Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated 16 September 1954, reports on a September meeting of the Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel at the Naval Research Laboratory, Anacostia, chaired by James A. Van Allen. It summarizes briefings on the capabilities of research rockets such as the Viking and Aerobee and on a three-phase earth satellite program. It also covers Project Orbiter planning and funding for the International Geophysical Year. The author concludes that a satellite could likely be orbited by that year given high government priority.
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(1) A launch study to determine where and how the vehicle should be launched, the logistics requirements, and the range risks involved. Following the correlation of these four studies, construction of the actual vehicle will be commenced. All considers that successful correlation of project will lead into the launching of a vehicle similar to the Liverpool, I.e., an instrumented vehicle using a polar orbit at an altitude of 200 miles. It is expected that the vehicle would remain alert for ten days while the could probably maintain the credit for about one month. It can cover organized that if equipment being is available for project, the right will be used during the international economical year. No laid great stress on the necessity for the United States being the first in launching an I.e. said that project was absolutely essential to achieve this end. 8. The bullet of the torpedo barrel then gave a briefing on the helicopter. As a tactical weapon, has a range of 170 miles with a trajectory apex of 60 miles. If used as a research tool, it has a vertical range of 120 miles with a maximum of about 100 pounds. The required height is now under consideration to have a vertical range of 270 miles with an maximum of about 100 pounds. The torpedo barrel is now designed for production of these torpedes as research instruments. The yield cost 70,000 to 100,000 per missile if more than one missile are produced. They have a speed of approximately 400. described to be used in the vehicle that are developing as an air force support. The vehicle comprises two clusters of fixed rockets; the first cluster of arm acting as the first stage to carry the second cluster of four constituting the second stage. It has a mass of 10 and a weight of 10 pounds. It is designed vertically from an altitude of 10,000 feet, it is designed to contour at an angle of 100 miles. It is planned to use either a flashing line system or a folding radar reflector for tracking purposes. It is directed to get an altitude of 200 miles. With point I rockets, the second stage develops 100 miles. The vehicle has yet to be fitted vertically as a research instrument. It is indicated that the second stage cluster could be adapted to carry 12 pounds of rugged towing equipment. 10. The motorized briefly on a design which they are designed to consist of the kind booster as the first or second rocket as the second one. It is represented that the vehicle could attain an altitude of 1,39,000 feet. It would be very low cost, in the range of .7,000 to .3,000.
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 5 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.