The spacecraft of the day at 1/220!

[Jan Kytop]

By adding a second stage to the Thor missile (which is the second stage of the Vanguard rocket, running on UDMH and nitric acid), we obtain the Thor Able.
It is used by the US Air Force to test RV (atmospheric re-entry vehicle protection) for the nuclear payload of the future Atlas missile.
By adding a third solid propellant stage, we obtain a launcher capable of sending the Pioneer probe to the Moon.
All three launches are failures.

The model, available here:
Niels papermodels
represents the Thor Able 130 of the second shot that narrowly failed. Due to a guidance problem and poor separation of the second stage, the probe could not accelerate sufficiently and fell back into the Pacific.
But Thor Able's career is not over yet

[Jan Kytop]

On April 1, 1960, a new Thor-Able is fired by NASA.
It puts into orbit the first meteorological satellite TIROS 1 (Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite) which will in particular discover the spiral winding of the large cloud systems.
A model of the site:
Niels papermodels





The first television picture of the earth from space:

[Butelczynski]

Nice line up.Very impressive.Were those missiles developed further?

Btw-do you know if anyone did models of Chinese or Russian developments of V2 rocket?

Looking at pictures some of them had different sections installed ahead of engine so it wouldn't be just a matter of recoloring V2.

[Jan Kytop]

Originally Posted by Butelczynski

Nice line up.Very impressive.Were those missiles developed further?

Btw-do you know if anyone did models of Chinese or Russian developments of V2 rocket?

Looking at pictures some of them had different sections installed ahead of engine so it wouldn't be just a matter of recoloring V2.

Thank you.
Mark Cable have produced two russian V2, SS-1 and SS-2.

[Jan Kytop]

In 1960, a more powerful variant of the Able stage was developed. In addition, for the first time in the world this stage could be reactivated in flight, which allowed better insertion in orbit.
The rocket becomes the Thor Ablestar.
19 will be fired (including 7 failures) with mainly communication and navigation satellites for the army.
The Thor Ablestar disappears in 1965 but its evolution will know a great success.
Model from Scissorsandplanes.

[dhanners]

Excellent work on some workhorses from rocketry' early days!

[Jan Kytop]

Thak you dhanners!


Some Thors repatriated from the United Kingdom will be equipped with a solid fuel second stage and an innovative stabilisation and guidance system and become Thor Burner.
The model represents a Thor Burner 2, (12 firings from 1966 to 1971 without failures, mainly military meteorological satellites).
Model from Scissorsandplanes.

[Jan Kytop]

Equipped with a third stage, the Thor Burner 2 becomes the Thor Burner 2A (8 launches of military weather satellites, the last one in February 1976 with 1 failure).
Scissorsandplanes model:

[group b]

Great collection. I see some models for the first time.

[Butelczynski]

Out of above photo I'm vaguely familiar with maybe 3 and I'm sure I've seen the photos of them somewhere rather than from reading material.

This is very good way to learn.My visual memory is far better than any other.