Layman's
Gruide to
Rockets and
Missiles
by Kevin V. Brown
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INSTRUMENTS
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thrown, quinary iiiiaimca "Be
heads. Research missiles throw in-
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missiles will throw man into space.
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Here, in simple Terms, are
Air-to-air missiles are smallest in missile family. Fired I
from one aircraft aqainst another, their role is air defense. I
Air-to-ground missiles extend range and accuracy of I Ground-to-air missiles
eonv.ntional bombs, can also carry larger warheads. I replace antiaircraft.
Ground-to-ground mis
siles include guided
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F-IOIB with Genie
B-50 bomber drops Rascal
Nike-Hercules
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Suddenly, almost bewilderingly, we are living in
the age of rockets and missiles. America s
giant aircraft industries, which turned out
hundreds of thousands of fighters and bombers for
World War II and Korea, today are devoting more
than half their production to missiles. Other firms
are wholly involved in manufacturing components.
While old-time airmen claim manned aircraft will
never be replaced, the demand for missiles increases
steadily, decreases for pilots and planes. The dra
matic impact of the earth satellites, launched by
rocket-powered multistage missiles, only empha
sized the presence of these weapons of the future.
Details of these incredibly complex vehicles some
missiles may contain as many as 300,000 individual
parts are understood only by experts. But there
are basic principles which the average person can,
and should, understand. Here, in simple terms, is a
primer course on rockets and missiles.
Where did it all begin?
In China, more than 700 years ago. As early as
1232 long before the invention of guns Chinese
were firing rockets in warfare. They aren't even new
in America. In 1812 at Fort McHenry, "the rockets'
red glare" inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The
Star Spangled Banner." Until modern improve
ments, however, rockets were too erratic and much
less effective than firearms. The first really success
ful rocket and the direct ancestor of today's mis
sileswas the German V-2, used to bomb London
during World War II.
What If a rocket?
A toy balloon is a simple rocket. When inflated, it
has internal pressure that wants to get out. Release
the nozzle, and the balloon spurts away.
Basically, a rocket is just a highly refined toy
balloon: a pressurized chamber with one opening.
The pressure, created by burning extremely power
ful fuels, acts in all directions. Pressures against the
side walls balance each other, but the pressure
toward the nozzle is released resulting in an un
balanced pressure in the opposite direction. This
obeys Newton's third law of motion: a force in one
direction (toward the opening) creates an equal
force in the opposite direction (toward the front).
A common misconception is that a rocket move
because its exhaust "pushes" on the outside air. Just
the reverse is true: the exhaust merely escapes; it's
the "push" on the front wall that drives the rocket
forward. If it needed air to push on, a rocket could
never operate in outer space where there is no air.
However, to define rockets used in moderg mis
siles, it would be more accurate to call them rocket
engines. They perform the same function as jet en
gines. By itself, a rocket is just a Fourth of July toy.
How maay kinds of rocket 09)001 ore tkoro?
Two, solid- and liquid-fueled.
Solid fuel is a mixture of chemicals which, when
ignited, can burn by itself. It looks like a block of
chalk, and can be stored in the rocket engine, ready
to fire at any time.
Liquid fuel is more powerful and longer-burning,
but also more complicated. Actually, two liquids are
needed, a fuel and an oxidizer. The fuel must be
mixed with the oxidiier before it can burn, just as
gasoline must be mixed with air in a car engine.
Liquid-fuel systems are complicated because the
fuel and oxidizer need oeparate storage tanks, plus
pumps or some other pressure to force them into the
rocket chamber for firing. This extra equipment adds
extra weight and takes up extra space. Also, unlike
solid iuel, liquid fuel can't bo loaded into the missile
until just before take-off.
Solid fuel, bacaue it's compact and convenient,
is widcey used in smtllir missiles. Liquid fuel, be
cause it products more power for longer periods, is
used in lrger mieailtc, which can accommodate the
xtrf, equipment
h o a
It's the othe kind of enfjne used in modern
WINGS AND KUODEKS TAIL FINS FINLESS
(SWIVELS ENGINE)
A k I HOMING jP&C I J 7
2 -
2
AlrfrooM is body of missile. It in
cludes steering mechanism. Some
use wings and rudders; some have
only tail fins; some swivel engines
the same as outboard motorboats.
3
system tells missile which
way to steer. Radar types use re
flected echoes; homing types, im
pulses from target; inertial types use
gyros; celestial types track the stars.
4
too, loo is power that throws missile.
Ramjet and turbojet engines are
"air-breathers," can't operate out
side atmosphere. Solid-rocket and
liquid-rocket engines go anywhere.
tic things every citizen should know about the fantastic developments of the space age.
1
and ballistic missiles. Tent explains basic difference.
Short-range types are front-line Army artillery weapons.
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Intermediate- and intercontinental-range types replace
long-range bombers, can carry thermonuclear warheads.
Multi-stage missiles, including the satellite-launchers,
stack two, three, or more missiles on top of one another.
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5 I (I 1 !)-"
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I 4
Matador take-off
Jupiter IRBM
Snark, 5,000-mile guided missile
Atlas ICBM
Jupiter-C
Vanguard
missiles and airplanes. It also works on Newton's
principle of action and reaction, with one basic dif
ference. A rocket engine is self-contained; it carries
both fuel and oxidizer and operates independently
of the outside atmosphere. A jet engine carries only
fuel, getting its oxidizer (oxygen from the air) in
flight Instead of one opening, it needs two; its gets
air through the front opening, but blows its exhaust
out the rear opening the same as a rocket The thing
to remember, then, is that a jet engine is an "air
breather" and can't operate outside the earth's
atmosphere, while a rocket engine can.
How May klod of et eootaes are Mere?
Two ramjet and turbojet
A ramjet engine is aptly called a "flying stove
pipe." It's practically a hollow tube with no moving
parts. The air enters the front end, is mixed with
fuel and burned, and the hot gases are blown out
the rear end. Its advantage is simplicity; its dis
advantage is that it can't draw the air in, but must
be flown fast enough through the air so that the air
is literally "rammed" into the front end. A ramjet
engine, then, needs auxiliary power such as booster
rockets for take-off. Once in flight, however, it's
capable of supersonic speeds.
A turbojet engine has moving parts. One of them,
the compressor, draws air in the front end and
forces it into the combustion chamber. Another, the
turbine, is mounted on the same shaft as the com-
Staff writer Kevin V. Breton
was a fighter pilot during World War and ha since been
a member of the Air Force Reserve. To gather material for this
special Family Weekly article, he recently visited civilian
and military establishments throughout the country and
interviewed expert in the Pentagon, and at the missile testing
center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. This resulting article is an
attempt to bridge the ever-widening gap between our
fast-growing arsenal of missiles and what the
average citizen knows about them.
pressor and is spun by the exhaust gases. Thus, as
the exhaust rushes toward the rear opening, it spins
the turbine, which spins the compressor, which
draws in more air. So the whole cycle is continuous
until the fuel supply is cut off.
Ramjet engines, because of the take-off problem,
are confined to use in a few missiles. Turbojet en
gines, because they can be started on the ground,
are widely used in both missiles and airplanes.
What Is a nltille?
It's something that's thrown. In modern terms,
however, a missile is something that can throw itself
and change its course in flight. Depending on its
size, it's anything from an "intelligent" bullet to a
pilotless airplane. It consists of four things: the
thing that's thrown (the payload), the power that
throws it (the engine), the thing that aims it (the
guidance system), and the body that holds the whole
thing together (the airframe).
How oiaoy kiods of alrfraoios aro tkoro?
As many as there are kinds of missiles. Each mis
sile is built for a different purpose with different
equipment end each needs its own body design, the
same as airplanes or automobiles. An important part
of the airframe is the control system, or steering
mechanism. Some airframes have wings and rudders,
i !
" i
Family Weekly. June 29, 195
26
Family Weekly. J""' 29. 195