Skokie (rocket)

Skokie was a family of research vehicles developed by the Cook Electric Co. for the United States Air Force during the mid to late 1950s. Launched from a B-29 bomber, Skokie 1 was an unpowered, ballistic vehicle, while Skokie 2 was rocket-propelled; both were used for evaluating and testing high-speed parachute recovery systems.

Skokie 2
FunctionExperimental rocket
ManufacturerCook Electric Co.
Country of originUnited States
Size
HeightSkokie 1: 7.6 metres (25 ft)
Skokie 2: 9.8 metres (32 ft)
DiameterSkokie 1: 510 millimetres (20 in)
MassSkokie 1: 1,100 kilograms (2,400 lb)
Skokie 2: 1,400 kilograms (3,000 lb)
StagesOne
Launch history
StatusRetired
First stage – JATO
Powered by3
Maximum thrust49 kN (11,000 lbf) each
PropellantSolid

Design and development

Intended for use in evaluating high-speed parachute systems for the recovery of missiles and unmanned aircraft,[1] Skokie was a simple, inexpensively-designed vehicle, consisting of a tube with a long spike on the nose to reduce damage while landing under parachute.[2] Named after the hometown of the Cook Electric Co., their manufacturer,[3] Skokie 1 had four aft-mounted stabilizing fins;[4] Skokie 2 had a tri-fin arrangement,[5] with three solid-propellant rockets, of a type similar to that used for rocket-assisted take offs, externally mounted between them.[2] The vehicle was equipped with instrumentation to record the deployment of the two-stage parachute; a high-speed camera was also fitted.[5] Skokie I descended ballistically at high subsonic speed; the rocket-powered Skokie II could reach Mach 2 before deploying its parachute.[2]

Mission profile

Skokie was launched from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber at 30,000 feet (9.1 km) in altitude.[2] On each drop, the vehicle would deploy an initial parachute to calibrate the onboard equipment, following which it would be released to allow the vehicle to build up speed.[6] A drogue parachute would be deployed once the vehicle reached a speed slightly below terminal velocity;[7] after deceleration, the main parachute of 88 feet (27 m) in diameter would deploy.[6]

References

Citations
  1. Jacobs and Whitney 1962, p.170.
  2. Haley 1959, p.153.
  3. Aero Digest Volume 68 (1954), p.46.
  4. Bowman 1957, p.193.
  5. Parsch 2003
  6. Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.192.
  7. Downing 1956, p.10.

Bibliography
  • Bowman, Norman John (1957). The Handbook of Rockets and Guided Missiles. Chicago: Perastadion Press. ASIN B0007EC5N4.
  • Downing, J. Robert (1956). Recovery Systems for Missiles and Target Aircraft. Wright-Patterson AFB, OH: Wright Air Development Division. ASIN B009B3EJ1I.
  • Haley, Andrew G. (1959). Rocketry and Space Exploration. Princeton, NJ: D. Van Nostram Company. ASIN B000GB0580.
  • Jacobs, Horace; Eunice Engelke Whitney (1962). Missile and Space Projects Guide 1962. New York: Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4899-6967-5.
  • Ordway, Frederick Ira; Ronald C. Wakeford (1960). International Missile and Spacecraft Guide. New York: McGraw-Hill. ASIN B000MAEGVC.
  • Parsch, Andreas (21 October 2003). "Cook Skokie". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles. Designation-Systems. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
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