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The Atlas was used as an expendable launch system, with both the Agena and Centaur upper stages, for the Mariner space probes used to explore Mercury, Venus, and Mars (1962–1973); and to launch ten of the Mercury program missions (1962–1963).
- December 17, 1957; 65 years ago
- 1957–2010s (decade)
Jan 1, 2021 · The two booster engines each had its own turbopump but shared a gas generator. The verniers received propellants from the sustainer. This configuration was used on Atlas D and Mercury-Atlas missiles. MA-3, produced from 1961 through 1966, consisted of two LR89-5 booster engines, an LR105-5 sustainer, and two LR101 vernier engines. The two ...
It also used in its first stage a Russian-produced rocket engine, the RD-180, the design of which was based on the RD-170 developed for the Soviet Energia and Zenit launch vehicles. The most recent version, the Atlas V, which entered service in 2002, has little in common with the original ballistic missiles or early space launchers of the same ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 13, 2023 · After proving itself with several Surveyor missions, NASA decided in the late 1960s to use the Atlas-Centaur to launch a series of space probes and satellites. Lewis worked with General Dynamics to improve the vehicle, referred to as the Centaur D or the Advanced Centaur.
May 25, 2020 · Convair engineers developed a “balloon” which was its fuel tank, always kept under pressure with either propellant or nitrogen gas to provide the needed rigidity. At launch three engines would fire using RP-1 and LOX as fuel.
Classification: Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Prototype. Length: 75 feet, 10 inches. Diameter: 10 feet. Range: 600 miles. Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: June 11, 1957. Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: June 3, 1958. Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: 8.
Finally, a highly-refined version of JP-4 known as RP-1 (Rocket Propellant 1) was developed. LOX was retained as the oxidizer. This combination became the basis for a number of rocket engines. Gas Generators - Steam-driven turbopumps, which had been used on the V-2 and Redstone, in addition to having power limitations, were heavy and complicated.