Redstone (rocket)

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Redstone
Redstone launching Freedom 7.
Stages		1
1	Engines	1 * A-6
Thrust		78,000 lb (347 kN)
Burn time		~155 s
ISP		2599 Ns/kg
Fuels		Alcohol/LOX
Payload to 185 km 115 mi		1,300kg 2,850 lb

First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. It could be armed with a 1 Mt or 3.75 Mt thermonuclear warhead. It was used for the first live nuclear missile tests by the United States.

A product of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, under the leadership of Wernher von Braun, it was designed as a surface-to-surface missile for the U.S. Army and was first deployed in 1958. A total of four mobile launchers and equipment, with one reload each, (A total of 8 Redstone MRBM missiles) were deployed in West Germany until 1963. The Redstone was capable of flights up to 200 miles (300 km). It burned alcohol and liquid oxygen.

Redstone could be armed with a 1 Mt or 3.75 Mt thermonuclear warhead. The Redstone was used to launch two live nuclear tests that were detonated during the nuclear test series Operation Hardtack in August, 1958, from Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean. On August, 1, 1958, Redstone #CC50 launched nuclear test Teak that detonated at an altitude of 77.8-km. On August 12, 1958, Redstone #CC51 launched nuclear test Orange to a detonation altitude of 43 km. Both thermonuclear devices were 3.75 Mt weapons. These were the first live nuclear missile tests by the United States.

The Jupiter was a direct descendant of the Redstone. Many believe the U.S. could have beaten the Soviet Union into space if the ABMA had been allowed to attempt a satellite launch with the Jupiter-C.

Redstone was also responsible for the following suborbital launches in the United States Mercury program:

Mercury-Redstone 1, Launched 4 inches (100 mm)
Mercury-Redstone 1A, Successful unmanned flight
Mercury-Redstone 2 (Carrying Ham the chimpanzee)
Mercury-Redstone BD Booster Development - final test before manned flight
Freedom 7 (Mercury-Redstone 3), America's first human in space, Alan Shepard.
Liberty Bell 7 (Mercury-Redstone 4), America's second human in space, Gus Grissom.

Redstone production was halted in late 1964.

Mercury Redstone Sub-Orbital Flight Events

T+ Time	Event	Description
T+00:00:00	Liftoff	Mercury-Redstone lifts off, onboard clock starts.
T+00:00:16	Pitch Program	Redstone pitches over 2 deg/s from 90 deg to 45 deg.
T+00:00:40	End Pitch Program	Redstone reaches 45 deg pitch.
T+00:01:24	Max Q	Maximum dynamic pressure ~575 lb/ft² (28 kPa).
T+00:02:20	BECO	Redstone engine shutdown - Booster Engine Cutoff. Velocity 5,200 mph (2.3 km/s)
T+00:02:22	Tower Jettison	Escape Tower Jettison, no longer needed.
T+00:02:24	Capsule Separation	Posigrade rockets fire for 1 s giving 15 ft/s (4.6 m/s) separation.
T+00:02:35	Turnaround Maneuver	Capsule (ASCS) system rotates capsule 180 degrees, to heat shield forward attitude. Nose is pitched down 34 degrees to retro fire position.
T+00:05:00	Apogee	Apogee of about 115 miles (185 km) reached at 150 miles (240 km) downrange from launch site.
T+00:05:15	Retrofire	Three retro rockets fire for 10 seconds each. They are started at 5 second intervals, firing overlaps. Delta V of 550 ft/s (168 m/s) is taken off forward velocity.
T+00:05:45	Retract Periscope	Periscope is automatically retracted in preparation for reentry.
T+00:06:15	Retro Pack Jettison	One minute after retrofire retro pack is jettisoned, leaving heatshield clear.
T+00:06:20	Retro Attitude Maneuver	(ASCS) orients capsule in 34 degress nose down pitch, 0 degrees roll, 0 degrees yaw.
T+00:07:15	.05 G Maneuver	(ASCS) detects beginning of reentry and rolls capsule at 10 deg/s to stabilize capsule during reentry.
T+00:09:38	Drogue Parachute Deploy	Drogue parachute deployed at 22,000 ft (6.7 km) slowing descent to 365 ft/s (111 m/s) and stabilizing capsule.
T+00:09:45	Snorkel Deploy	Fresh air snorkel deploys at 20,000 ft (6 km). (ECS) switches to emergency oxygen rate to cool cabin.
T+00:10:15	Main Parachute Deploy	Main parachute deploys at 10,000 ft (3 km). Descent rate slows to 30 ft/s (9 m/s)
T+00:10:20	Landing Bag Deploy	Landing Bag Deploys, dropping heat shield down 4 ft (1.2 m).
T+00:10:20	Fuel Dump	Remaining hydrogen peroxide fuel automatically dumped.
T+00:15:30	Splashdown	Capsule lands in water about 300 mi (500 km) downrange from launch site.
T+00:15:30	Rescue Aids Deploy	Rescue aid package deployed. The package includes green dye marker, recovery radio beacon and whip antenna.

External link

The Mercury Redstone Project (PDF) December 1964
Redstone from Encyclopedia Astronautica
Redstone MRBM History Website
http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/systems/redstone/welcome.html

Redstone (rocket)

Mercury Redstone Sub-Orbital Flight Events

External link

Redstone family of missiles and launch vehicles