Mercury/Redstone/Jupiter?

Reading this webpage:

http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/fieldgu...r/mr-ccas.html

It says that unfortunately it was made from a Redstone instead of a
Jupiter C. The Redstone is shorter and gets narrower near the top.
(I can see that too.)

Were the sub-orbital Mercury capsules really launched on Jupiters? If
so, then why were they called Redstones? (I know that Jupiter and
Redstone are basically the same.)

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Were the sub-orbital Mercury capsules really launched on Jupiters? If
so, then why were they called Redstones? (I know that Jupiter and
Redstone are basically the same.) BRBR


This gets complicated.
The Jupiter missile was a very different beast than Redstone, although designed
by the same guys using a lot of the same technology.
However, around the time Redstone became operational as a weapon, some
Redstones used in reentry vehicle tests received the designation "Jupiter C" to
make them look like part of the high-priority Jupiter missile R&D program.
They were lengthened a little, given upper stages, and the engine was upgraded
from the A-6 to a configuration called the A-7. After a few RV tests
succeeded, the rest of the modified Redstone/Jupiter Cs became satellite
launchers for the Explorer satelllites. These were retroactively called "Juno
I," though the name was rarely used. There were plenty of Redstones left to be
applied to the Mercury program and some other things, like a satellite launcher
called Sparta. Just to make things really confusing, some Jupiter missiles
were modified with upper stages to create a launcher called the Juno II for
satellites and lunar probes.

And that's the SIMPLE version of the story

Shameless plug: for more, read my new book The First Space Race, shipping NOW
from Amazon.com.


Matt Bille
)
OPINIONS IN ALL POSTS ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR

On 02 Sep 2004 00:18:45 GMT, (MattWriter) wrote:



And that's the SIMPLE version of the story

Shameless plug: for more, read my new book The First Space Race, shipping NOW
from Amazon.com.


Aren't you glad NASA didn't follow through with the Mercury-Jupiter?


One more thing to explain. ;-)


-Rusty Barton

On 02 Sep 2004 00:18:45 GMT, (MattWriter) wrote:

The Jupiter missile was a very different beast than Redstone, although designed
....

I gather that the "Mercury" Redstone was really more like an elongated
Jupiter C first stage than a traditional Redstone. Is that right?

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I gather that the "Mercury" Redstone was really more like an elongated
Jupiter C first stage than a traditional Redstone. Is that right

Hmm...that's a question I never thought to ask. (My book ends with 1959) How
about it, Mercury buffs?


Matt Bille
)
OPINIONS IN ALL POSTS ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR

On 02 Sep 2004 14:11:05 GMT, (MattWriter) wrote:


I gather that the "Mercury" Redstone was really more like an elongated
Jupiter C first stage than a traditional Redstone. Is that right

Hmm...that's a question I never thought to ask. (My book ends with 1959) How
about it, Mercury buffs?


Matt Bille
)
OPINIONS IN ALL POSTS ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR


The Mercury Redstone had elongated tanks like the Jupiter-C, but used
Alcohol-LOX propellant like the Redstone MRBM. I believe some Juno I's
and Jupiter-C used Hydyne-LOX propellant.

These diagrams show the Redstone, Jupiter-C, Mercury-Redstone and
Jupiter IRBM:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...-45/fig4.1.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:J...piter_IRBM.jpg



- Rusty Barton

Rusty Barton wrote in message . ..
On 02 Sep 2004 14:11:05 GMT, (MattWriter) wrote:


I gather that the "Mercury" Redstone was really more like an elongated
Jupiter C first stage than a traditional Redstone. Is that right


The Mercury Redstone had elongated tanks like the Jupiter-C, but used
Alcohol-LOX propellant like the Redstone MRBM. I believe some Juno I's
and Jupiter-C used Hydyne-LOX propellant.

These diagrams show the Redstone, Jupiter-C, Mercury-Redstone and
Jupiter IRBM:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...-45/fig4.1.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:J...piter_IRBM.jpg


As the diagrams show, most of the extra Mercury-Redstone length
was due to the interstage adapter that replaced the missile's
guidance/warhead sections.

- Ed Kyle
in

On 3 Sep 2004 07:28:25 -0700, (ed kyle) wrote:

As the diagrams show, most of the extra Mercury-Redstone length
was due to the interstage adapter that replaced the missile's
guidance/warhead sections.

Did the interstage start at the top of that 37.50 mark in the
diagrams? Was the interstage part the part that was painted with the
stripes?



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On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 10:38:44 -0400, Jud McCranie
wrote:

On 3 Sep 2004 07:28:25 -0700, (ed kyle) wrote:

As the diagrams show, most of the extra Mercury-Redstone length
was due to the interstage adapter that replaced the missile's
guidance/warhead sections.

Did the interstage start at the top of that 37.50 mark in the
diagrams? Was the interstage part the part that was painted with the
stripes?


Yes, the insturment compartment began at the 37.5 ft mark.

Here are diagrams of the Mercury-Redstone instrument comparttment.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...45/fig4.12.htm

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...s/mercury6.gif

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...s/mercury9.gif



Mercury-Redstone 1 had a different black and white pattern than later
ones, its black and white pattern did not cover the whole instrument
compartment:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...SC-61C-181.jpg


Mercury-Redsone 1A, 2, 3 and 4 had the black and white pattern that
covered the entire insturment compartment:

Mercury-Redstone 1A (unmanned test - new booster, reused MR-1
capsule).
http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/lores/S62-08106.jpg

Mercury-Redstone BD (unmanned booster development)
http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/MEDIUM/9801802.jpg

Mercury-Redstone 2 (carried Ham the chimp):
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...C-61C-1012.jpg

Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7 - Alan Shepard)
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...g-S61-1927.jpg

Mercury-Redstone 4 (Liberty-Bell 7 - Gus Grissom)
http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/MEDIUM/6414824.jpg


-Rusty Barton

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 08:56:27 -0700, Rusty Barton
wrote:

Here are diagrams of the Mercury-Redstone instrument comparttment.

Thank you for all those links!

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