts the flight testsfor the Air Force.ATLAS IS PART OF A WEAPON SYSTEMWith its associated ground equipment andtrained personnel, Atlas comprises Air ForceWeapon System WS 107A-1. Basically, the sys-tem includes the missile with high-yield thermo-nuclear warhead; all the ground equipmentneeded to transport it, maintain it in a state ofreadiness, fuel it, and launch it; the trained per-sonnel to man the operational bases; the basesthemselves; and a logistic support system whichincludes spare parts, shops, and trained mento make repairs.

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

REVISED: AUGUST 1963


The ground elements of a weapon system haveassumed greatly increased importance in thetransition from manned aircraft to missiles. Inthe missile, many of the functions of pilot, navi-gator, and bombardier have been assumed by in-tricate mechanical and electronic systems. Someof these are in the missile itself, some on theground. During tests, intricate radio linkagebetween the missile systems and the ground sys-tems is required to obtain test data. In an oper-ational situation, all preparation of the missileprior to Bight-including the electronic consoleswhich "quiz" the missile systems about theirreadiness-belongs to the ground complex.

Therefore, the structure, equipment, and pro-cedures needed on the ground are part of the

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total design problem and must be handled as ifthey were a part of the missile itself.HOW ATLAS WAS DEVELOPEDIn 1946, the Air Force awarded GeneralDynamicsj Astronautics (formerly Convair) thefirst U.S. research and development contract todevelop a ballistic missile. As the first step, Con-vair designers under Karel J. Bossart, now tech-nical director of General Dynamics [Astronautics,developed the MX-774 research rocket. DefenseDepartment economy cutbacks in 1947 forcedcancellation of this program, but Convair wasable to complete three MX-774s with unex-pended funds. They were launched at WhiteSands Proving Ground in 1948.

This remarkable MX-774 introduced threeinnovations which have been adopted univer-sally in rocket technology.

1. First swiveling engines for directional con-trol. (The only previous long-range rocket wasthe 200-mile German V-2, which was controlledby rudder-like graphite vanes in the jet stream.)

2. First integral tanks, with skin of the missileserving also as the wall of the propellant tanks,to effect a substantial saving in weight.

3. First separable nose cone.From the MX-774 test flights in 1948 until

early 1951, Convair continued limited ICBMstudies with its own engineering team. A newAir Force study and development contract wasawarded to Convair in 1951, and in 1954 theICBM was assigned top Air Force priority. Earlyin 1955, Convair received its present contractfor the Atlas.

Before the first missile was tested, directorsof General Dynamics Corporation appropriated$20 million for a new plant at San Diego, Calif.,for production of the Atlas and space vehicles.The Air Force supplied machine tools and otherheavy equipment of nearly equal value. Addi-tions to the plant have since raised GeneralDynamics' investment to more than $33 millionand more than 2 million sq. ft. of floor space.

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The Atlas program has been marked by agreatly compressed development cycle. In thenormal development of a weapon system, thesteps of design, system testing, flight testing,final design changes, and production follow inregulated sequence.

In the Atlas program, these steps were over-lapped to save time. Production facilities wereordered before the first missile had been built;design of the operational bases was started be-fore the first test flight; production was increasedearly in the flight-test program, and operationalbases were under construction midway in theresearch and development program.

It has been estimated that the development

cycle of modern weapon systems averages sevenyears. If the go-ahead of January 1955 is takenas the starting point for WS 107A-1, the systemattained operational capability in just over fourand one-half years.

In order to achieve this rapid pace, design anddevelopment of the many components and sys-tems in the missile are carried out according toan extremely detailed schedule. Each componentis tested as a unit; then when it is combined withother components into the next size, that unit istested, and so on until the missile is assembled.The results are tested by captive missile firingson a hold-down test pad, or in flights from CapeCanaveral, Fla.

Atlas captive testing started in 1956 at twoCalifornia sites: Sycamore Canyon, near SanDiego, and Edwards Rocket Site, northeast ofLos Angeles. The same missile is fired manytimes on these stands.

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Although flight conditions are simulated asmuch as possible in captive testing, it is not pos-sible to duplicate on the ground all the condi-tions a missile will meet in flight. The only wayto determine how a missile will react to thoseconditions is through an actual launching.

During a flight, data from more than 250 in-strumented points in the missile are radioedback to the ground over nearly 50 channels.The data, recorded on some 10 miles of mag-netic tape, include temperatures, vibrations,valve positions, accelerations, liquid flow rates,etc. This information forms the basis for moreadvanced testing on later flights. Thus, to theAir Force and General DynamicstAstronauticstechnicians, a flight can provide extremely valu-able information, even though it may not goentirely according to plan.

Atlas flight testing started in June 1957, usingSeries A missiles - the simplest version of theAtlas that would fly. As the flight-testing pro-gram progressed, additional systems were added

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until the initial operational configuration - theSeries D missile - was tested starting early inthe spring of 1959. The Series E missile be-came operational on 10 October 1961. SeriesF first became operational on 4 June 1962.

The "A" missile had only booster engines anddummy nose cone; "B" added the sustainer en-gine, guidance system, and separable nose cone;"C" incorporated refinements developed fromtesting the first two series, and the "D" addedadditional refinements. Series E and F followedwith more powerful engines, all-inertial guid-ance, and other flight and configuration im-provements.

The first full-range flight went more than6,000 statute miles on 18 November 1958. TheAtlas boosted itself into orbit and became anearth satellite on 18 December 1958.

A Series D Atlas successfully flew a 9,042-mile course with an operational-type nose coneon 26 May 1960.

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., is a com-bined operational and training base for ICBMs.Operational bases for Atlas are: Warren AirForce Base, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Offutt AFB,Omaha, Neb.; Fairchild AFB, Spokane, Wash.;

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Forbes AFB, Topeka, Kan.; Schilling AFB,Salina, Kan.; Lincoln AFB, Lincoln, Neb.; AltusAFB, Altus, Okla.; Dyess AFB, Abilene, Tex.;Walker AFB, Roswell, N.M., and PlattsburghAFB, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

HOW ATLAS IS MADEThe Atlas tank structure is a constant 10-ft.diameter and is made of thin, lightweight stain-less steel. The tanks maintain their shapethrough pressurization from helium or nitrogengas pressure; there is no stiffening by internalframework.

During handling, transportation, and prepara-tion on the flight pad, tank pressures of less than10 pounds per square inch are maintained.

All electrical and electronic systems arehoused in external pods along the missile tank.

The propulsion section includes a single sus-tainer engine mounted on the rear of the tankstructure, two booster engines which flank thesustainer, and two small vernier engines mountedexternally near the tank base.

All five engines are ignited on the ground.After a few minutes of flight, the booster en-

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gines and associated equipment are jettisoned tolighten the load. The sustainer engine continuesto accelerate the missile until it attains a velocityof about 16,000 miles per hour; then it is shutoff and the small vernier rockets "trim" thevelocity to the exact value required, and makeorientation corrections. After vernier shutdown,the nose cone is separated from the missile andfollows a purely ballistic (unguided) course tothe target.

MANAGEMENT OF ATLAS PROGRAMResearch and development phases of ProjectAtlas are directed by the Air Force SystemsCommand, Ballistic Systems Division, Ingle-wood, Calif. At Cape Canaveral, Astronauticslaunching complexes and assembly/checkoutbuildings are part of the Atlantic Missile Range.

As systems integrator for Project Atlas, As-tronautics builds the airframe, the autopilot sys-tem and various components; assembles andchecks out the missiles; conducts both captiveand flight tests; activates new Atlas bases underthe direction of the Ballistic Systems Division,and trains Air Force personnel who will man theoperational bases for the Strategic Air Command.

Associate contractors are Rocketdyne Divi-sion of North American Aviation, which buildsthe rocket engines; General Electric Companyand Burroughs Corporation, radio-inertial guid-ance; American Bosch Arma Corporation, all-inertial guidance; General Electric Companyand Avco, nose cones. Space Technology Lab-oratories serve as technical staff to the Air ForceSystems Command.

For its part of the Atlas task, Astronauticsdraws upon resources of more than 3,000 sub-contractors and suppliers in 41 states.

ATLAS IN SPACEAs the free world's first extensively tested ICBM,and the first to launch itself into orbit (Missile10-B), Atlas is a workhorse of the early spaceage. Missions accomplished or underway

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include:1. Project Mercury, the United States' man-

in-space program. The manned spacecraft wasdeveloped by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation,and boosted into orbit by Atlas. On 12 Feb-ruary 1962, an Atlas successfully launchedAstronaut John Glenn on the free world's firstearth-orbital flight. Glenn made three completetrips around the earth. On 24 May 1962, anAtlas placed Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter intoorbit, duplicating Glenn's achievement. Astro-naut Walter Schirra was Atlas-boosted on 3October 1962, completing six earth orbits. Proj-ect Mercury was concluded with a 22-orbitjourney by Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, whosespacecraft was placed into orbital path by anAtlas on 15 May 1963.

MERCURY SPACECRAFT

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MERCURY - ATLAS ATLAS-AGENA ATLAS-CENTAUR

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2. Project Centaur, a high-energy upper stagefor Atlas, capable of orbiting payloads of sev-eral tons. Centaur is built and tested by GeneralDynamics.Astronautics for the National Aero-nautics and Space Administration. Through itsuse of liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen poweredengines, Centaur is serving as the nation's majorresearch and development tool for the new tech-nology of hydrogen propulsion. The engineswere developed by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft.The first Atlas-Centaur flight test was conductedin May 1962.

General Dynamicsl.Astronautics launchesthese vehicles.CAPSULE INFORMATION ON ATLASLength: 75 ft. to 82.5 ft. depending on nose

cone type.Tank Diameter: 10 ft.Diameter of Propulsion Section Housing: 16 ft.Range: More than 9,000 miles.Weight: About 260,000 lb. at takeoff.Thrust: About 360,000 lb. attakeoff (SeriesD) ,

and 389,000 lb. at takeoff (Series E,and F).

Stages: One and one-half, so called because ofthe unique system of igniting all en-gines prior to launching. This elimi-nates any risk that the missile willabort through failure to achieve secondstage at high altitude.

Guidance: Radio-inertial (requiring a groundstation) and all-inertial (that is, com-pletely contained within the missile.)

ASTRONAUTICS ANDGENERAL DYNAMICSGeneral DynamicsAstronautics was establishedas a separate unit of the former Convair Divi-sion in 1957 to develop the Atlas missile andto expand Convair activity in the space field.In May 1961, Astronautics became a full divi-sion of General Dynamics Corporation. Astro-nautics is located in San Diego, Calif. Alsoin San Diego are General DynamicsConvair

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and General Atomic Division of General Dyn-amics Corporation. General Dynamics.Convairbuilds the medium-range 880 and the long-range 990 commercial jet transports. GeneralAtomic Division conducts research, develop-ment, and production in the nuclear field, andresearch in other scientific fields.

General Dynamics Corporation has theseother divisions and wholly owned subsidiary:

Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, built thefirst atomic-powered submarine. The Nautilusmade the first transpolar underwater cruise; theSkate navigated submerged over the North Poletwice, and the Seawolj set a 60-day underwaterendurance record. Electric Boat also producesnuclear submarines for launching of Polarismissiles.

General Dynamics'Electro Dynamic, Bay-onne, New Jersey, produces electric motors,generators, and motor generator sets of ad-vanced design.

General Dynamics'Fort Worth, Fort Worth,Texas, manufactures the Air ForceB-58 Hustler,the world's first supersonic bomber.

General Dynamics'Pomona, Pomona, Calif.,builds the Navy's Terrier and Tartar and Army'sRedeye missiles.

General Dynamics IElectronics, headquartersat Rochester, New York, manufactures electron-ics products.

General Dynamics ILiquid Carbonic, head-quarters in Chicago, Illinois, produces medicaland industrial gases.

Stromberg-Carlson, headquarters at Roches-ter, New York, manufactures communicationsequipment.

General Dynamics IMaterial Service, Chicago,Illinois, supplier of construction materials, coal,and limestone.

Canadair, Limited, Montreal, Canada, thelargest airframe builder in Canada, is a subsid-iary.

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GIIIIIIIIDGENERAL DVNAMICS

ASTRONAUTICS


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