Encyclopedia Astronautica
Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
A- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Z

---

---

Jason sounding rocket

---

Jason

AKA: Argo; Argo E-5; Jason. Status: Retired 1958. First Launch: 1958-07-11. Last Launch: 1958-09-02. Number: 22 . Payload: 57 kg (125 lb). Thrust: 365.00 kN (82,055 lbf). Gross mass: 3,330 kg (7,340 lb). Height: 17.50 m (57.40 ft). Diameter: 0.58 m (1.90 ft). Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

They were used in July-September 1958 to study the effects before and after the Argus test series. The five stage vehicle consisting of an unmodified Honest John military rocket first stage, topped by two Nike stages in tandem, then a Recruit fourth stage and T-55 fifth stage. In later tests it was replaced by the simpler four-stage Javelin.

From NASA SOUNDING ROCKETS, 1958-1968 - A Historical Summary, NASA SP-4401, 1971, by William R. Corliss

During the first year of the existence of Goddard's Sounding Rocket Branch, several sounding rockets, whose development predated NASA, came into the "stable" of vehicles readily available to NASA. Chief among these were the Javelin and Journeyman, both in the so-called Argo series. The Argo series was developed by the Aerolab Development Co. under the sponsorship of NACA/NASA, with support from the Air Force Special Weapons Center, the Naval Bureau of Ordnance, and the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory.

The Argo vehicles were derived from a family of NACA/NASA hypersonic test vehicles, after the fashion of the Nike-Deacon and Nike-Cajun. Aerolab has designed a long series of Argo rockets, including the Argo E-20, designed to lift 4.5 kg (10 lb) to 24 384 m (80 000 ft); but only the Jason (Argo E-5), the Javelin (Argo D-4), and the Journeyman (Argo D-8) have seen significant use. NASA never employed the Jason, but it is the rocket that the Air Force employed to measure high-altitude nuclear radiation during the Argus experiments in the late summer of 1958, when nuclear weapons were exploded at high altitudes. NASA has used the Javelin to some extent. The Journeyman helped NASA gather radiation data prior to the Mercury flights and has also seen some Air Force use. In general, the Argos are rather large by sounding rocket standards. They were all put together from off-the-shelf military hardware, often following vehicle adaptations by Langley Research Center. NASA use of the Argo series has been minimal.

Payload: 57 kg (125 lb) to a 800 km altitude.

Country: USA. Launch Sites: Wallops Island, Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral LC10, Ramey. Stages: M-6, 1.5KS35000, M5E1, T-55. Agency: Aerolab. Bibliography: 2, 378.

• Test mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF AFSWC. Apogee: 20 km (12 mi).

• Test mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 20 km (12 mi).

• Test mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 750 km (460 mi). In 3-week period, 19 five-stage Argo E5 sounding rockets were launched in USAF-NACA program to measure radiation caused by Project Argus, rockets reaching 500-mile altitude and were launched from Wallops Island, AMR, and Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico..

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 693 km (430 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 937 km (582 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 817 km (507 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 817 km (507 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 878 km (545 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 830 km (510 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 825 km (512 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 699 km (434 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 815 km (506 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 745 km (462 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 789 km (490 mi).

• Nuclear test observation mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 789 km (490 mi).