RM-86 Exos

The Exos, originally designated RM-86 and later PWN-4, was a sounding rocket developed by the University of Michigan and NACA for use by the United States Air Force.

FunctionSounding rocket
ManufacturerUniversity of Michigan
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height12.941 metres (42 ft 5.5 in)
Diameter580 millimetres (22.9 in)
Mass2,660 kilograms (5,870 lb)
StagesThree
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesEglin AFB
Total launches10
Success(es)9
Failure(s)1
First flightJune 26, 1958
Last flightNovember 2, 1965

History

Developed by the University of Michigan for use by the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Exos used a three-stage configuration, consisting of a first-stage rocket from an Honest John rocket, a second stage from a Nike-Ajax surface-to-air missile, and a Thiokol XM19 upper stage.[1] It was designated XRM-86 in April 1959, and redesignated PWN-4A in June 1963.[2]

Utilising a rail launcher, the first launch of a full Exos vehicle took place in June 1958,[2] launched from the Wallops Flight Facility.[3] Eight operational launches took place between 1960 and 1965, launched from Eglin Air Force Base.[4]

Launch history

Date (UTC) Rocket Launch site Apogee Outcome Mission[4]
26 June 1958ExosWallops Island370 kilometres (230 mi)SuccessTest launch
25 September 1958ExosWallops Island460 kilometres (290 mi)SuccessTest launch
19 February 1960 ExosEglin AFB37 kilometres (23 mi)FailureChemical release research
11 August 1961 ExosEglin AFB114 kilometres (71 mi)SuccessIonospheric research
3 August 1962 ExosEglin AFB365 kilometres (227 mi)SuccessBipolar Probe ionospheric research
25 October 1962 ExosEglin AFB669 kilometres (416 mi)SuccessIonospheric research
25 July 1963 ExosEglin AFB623 kilometres (387 mi)SuccessIonospheric research
25 May 1965 ExosEglin AFB488 kilometres (303 mi)SuccessIonospheric research
2 November 1965 ExosEglin AFB686 kilometres (426 mi)SuccessInternational Quiet Sun Year aeronomy mission

References

Citations

  1. Skoog and Hall 1990, p.214.
  2. Parsch 2002
  3. Shortal 1978, p.581.
  4. Wade, Mark. "Exos Archived 2003-09-04 at the Wayback Machine". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Accessed 2014-05-11.

Bibliography

  • Parsch, Andreas (2002). "University of Michigan RM-86/PWN-4 Exos". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  • Shortal, Joseph Adams (1978). A New Dimension, Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years. Hampton, VA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ASIN B004VJHCKC.
  • Skoog, Å. Ingemar and R. Cargill Hall, ed. (1990). History of Rocketry and Astronautics: Proceedings of the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth History Symposia of the International Academy of Astronautics. AAS History Series. Vol. 10. Springfield, Virginia: American Astronautical Society. ISBN 978-0-87703-329-5.
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