Be advised that I have changed ISP and this commercemarketplace.com/home/CollectAir address has been changed to simply
collectair.com which you can access by:
This site will not be updated and is available only to redirect visitors to the new ISP; the new site has been updated and refined for improved readability and uniformity. Thank you for visiting CollectAir. Contact email is collectair@verizon.net.
Missiles and space comprise a distinctly different aspect of the aeronautics field and partially, at least, fall into the purview of astronautics. The Chinese invented rocketry centuries ago as it was reported that a scholar and scientist, Wan Ha (or Wan Hoo), lashed 47 large powder rockets to his stately sedan chair which was suspended between two balloons, had 47 coolies ignite the fuses and launched himself in a cloud of smoke into outer space, never to be heard from again. But, from a practical aspect inasmuch as I can't read Chinese, this section of CollectAir will commence chronologically following the Wright Brothers' aerial endeavors. In America, Clark University physics professor and inventor Robert H. Goddard launched the first rocket using liquid propellant on March 16, 1926 at Auburn, Massachusetts. This flight was far less auspicious than Wan Ha's as it didn't quite make it into outer space but fell at 184 feet after 2.5 seconds. However, it is really the beginning of missiles and space in America and the world.
In this Missiles & Space section, expect to find "stuff" concerning anything that flies, aerodynamically or not, guided or not, manned or not, real or fiction, that can't be conveniently and conventionally classified as an "airplane" or "lighter than air" and maybe a few things that defy classification. Is the shuttle a "space ship" or an "airplane"?
The illustration above is by the famous artist and writer, Chesley Bonestell (more on him later on this page). Plate XVIII from the 1961 book Man and the Moon by Bonestell has a caption that reads, "The tanks of a moon rocket's third stage are being refilled while in orbit 1,075 miles above the coast of California. Only the winged fifth stage will return to earth after the moon journey."
To order any item on this page, see information at the bottom of the page.
DOUGLAS DELTA B/C ROCKET MODEL
An unusual Douglas Aircraft display model of the Delta B/C launch vehicle from the1962 through 1969 period (last launch of the Delta C). Evolving directly from the U.S. Air Force Thor IRBM, the Delta space launch vehicle was designed for NASA in 1959 to handle a variety of satellite payload applications. Originally a temporary vehicle to be used as an interim solution, the Delta family of rockets evolved as the prime, reliable foundation for launching intermediate-weight civilian payloads. Delta has been a mainstay of the U.S. rocket stable since its introduction in 1960.
The non-military nature of the original Delta vehicle is historically significant, since it was the reason the booster family was given the name it still holds. The military Thor IRBM had already been adapted for satellite launches prior to the introduction of the Delta vehicle. The first three Thor-based satellite launchers were called Thor-Able, Thor-Able-Star and Thor-Agena A, based on the respective names of the rocket's upper stage configurations. The intended name Thor-Delta represented the fourth upper stage configuration for the Thor-based space launch vehicle, because Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. Because the vehicle was designed primarily to be a civilian satellite launcher, the name Thor was eliminated so that the rocket could be better distinguished from its military relatives.
The roots of Delta began in a 1954 USAF Request for Proposals for an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile capable of carrying a thermonuclear bomb 1,500 miles — the distance from England to Moscow. The Douglas Aircraft Company was selected to build a design that utilized the warhead and guidance system already in development for the Atlas missile.For propulsion it used the engine from the Navaho cruise missile. Sixty-five feet long and eight feet in diameter, it could fit inside a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II for easy transportation to a launch site. The first Thor IRBM was ready to fly in August 1956, just seven months after Douglas was commissioned to build it. By September 1957 Thor had successfully flown to a range of 1,250 miles while heavily weighted down by instrumentation. The first operational Thors were deployed in England by the end of 1958 and remained there until August 1963.
Thor-Delta used a Thor booster powered by a Rocketdyne MB-3 engine burning liquid oxygen and kerosene; and upper stages derived from Vanguard: the Aerojet AJ-10-118 (nitric acid/hydrazine) second stage previously used in Thor-Able, and the Allegheny Ballistics Laboratory X-248 solid motor as a third stage. The use of already available parts allowed Delta to be ready just 18 months after receiving the go-ahead. The first Thor-Delta flew on 13 May 1960 but failed due to a problem with attitude control in the second stage. Three months later, on 12 August, the Echo 1 reflight was a total success, as a 100-foot diameter aluminized mylar balloon inflated in orbit, providing a reflective surface so that two-way voice signals could be bounced from ground stations on the west and east coasts. The passive communications experiment of Echo 1A constitutes the first communications satellite in history. The orignal Topping Thor Delta model is shown immediately follwing this B/C model.
In 1962 Douglas Aircraft began a series of upgrades and modifications which would increase Delta's capacity tenfold over the next nine years. The Delta A used an improved MB-3 engine (Block II), and the Delta B model was an A with a lengthened second stage using higher energy oxidizer. The Delta C model added a bulbous fairing for greater payload space and used as its third stage the X-258 motor developed for the Scout rocket.
Delta brought on the Telecommunications Revolution. Due to its reliability and the fact that its capacity closely matched the relatively small size of early satellites, the Delta vehicle quickly became the workhorse of satellite communications and weather observation. Much of this information has come from two excellent websites; for detailed data on the Delta, Click here for Kevin Forsyth's site, or Click here for space vehicle data at Astronautix, both worth a visit for the space vehicle enthusiast. The Delta C launched many versions of the Explorer, Tiros, and the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO).
This handsome model of the Delta C in 1:32 scale is a representation of many of the B and C rockets of the Delta series - there were various markings and several configurations of the payload. This large, 32-inch model is mounted on a 34-inch board with two, stand-off stanchions for wall display; it was exhibited in a museum. The main engine nozzle and base fins are shown below.
The third stage has a metal dowel attachment and is removable.
The model is constructed from several materials. It appears to be lathe-turned phenolic, at least in part, and perhaps some laminated wood and metal; the fins are metal and possibly the first stage body. It is not fiberglas. At least forty-years old, the model shows some signs of finish aging in the second stage, tapered area with some longitudinal hairline cracks in the paint finish. The closeups shown below over emphasize this area with bright sun on the finish. Although easily repainted, I recommend leaving the finish "as-is" as the checking is barely visible and doesn't detract from the model's appearance but adds to its "maturity". The "United States" decal is original.
The Delta series of vehicles, now engineered by Boeing, has developed into the currently flown Delta II, III and new Delta IV, all of which bear little resemblance to their forebears other than the lineage. This exceptional Delta C space piece is in superb condition and is available for $1250.00.
TOPPING THOR SPACE VEHICLE SET - 1961
The single-stage Thor IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) entered active military service in September 1958, becoming the free world's first operational IRBM. The Thor was launched from a combination transporter-erector vehicle; the missile was guided by a self-contained inertial guidance system. The Thor's range was 1,725 statute miles; this limitation required deployment to an allied country closer to the Soviet Union. An agreement was reached with England and the RAF where RAF crews would train (by SAC) as the launch crews and the missiles would be based in the U.K. By the end of 1959, three squadrons of Thor IRBMs were operational with a fourth ready by April 1960, all in a state of combat readiness by the RAF. Thor stations were at RAF Feltwell, RAF Hemswell, RAF Driffield and RAF N. Luffenham. Newer missiles replaced the Thor and it was retired in 1963. The missiles were then used for space research, either as a single-stage booster or in combination with various types of upper stages for such projects as Tiros, Telstar, Pioneer, and Discoverer programs.
The original Topping Thor IRBM model with the transporter-erector is shown below.
Model is shown in the transported position. For another view of this model in erected position, click here, or for a detail view of the base, click here, or here for nose clamp detail. Use the back arrow to return.
This Topping boxed Space Vehicle set from 1961 is a combination of the Thor booster and four upper stages used for space research. As previously mentioned for the Delta rocket series, the name Thor was abandoned for the civilian program. This set uses the name Thor Delta for the very first of the Delta series, prior to changing the name.
.
Descriptions of each of the upper stage vehicles follows:
Thor Able-4. The Thor Able combination consisted of the basic Thor missile, which was propelled by a Rocketdyne MB-3-I motor, and the Able two-stage vehicle which was built by Space General and was originally used for the Vanguard launch vehicle. It appeared in various configurations. The Thor Able combination had a length of up to 89.9 feet and was capable of launching a 251.3 lb. payload into a low-Earth orbit. The only Thor Able-4 flight took place on 11 March 1960.
Aviation Week magazine of November 27, 2006 featured a photo on page 20 of the Lockheed Martin/USAF GPS satellite being launched by a Boeing Delta II rocket as it is framed in the photo by a 50-year-old Thor-Able rocket displayed at the Air Force Space & Missiles Museum at Cape Canaveral, Florida with the comment that, "The Thor gave birth to the modern Delta."
Able Star The Thor Able Star, initially known as Thor Epsilon, combined an improved basic Thor vehicle, designated as DM-21, with a new second stage based on the Able and built by Space General, giving it a total length of 77.99 ft. The vehicle was also identified as DSV-2A and DSV-6. The combination had an orbiting capability of 595.2 lb. into low-Earth orbit and was used between 13 April 1960 and 13 August 1965 for 19 flights of which five failed. Several photos of the Thor Able Star are presented below.
Agena-B Originally known as Hustler after the Bell motor (see Bell Rascal missile on this page), the Agena upper stage was developed by Lockheed and had a Bell liquid fueled motor. It was fitted with the basic Thor first stage to create the Thor Agena A, Thor Agena B and Thor Agena D combinations, while the upper stage was also combined with improved developments of the Thor first stage, resulting in the TAT Agena B, TAT Agena D and Thorad Agena D versions. The Thor Agena B used the DM-21 first stage version with an improved upper stage which incorporated a re-start capability. This gave the launch vehicle an orbiting capability of 2094 lb. into low-Earth orbit. The 81.36 ft. launch vehicle was used for 47 launches between 26 October 1960 and 29 November 1965. Nine of these failed. The Topping Agena-B upper stage from this set is shown below.
Thor Delta The Thor Delta series of launch vehicles was developed from April 1959 by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation as an interim launch vehicle but evolved into a distinct series of launch vehicles known simply as Delta, which are still being used to date and are expected to be further developed in years to come. The current design has, however, little in common with the original Thor missile due to a continuous incremental development process. The basic Thor Delta, or Delta DM19, consisted of a Thor first stage with a second stage propelled by an Aerojet AJ-10-142 liquid fueled motor and a third stage with an Allegheny Ballistics Laboratory X-248 Altair. The 91.04 ft. launch vehicle was capable of placing 606.3 lb. into a low-Earth orbit. Between 13 May 1960 and 18 September 1962 12 were launched on which one was unsuccessful. Note that the basic Thor Delta did not have stabilizing fins as used on the B/C and later versions. While rockets carrying the Thor name continued to launch military satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California well into the 1970's, the Delta family has served with distinction as one of the longest-lived programs on the Cape as described above for the DSV-3L version. The photos below show the Topping Thor Delta configuration from the set. I hope you enjoy seeing the variety of missile and rocket models that were prevalent in the 1950s and 60s. NFS.
McDONNELL DOUGLAS ASTRONAUTICS DSV-3L ROCKET
The McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company display model of the "DSV-3L Multi-Purpose Long Tank Delta", which is being offered here, measures 21 inches in length for a scale of 1:66. The "DSV" in the designation stand s for "Douglas Space Vehicle." The model appears with a full complement of nine boosters, but clusters of three, six and nine were available for launches. The model is constructed from molded plastic. The walnut base carries a handsome engraved name plaque for the rocket. This model is in "like new" condition and may be purchased for $950.00. Photos of the vehicle are shown below including a highly enlarged view of one of the several tiny blade antennas.
The follow-on to the Delta C, the Delta D or Delta DSV-3D, also known as Thrust Augmented Thor (TAT)-Delta was similar to the Delta C but carried three Thiokol TX-345-5 Castor solid fuelled motors as strap-on boosters. The version was first used only on 19 August 1964 and 6 April 1965. The strap-on boosters were continued to be used on the Delta rocket in clusters ranging from three to a projected maximum of nine. The 3-stage (plus boosters) Delta L or Delta DSV-3L, pictured at left, used the Long Tank Thrust Augmented Thor (LTTAT) or Thorad, as the first stage. The vehicle had a length of 35.35 m and an orbiting capability of 998 kg into a low-Earth orbit. A search of Air Force Serial Numbers asociated with the McDonnell Douglas SLV-2G and J Thor missiles, in the years 1968-71, show about 22 of these being used as the first stage for the Thor Delta DSV-3L vehicle, launching numerous satellites in that period, mostly from Vandenberg AFB. The last launch that I can locate for the DSV-3L is for #88 vehicle on March 11, 1972 which carried TD-1A from Vandenberg.
APOLLO 11 BRONZE COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL by Medallic Art Co.
This impressive, deep relief, bronze APOLLO 11 COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL was issued in 1969 during the Apollo program. The medal is made from bronze and measures a large 63 mm in diameter and is about 5 mm in thickness at the edge. It commemorates the first moon landing on July 20, 1969 and originates from the Apollo era. The medal was made by the Medallic Art Co., New York, a well known name in the business and the medal comes with a special 3-part, four-bolt plastic case, made by Capital, which measures 98 mm square and is 14 mm thick. The case has "Man's First Lunar Landing" printed on the white plastic liner. Own this celebration in bronze of the first lunar landing for $55.00 including case. SORRY SOLD The cased medal is pictured below.
Additional Apollo bronze medals of equal 63 mm size by Medallic Art Co. are available, including Apollo XII, Apollo XIII, Apollo 14, Apollo 16 and Apollo XVII (the last footprints on the moon). Each of these is cased in the 3-part white plastic case which can be disassembled. Each cased bronze medal is available for $50.00.
NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION APOLLO PIN SET
The above North American Aviation pins were promotional pins associated with the Apollo Space Program. The 3-dimensional Command Module pin on the left is a pin/tie tack and the enamel Apollo/NASA pin on the right is the standard lapel pin with the spike and push on clip. These pins belonged to a North American Aviation engineer who acquired them during the Apollo program, probably the most exciting manned space venture that we'll ever witness. I believe that it is doubtful that politics and economics will ever permit another journey to the Moon or an exploration of Mars by a manned spacecraft within the forseeable future of many generations - I can't imagine congress approving funding, regardless of what the President wishes. Memorabilia from the significant Apollo era will gain attention as it becomes more evident that it was a one-time event in the history of the world. Just think, those twelve astronauts may be the only humans to ever set foot on extraterrestrial soil. Own these delightful pins in their original boxes, as a set of two, for $47.50. SORRY, SET SOLD BUT ANOTHER IDENTICAL COMMAND MODULE PIN IS AVAILABLE FOR $24.00.
TOPPING BOEING IM-99A BOMARC MISSILE AND LAUNCHER
Testing of the F-99 prototypes began in 1952 (with the first launch from Cape Canaveral in September of that year) and the first production-representative model (the YIM-99A) was flown in October 1957. The production contract was awarded in late 1957and the IM-99A was declared operational in 1960. There were two production models of the Bomarc: Bomarc A and Bomarc B. The booster on the Bomarc A was the source of some problems. The fuel was too corrosive to store in the missile, so fueling took place immediately before launch (increasing time to launch). The fueling process was also quite hazardous, involving three steps (white fuming nitric acid, analine-furfuryl alcohol, and kerosene). In 1958, Boeing announced the development of a new model that would utilize a solid fuel booster. The Bomarc B became operational in 1961, and featured the safer solid fuel booster and more powerful sustainers. In June 1963, the IM-99A and B were redesignated CIM-10A and CIM-10B, where the C prefix stood for "Coffin" which described the intercept missile's launch environment, i.e. horizontal storage in a protective shelter surround. Boeing built 700 Bomarc missiles between 1957 and 1964, and the Bomarc saw active service until 1972.
The missiles were housed on a constant combat-ready basis in individual launch shelters (coffin) in remote areas. The alert signal could fire the missiles around the country in 30 seconds. Propelled at launch by a rocket booster until it reached sufficient speed for its ramjets to operate, it was guided from the ground to the vicinity of its target at which time it came under control of an internal target seeker. It was launched from a vertical position by a 23,000 lb.st. Aerojet General LR59-AG-13 liquid-fueled rocket motor mounted in the tail. Second-stage thrust was provided by a pair of 10,000 lb.st. Marquardt RJ43-MA-3 ramjet engines attached to the fuselage sides. Maximum speed attained during an intercept was Mach 3.45 (2275 mph) at 105,000 feet. Launch weight was 15,500 pounds. The dimensions were wingspan 18 feet 2 inches, length (excluding the first stage rocket nozzle) 47 feet 4 inches, height 10 feet 3 inches, wing area 65 square feet. The warhead consisted of 1000 pounds of high explosives. Alternatively, a nuclear warhead could be carried. the W-40 nuclear fission (7-10 kT). The warhead was detonated by a proximity fuse activated from the ground control center.
In the late 1950s, the Canadian government decided to abandon work on the advanced Avro Arrow two-seat Mach 3 interceptor (a move that upset many in the Canadian industry) and opted for the unmanned Bomarc. The Bomarc served in Canada for about a decade. At first, the warheads were conventional, since the Canadian government of the day (Progressive Conservative Party) could not decide whether to accept nuclear warheads or not. When the Liberal Party came into power in 1963, the government finally decided to accept nuclear warheads. The nuclear warheads were supplied by the US, and there was a "double key" launching arrangement similar to that used by US missiles in the United Kingdom. The warheads were removed and returned to the USA in April/May of 1972, and the missiles were decommissioned at the same time.
The Bomarc was used as a Navy target vehicle with the first launch from Vandenberg AFB on August 25, 1966. The last launch from Vandenberg, Bomarc Launch Pad: BOM-2, was on July 14, 1982. Complete information on the Bomarc can be found at Astronautix.
The supersonic Bomarc missiles (IM-99A and IM-99B) were the world's first long-range anti-aircraft missiles, and the first missiles that Boeing mass produced. The program also represented the first time Boeing designed and built launch facilities. It used analog computers, some of which were built by Boeing and had been developed for GAPA experiments during World War II. Authorized by the Air Force in 1949 as the XF-99, Bomarc was the result of coordinated research between Boeing (Bo) and the University of Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (marc).
The Topping model of the IM-99 Bomarc, offered here, is painted in the scheme of the Bomarc IM-99A pictured above, taken at the Namao Air Base, Alberta, Canada in June 1960. This exquisite model is in a diminutive scale of approximately 1:56 (10 inches in length and stands 12 1/4 inches on the launcher) and has very finely shaped features; flying surfaces are scale thin, almost delicate. The model is in outstanding condition.
The launch platform, built by Boeing, on this model is representative of the real item. The model's launch "tower", shown in the normally stowed, horizontal position above, can be raised to the vertical position - at that point the finely detailed nose clamp restraining system can be disengaged and the tower returned to the horizontal location while the launching restraints at the base of the missile remain in the vertical mode, ready for firing.
The photos below show the model raised to the vertical with the "tower" in the vertical position, followed by photos of the model ready to launch with the tower returned to horizontal. Several scenes are shown of the Bomarc that used to be located outdoors at the Air Force Museum - note that the model's launcher contains the features of the real thing.
This rare Topping model of the Bomarc IM-99 is nearly fifty years old. Model photos are of a previous model in equal condition. In almost as-new condition, you can own this delightful and historic model for $1200.00.
TOPPING MODEL OF TITAN I - ICBM
This is a Topping Models two-stage Titan I model on a weighted base. The website, www.strategic-air-command.com, provides the following information on the Titan I, ICBM.
The two-stage Titan I, together with the Atlas, comprised our nation's first generation of liquid-fueled, strategic, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Operational Titan I's contained an all-inertial guidance system to direct the nuclear warhead to the target. Liquid propellants for the Titan I's Aerojet rocket engines were kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen. The HGM-25A, formerly known as the SM-68 (or B-68), was the first USAF ICBM to be placed in hardened underground silos for protection against enemy attack. However, they had to be lifted from their silos to the surface by elevator prior to launching.
The USAF launched its first test Titan I on February 6, 1959 and in April 1962, the first Strategic Air Command squadron of nine Titan I's was declared operational. Eventually squadrons of Titan I's were deployed at five different bases in the western U.S. By 1965, however, Titan I's were being phased out in favor of Titan II's which offer greater range and payload, and are launched from within their silos. Modified Titan II's also were used to launch the Gemini astronauts into space. The larger and more versatile Titan III, developed from the Titan II, is one of the Air Force's major launch vehicles for its many military space programs.
This Topping model separates to show the stage II engine as pictured above and below; the separation rockets and the vernier nozzles are included and original. The Titan I was 98 feet in height.
This Topping model, as pictured, is well over forty-years-old and represents early ICBM history; the photos are of a previously sold Titan I but the current offering is identical. The model is in excellent condition and shows very well; the white plastic is bright with no sign of aging or yellowing - this model did not sit in a smoke-filled room! The base contains the inscription. The Titan I may be purchased for $895.00 . What I believe is a slightly earlier version is also available at the same price - identical with the exception that the payload nose cone is more pointed, prior to the ablative version.
A USAF photo appearing in the July 2005 issue of "Air Force Magazine." The caption reads, "Three Titan I intercontinental ballistic missiles, iconic of the Cold War, stand ready for launch at a western US base. The wrangling over the nuclear missile mision began early. The Army believed that it should belong to the ground forces." The magazine article is entitled, "How the Air Force Got the ICBM." Some info from the article: "Titan was a two-stage missile, just over 98 feet long. Like Atlas, it used liquid fuel. However, it did not follow the Atlas pattern of depending on internal pressurization for structural stability. It used conventional aircraft construction techniques for its ywo stages. Additional structural metal made Titan heavier than Atlas, as well as longer."
MISSILES & SPACE BOOKS
GX-460, Richardson, Robert and Bonestell, Chesley, MAN AND THE MOON, Very good Illus by Chesley Bonestell. w/ good dj, First Edition 1961, 8 1/4 x11 1/4 inches, 171pp. Illustrations by Chesley Bonestell. An anthology of 18 articles by different experts with Bonestell's wonderful illustrations. Contributors include Thomas Gold on the Lunar Surface, Wernher von Braun on the Journey, Arthur C. Clarke on the Principles of Interplanetary Flight, H. Percy Wilkins on Where to Land on the Moon, Fred Whipple and von Braun on the Exploration, and many more. A great book. Scarce in this condition. Fine $67.50 SORRY SOLD
Fusées Françaises Pour la Recherche Spatiale by CENTRE NATIONAL D'ÉTUDES SPATIALES, 1964, soft cover, 115 pp., listing, diagrams, specs, some photos of French research rockets (photo of VÉRONIQUE shown below), 6 1/8" x 9 7/16", excellent condition. text in French, $15.00.
GX-463, Corliss, William R., NASA SP-334, THE VIKING MISSION TO MARS, National Aeronautic and Space Administration, soft cover, 1975, Revised Edition, 77 pp., Added: includes symposium brochure for 1976 "Three Voyages Into Space", Fine $18.00 SORRY SOLD
GX-464, TRW SPACE LOG 1980, Volume 18, soft cover, 99pp., name written on cover otherwise fine, logs every space flight through 1980, Fine $12.00 SORRY SOLD
GX-465, TRW SPACE LOG, TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF SPACE EXPLORATION 1957-1982, Volume 19, TRW, soft cover, attractive silver embossed anniversary logo on cover, 122pp., listing of every space launch through 1982, Fine $16.00
GX-466, Carpenter, M. Scott plus, WE SEVEN, The astronauts Themselves, dj torn section on back, names on front free endpaper and first page, book club, 473 pp, Good+ $5.00 SORRY SOLD
GX-466A, Carpenter, M. Scott plus, WE SEVEN , The astronauts Themselves, no dj, First Printing 1962, 473 pp, Fine $15.00 SORRY SOLD
GX-468, Adams, Dr. Carsbie C., SPACE FLIGHT, dj, "Satellites, space ships, space stations and space travel explained, " personal library embossed on front free endpaper, 1958, photos, preface by Dr. Wernher von Braun, 373 pp., Condition fine $10.00
GX-469, Clarke, Arthur C., THE EXPLORATION OF SPACE, 1951. LC 52-5430, ndj, Condition Good+ $6.00
GX-470, von Braun, Dr. Wernher, Whipple, Dr. Fred L., Ley, Willy, Illustrated by Bonestell, Chesley, Freeman, Fred, Klep, Rolf, edited by Ryan, Cornelius, CONQUEST OF THE MOON, dj with scuffed edges plastic protected, colored endpapers with Bonestell painting, 1953, 8 1/4" x 11 1/4", Fine $55.00 SORRY SOLD
8-20, Lapp, Ralph E., MAN AND SPACE, THE NEXT DECADE, 1961, First Edition, 183pp., ndj (no dust jacket) $6.00
12-10, Cobb, Jerrie with Rieker, Jane, WOMAN INTO SPACE: THE JERRIE COBB STORY, 1963, DJ worn, Ex-lib., LC 63-12304. $7.00 SORRY SOLD
9-20, HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - A WINDOW INTO THE UNIVERSE, paper, Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc., 3-foldout brochures, aticle, painting print loose accompanies pamphlet. Fine $3.00
9-29, McCall, Robert and Asimov, Isaac, OUR WORLD IN SPACE, 1974, DJ some edge tears, 0-8212-0434-3, 176pp., featuring Robert McCall paintings, Fine $40.00
5-06, Henshall, Philip, HITLER'S ROCKET SITES, 1985 First U.S. Edition, DJ, V-1 and V-2 launch sites, very detailed, photos and drawings. Fine $25.00
3-33, SPACEIMAGES - LUSTRUMPRESS, 1982, DJ, the photography of space exploration, 0-912810-37-8, Fine $30.00
GX-452, Ferris, Timothy, SPACE SHOTS:THE BEAUTY OF NATURE BEYOND EARTH, 1984 First Edition, folio, 144 pp., fine condition with v.g. dj, eighty photographs chosen from a quarter million photos from world-wide sources, outstanding collection of images. Fine $20.00 SORRY SOLD
3-63, Bergaust, Erik, ROCKETS OF THE AIR FORCE, 1960, DJ, Ex-libris, 48pp., many photos $8.00
GX-02, Smaus, Jewel and Spangler, Chade, AMERICA'S FIRST SPACEMEAN - STORY OF ALAN SHEPARD, 1962 First Edition, DJ, a "Books for Young Readers", very good biography with photos from his childhood through the space flight, Shepard died in 1998 at the age of 74 and his wife died within a month, First American to fly in space and the 5th to walk on the moon. $40.00 SORRY SOLD
GBC2-45, Ryan, Craig, THE PRE-ASTRONAUTS - MANNED BALLOONING ON OUR THRESHOLD OF SPACE, 1995, DJ, 327pp. as new $29.95
GBC3-149, Tacker USAF, Lt. Col. Laurence J., FLYING SAUCERS AND THE U.S. AIR FORCE - THE OFFICIAL AIR FORCE STORY, 1960, dj, EX-LIB., "There just are not any manned spaceships yet." (p. 87), 164pp., includes government forms etc. $9.95
GX-450, Cooke, Hereward Lester, James Dean, EYEWITNESS TO SPACE:PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS RELATED TO THE APOLLO MISSION TO THE MOON, ab 1970, Oversize oblong folio, Foreword by J. Carter Brown, linen with decorative board in fine condition, dj with slight yellowing on edge and slight tear at spine,mylar protected, Profusely illustrated many full-page, many in color and some tipped-in plates, 258 paintings and drawings by 47 of America's great artist such as Bob McCall, Norman Rockwell, James Wyeth and Robert Rauschenberg, commissioned by NASA and the National Gallery of Art to record America's historic space program, printed by Harry N. Abrams, a spectacular book of art which was executed prior to the Moon landing in 1969. Fine- $SORRY SOLD$. See photos below.
GBC3-155, Bergaust, Eric, ROCKETS OF THE NAVY, 1959, DJ, 48pp., good photos of the "newest" rocketry in 1959. Fine $8.50
GBC3-181, Baker, Ph.D., David, SPACE SHUTTLE, 1979, paper, large format, 64pp. $7.50
GBC1-06, Emme, Eugene, NASA AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS - AN AMERICAN CHRONOLOGY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE EXPLORATION OF SPACE 1915-1960, 1961, NDJ, Ex-lib. $10.00
GBC1-64, MacKinnon, Douglas and Baldanza, Joseph, FOOTPRINTS - THE 12 MEN WHO WALKED ON THE MOON REFLECT ON THEIR FLIGHTS, THEIR LIVES, AND THE FUTURE, 1989, DJ, 291pp., as new $19.95 SORRY SOLD
GX-176,JANE'S SPACEFLIGHT DIRECTORY, Edited by Reginald Turnill, "A comprehensive guide to the past, present and future acitivities of the world's space powers.", 1984, DJ, 311pp., "Space Programmes" worldwide, a great space book. as new $50.00
GX-429, MAN ON THE MOON, 1969, North American Rockwell, paper, 10 1/2" x 13 3/4" large format, 52pp., Space Division, first landing details, photos etc., ex-lib. $45.00
GX-451, Schick, Ron and Julia Van Haaften, THE VIEW FROM SPACE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT PHOTOGRAPHS 1962-1972, 1988, Incredible color and b&w photographs taken by 16 astronauts on mission, includes eclipses from outer space, sunsets and sunrises over the moon, first edition in fine condition with dj with slight markings on front, collection marks the first time that photography from space has been attributed to the individual astronaut who framed each shot, a spectacular book, 128pp., large format. Fine- $20
GX-452, Ferris, Timothy, SPACE SHOTS:THE BEAUTY OF NATURE BEYOND EARTH, 1984 First Edition, folio, 144 pp., fine condition with v.g. dj, eighty photographs chosen from a quarter million photos from world-wide sources, outstanding collection of images. Fine $20
GX-453, Ogawa, Dennis M and Grant, Glen, ELLISON S. ONIZUKA: A REMEMBRANCE, 2nd November 1986 Onizuka Memorial Comm., Hawaii, fine condition with dj, astronaut from Kona died on Challenger, folio, book signed on title page by Robert Gibson STS 41-B & STS 61-C, Loren Shriver STS 51-C, and relatives Mitsui Onizuka ("El's Mom"), Lorna L. Onizuka, and Chuck Onizuka, with inscription to Chuck and June Barfie, 160 pp., profusely illustrated with color photos. Fine- $99
GX-453, Armstron, Neil, Collins, Michael, Aldrin Jr., Edwin E., FIRST ON THE MOON, A VOYAGE WITH NEIL ARMSTRONG MICHAEL COLLINS EDWIN E. ALDRIN, JR., Epilogue by Arthur C. Clarke, 1970 bce, condition fine with vg dj, 511 pp. $10 SORRY SOLD
GX-454, Adamski, Professor George, PIONEERS OF SPACE, A TRIP TO THE MOON, MARS AND VENUS, First Edition August 1949, 260pp., speculation on inhabitants of other planets, convinced that moon has atmosphere etc., work of fiction but based on what the professor believes to be fact, no dj, boards faded somewhat and no evidence of printing on spine, the front free endpaper has ink inscription, "Prof Geo Adamski 10-29-1950 Good (word unk) To You", presumably an autograph of the author, an unusual and rare book. vg $50 SORRY SOLD
GX-500, Wilding-White, T.M. JANE'S POCKET BOOK OF SPACE EXPLORATION, 1978 second printing, 238 pages of spacecraft from the 1970's, 4 1/4" x 7", vinyl covers, ISBN 0-02-080660-4, compact digest with photo of each craft and specifications, fine $8.00 SORRY SOLD
Gulf Oil Company, WE CAME IN PEACE - The Story of Man in Space, hardcover illustrated, no dj, 1969, comes with a leaflet from Gulf Oil which..."offer you this commemorative documentation of one of man's impressive accomplishments in history.", has Gulf logo on back cover, 77 pp., photographs and paintings, history of space program, solar system. $7.50
Ley, Willy, ROCKETS, Science Service Science Program, Sticker Book, 1965, paper, 5 1/2" x 8 1/4", 64pp., all stickers intact and uncut, $5.00 SORRY SOLD
LIFE Magazine, July 25, 1969, a significant space issue with headlines, "Leaving for the Moon" and "Neil Armstrong commander of Apollo 11 sets out for the launching pad.", a 2-page color center spread, "The moment: 9:32 am, precisely on schedule, July 16, 1969 - Lift-off.", this issue priced at $18.00.
LIFE Magazine, August 22, 1969, "Our Moon Trip - the astronauts write their own stories.", an 8-page article. Priced at $15.00.
GX-268H, Stine, G. Harry, ICBM - THE MAKING OF THE WEAPON THAT CHANGED THE WORLD, 1991 First Edition, DJ, 291pp., as new $30.00
Ephemera. COUNTDOWN, 6 7/8" x 9 1/4" 20-page paper booklet by Bell Systems and Mountain States Telephone. The booklet deals with the development of electronic means for guiding missiles and rockets. Profuse line drawings of early aviation, WW2, German V-2, Nike Ajax etc. Date is 1960, just prior to the Atlas missile being opertional. Fine condition. $5.00.
MORE SPACE AND MISSILE BOOKS TO COME
DOUGLAS IMPROVED HONEST JOHN XM50 - 1961
The Honest John was the U.S. Army's first nuclear-armed surface-to-surface rocket. The model being offered here is the last of the Honest John series, the Douglas Improved Honest John.
Development started in May 1950, when Restone Arsenal was tasked with the development of a large caliber unguided solid-fuel field artillery rocket with a capability for nuclear armament. In late 1950, Douglas was contracted to develop the new rocket, to be named Honest John. Flight testing began in June 1951, and in January 1953, the first limited-production Honest John rockets, designated Artillery Rocket XM31, reached U.S. Army units. In September 1953, the Honest John was reclassed as M31, and the first operational units were deployed in Europe in Spring 1954. The M31 Honest John was an unguided 762 mm artillery rocket, powered by a M6 solid-fuel rocket engine, and spin-stabilized in flight by two M7 spin motors. Of all U.S. nuclear weapons of the 1950's, the Honest John was the easiest to operate. The rocket was transported from the depot to the launching unit by truck and trailer in three parts (warhead, motor, fins). Assembling the rocket, and mounting it on the M289 launcher was then accomplished by six men with a crane in about five minutes. The rocket was then ready for aiming and firing to a range between 5.5 km (3.4 miles) and 24.8 km (15.4 miles). Because of its simplicity, Army units actually preferred the Honest John to the guided MGM-5 Corporal and MGM-18 Lacrosse missiles. The rocket went through several minor improvement cycles to 1960.
In 1957 Douglas had completed the design of the improved Honest John, now known as XM50. Flight tests of the XM50 started in June 1958 and continued through July 1959. In 1960 production of the Honest John switched from the M31A2 to the XM50, and the first XM50 rockets reached operational units in 1961, the date of this model.
. The XM50 Improved Honest John had a significantly improved solid-rocket motor, being lighter and yielding higher thrust, and had completely new square-tipped fins for much improved stability. These changes almost doubled the range, and significantly increased the accuracy of the rocket. In December 1962, the XM50 was reclassified as M50. There was also a product-improved version designated M50A1. In June 1963, all Honest John rockets were redesigated in the MGR-1 series. Production of the MGR-1B/C (M50) versions ended in 1965, after more than 7000 rockets had been built. By the late sixties, the MGR-1A had been completely replaced by the newer versions. In 1973, the MGM-52 Lance began to replace the MGR-1, and Honest John was relegated to U.S. Army National Guard units. In 1982, the last Honest John was discarded by the National Guard.
I was acquainted with the early version of the Honest John. I was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma into late 1954 and the 52nd Artillery Group was stationed at Fort Sill, where it activated and trained units for world-wide deployment of the huge 280mm "Atomic Artillery" weapon. In 1954 it received additional units of the Self-Propelled 762mm Rocket "Honest John". When they fired the Honest John, things rocked! The late MAJ (Retired) Donald K. Bynum, Sr. was instrumental in the early development of Artillery Air Defense Systems, having fired the first Honest John Missile at Fort Sill. I lived just off base and when they would have early morning artillery exercises with the Honest John, it sounded like a sharp earthquake.
This model measures 15 1/2" in length, making it 1:21 scale. A descriptive card came with the model and both sides of it are pictured below; the date of the card printing is February 1961.
The model may have been made by Topping but there is no makers designation. The original box is included - this box is rubber stamped "DOUGLAS Improved Honest John" several places but it was "recycled" in that "F-106A" is printed on the bottom. The model is in "as new" condition along with the descriptive card. The Improved Honest John may be purchased for $1195.00.
If the dreaded RED X shows up in a picture box, hit your "Refresh".
V-2 by Walter Dornberger
This is an interesting book (written in 1952) which covers the German V-2 rocket program, written by Dr. Walter Dornberger, Doctor of Engineering and General in the German Army, who was the director of the program at Peenemünde, the German experimental rocket station. From the dust jacket: "...reveals here for the first time the full story of that fantastic enterprise, which nearly changed the course of World War II. This is the factual, yet intensely dramatic memoir of one of the world's foremost scientific engineers. His institute's contribution, the V-2, remains the most awesome and fearful weapon actually brought to bear against the Allies."
Descriptions of the inside politics of the army establishment and the totalitarian regime of Hitler and the Nazi state are firsthand glimpses at the political rivalry and greed that permeated the German war machine.
Dornberger's last paragraph in the book: "Ignoring the rocket as a weapon of war, its general potentialities are enormous. A dream can now become reality; the spaceship can emerge out of hopes and theories. To this our labor, our creation, and our success made the first contributions. It must be left to the victors in this, let us hope, last great war, to see that our contribution is not lost."
The background introduction to this book was written by Willy Ley, who worked on German rockets before the Nazis came to power and who left Germany for the U.S. More on Willy Ley below for historical interest. This 281 page book is in excellent condition with dust jacket (pictured above) and is priced at $27.50. Written by the man who was there, it has a lot more appeal than later historical treatises. The book was written in 1952 and first published in the U.S. in this 1954 edition. My University of Minnesota Institute of Technology professor, Dr. Rudolf Hermann, wind tunnel expert and one of the German "Paperclip" scientists is mentioned frequently in the book - hard to believe in today's academic society, but Dr. Hermann taught undergraduate "Aero 1" - I still have the classroom notes and assignments from his class (and before this book was written).
INFORMATION FROM ROCKETS, MISSILES, & SPACE TRAVEL by Willy Ley 1958
"Ley is probably the best known exponent of the developing science and art of rocketry and space travel in the world today. He has used his long experience and interest to write a momentous volume that is packed full of information, charm, and speculation...." - Science Monthly
"From his youth Willy Ley was fascinated by all aspects of scientific fact and theory. Planning originally to be a geologist, he became interested in astronautics in the early 1920s. A pioneer in his field, he was one of the founders of the German Rocket Society in 1927.
"Mr. Ley came to the United States in 1935 and is now an American citizen. In addition to writing many popular science books, his activities include extensive lecturing before "live" audiences, as well as on radio and television, and contributing articles to scientific and popular periodicals. He has served as technical advisor for several television science programs, as science editor for a New York newspaper, as research engineer for the Washington Institute of Technology, and as consultant to the Department of Commerce's Office of Technical Services. Mr. Ley was recently appointed professor in the Science Department of Fairleigh Dickinson University."
The following information is provided as explanatory and historical background material for Ley's 1936 rocket plane flight.
The book, AIR MAIL, an Illustrated History 1793-1981, on p. 204, describes a piece of mail carried on the Rocket-Plane flight.
"When Dr. Willy Ley emigrated to America from Germany in 1935, his rocketry experiments continued. In February of the next year two small rocket planes were launched from Greenwood Lake, New York under his supervision. Neither was a complete success. One lost its wings in 15 seconds, and the other fell spinning to the ground after reaching 1,000 feet. Nevertheless, at least some of the 6,146 pieces of mail they carried landed across the state border in New Jersey, were retrieved, and were passed on to the U.S. Post Office there at Hewitt."
POPULAR AVIATION, October 1936 issue, carried an article entitled "Proposed Altitude Rocket Hops" concerning Willy Ley. The following sections are from that 1936 article, contemporaneous to the rocket-plane mail attempt.
"...Willy Ley, Whose profession is science writer for American, British, German, French, and Swiss publications, first became interested in rocketry through his acquaintance in 1926 with Professor Oberth's theoretical work on rockets.
"Soon afterwards Ley wrote The Trip Into Space, which was a popular account of rocket theory. In 1928 he met Oberth at the annual meeting of the Scientific Society for Aeronautics and later the same year published The Possibility of Space Travel.
"It was this book which inspired Thea von Harbou to write her novel, "The Girl in the Moon", which later was made into a film and stirred great interest in rocketry in Europe. Professor Oberth and Willy Ley supervised the picture and Ley also handled the scientific publicity.
"Meanwhile, however, the European Rocket Society had been formed by Max Valier and Johannes Winkler in 1927, shortly after Valier had interested Fritz von Opel, automobile manufacturer, in rocketry and had conducted his famous rocket-car experiments. In 1929 Oberth became president of the society and Mr. Ley became vice-president.
"About this time the UFA film company was persuaded to finance experiments in rocketry, because of the publicity value for the film, The Girl in the Moon. An altitude rocket shot was planned and Oberth and Ley set to work to develop a suitable liquid-fuel motor as it was decided that here was a splendid opportunity to put into practice the principles which they had been advocating in their writing. The boldness of the undertaking is appreciated .....
"....Following the disintegration of the European Rocket Society (actually the German Rocket Society, VfR!), Willy Ley came to America in 1935, accompanied by another rocket engineer, Mr. H. Scharfer, and conducted the Greenwood Lake rocket airplane experiments, backed by F.W. Kessler, of New York City. The acceleration produced by Mr Ley's new type rocket motor was so great as to cause structural failure."
SPACE SHUTTLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM BROCHURES
A selection of Rockwell International information brochures on the Space Shuttle, including color lithograph photos and 3-views. Package of the brochures listed here, spanning the era from 1976 to 1983, is priced at $55.00.
The grouping consists of: 1) 9" x 12" Mailing envelope "The Space Shuttle Missions" with lithographic photos showing STS-1 through STS-6; 2} Mailing envelope "The Space Shuttle Saga Columbia STS-3" with five lithographic photos of STS-3; 3) 8.5" x11" two-fold leaflet, "For Down to Eartth Benefits"; 4) 11" x 17" one-fold brochure, "Space Shuttle - A Promising New Era for Earth", showing mission profile; 5) Space Shuttle triangular sticker; 6) 24-page brochure, "Using the Space Shutle - A Guide to Shuttle Utilization", with many photos and diagrams; 7) 17" x 22" two-fold layout of Shuttle, "Space Shuttle Transportation System", with four-view and sections, suitable to build model; 8) 8.5" x 9" color brochure, 24-pages, "Space Shuttle Transportation System - A Promising New Era for Earth", with four-page fold out as shown below; 9) Four covers for Space Shuttle. All of these items are in unused condition.
TOPPING MARTIN TM-76 MACE MISSILE
The Martin Mace was a growth version of the Martin B-61 (TM-61) Matador. The Martin B-61 Matador development commenced in 1946 under Project "MX-771" with the first test flight on January 19, 1949 at the White Sands Missile Range; the missile prototypes were redesignated the "XB-61" and "YB-61" in 1951. Production of the B-61 was started in 1951 with the B-61A being evaluated by 1952. The B-61A production version was slightly larger than the prototype and had the wings raised to the high wing configuration instead of mid-wing. The B-61A was accepted for operational service in 1954. The Matador was the Air Force's first modern mobile, short-range, surface-to-surface tactical missile. The term "cruise missile" didn't exist at that time.
The Matador (and the Northrop B-62 Snark) were originally designated as "aircraft" by the Air Force, a "pilotless bomber" that went from point to point. It has been reported that this "pilotless bomber" term was used by the U.S. Army Air Forces (pre-1947) to prevent the Army from usurping the missile programs. It became obvious that the overall maintenance and operational problems for missiles were completely different from that experienced with bomber aircraft and the Air Force redesignated the missiles in 1955; the Matador became the "TM-61A" (Tactical Missile) in 1955. The first Matador unit was deployed to West Germany in March 1954 to bolster NATO forces; the missile was also sent to South Korea and Taiwan. By mid-1957, one thousand Matadors had been produced and was being phased out by 1959 in favor of the more advanced version, the Martin Mace.
Flight testing of the YTM-61B began in 1956. Because the missile was significantly different from the original TM-61 Matador, the YTM-61B/TM-61B Matador B was redesignated as YTM-76/TM-76 Mace in early 1958. The production version was designated TM-76A. The first squadron of TM-76A missiles became operational in 1959, and Mace soon replaced many existing Matador missiles.
Mace improvements over the Matador included a lengthened fuselage which doubled the vehicle's fuel capacity. This resulted in increased range and warhead capability. Compare the early Topping B-61 Matador model shown below (previously sold on this website) to the later Topping TM-76 Mace as offered for sale here. The lengthened nose is very apparent.
The most important change, however, was the new guidance system, called ATRAN (Automatic Terrain Recognition And Navigation). The ATRAN system, developed by Goodyear, matched the radar return of the surface with pre-preprogrammed radar images, thereby enabling the missile to follow a predetermined course. ATRAN was essentially the first application of the modern TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching) guidance principle. The system was fully autonomous and jamming-resistant. The disadvantage, however, was the necessity to obtain radar images of the potential target areas, which was not an easy task in the 1950's.
The missile was powered by an Allison J33-A-41 turbojet engine which could produce 5,500 pounds of thrust. At launch, boost was provided by a solid-fueled motor attached under the vehicle's tail. The solid rocket booster could produce a thrust of 100,000 pounds. The Topping Mace model disassembles showing various parts; the Allison engine is separate and is pictured below.
In 1963, the TM-76 Mace was redesignated in the M-13 series. This model has the TM-76 designation on the nose cone which places it's production prior to 1963. The launcher retains the designation TM-61 Matador - perhaps it was considered unnecessary to alter the unit as the same launcher was used for the Matador and the Mace. Topping only had to change the nose cone segment to convert the Matador to the Mace missile.
In 1965, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided that the Army's MGM-31A Pershing missile should replace the USAF's Mace, mainly because of the Pershing's high-speed launch ability. By 1966, the MGM-13A (final designation of the Mace) had been withdrawn, and by 1971 the Mace was no longer in active service. The remaining missiles were used as full-size target drones.
This Topping Models TM-76 Mace display model of the USAF's surface-to-surface missile, on it's transporter/launcher trailer, is priced at only $995.00. It is complete with all parts including the J-33 engine. The model is in like new condition with sharp decals. The model came originally in individual parts which snap together; an Allison J33 engine is fitted within the tailcone and access to the guidance system (a black box!) may be made by removing the air inlet scoop (by pressing down through an access hole in the fuselage when the wing is removed). An original Topping box for the Mace accompanies the model - the box was "recycled" by Topping as it has "Titan" printed on the bottom but "Martin Matador" stamped on the side - with a Mace inside!. More model photos below.
The mobile launcher/trailer rig became obsolete as the "B" version of the Mace was developed. The TM-76B Mace B, development of which started in 1959, had an AC Spark Plug "AChiever" inertial guidance system instead of ATRAN. This allowed the Mace B to fly at high-altitude, which almost doubled the missile's range. An inertial guidance system requires the exact coordinates of the launch location. In the 1950's/60's, this required an accurate survey of the launch site which ruled out mobile use of the TM-76B. It was therefore based in fixed, semi-hardended shelters. As a compensation, launch times could be very short. The first TM-76B launch occurred on 11 July 1960, and the first operational missiles were deployed in 1961.
TOPPING GENERAL DYNAMICS/CONVAIR ATLAS D
The Atlas missiles, however, saw only brief service and the last squadron was taken off operational alert in 1965. Despite its relatively short life span, Atlas served as the proving ground for many new missile technologies. Perhaps more importantly, its development spawned the organization, policies, and procedures that paved the way for all of the later ICBM programs.
The Atlas incorporated two novel features. The first was its "stage-and-a-half" propulsion system consisting of two large booster engines flanking a smaller sustainer engine. Unlike the later ICBMs in which the first, second, and third stages fired in sequence, all of the Atlas engines were ignited at liftoff. Another interesting feature was the pressurized integral fuel tanks. The Convair designers adopted this technique to save weight. The huge tanks, which constituted 80% of the missile's mass, were built from thin sheets of stainless steel. When empty, the tanks were filled with nitrogen gas at 5 psi to maintain a positive internal pressure to prevent collapse.
During the launch sequence, the two boosters and the sustainer engine were ignited on the ground and the two small vernier engines mounted above the sustainer came to life 2.5 seconds after lift-off. After leaving the launch pad, the missile accelerated rapidly, gradually nosing over in a gentle arc toward the target. Once in flight, the booster engines burned for 140 seconds. After receiving a staging signal from the ground station, the booster engines and turbo-pumps were jettisoned into space (including the bottom "skirt" and booster fairings). The sustainer engine continued to bum for another 130 seconds, and then it too fell silent. Final course and velocity corrections were made by the vernier engines. At the apogee of its elliptical flight path the missile reached an altitude of 763 miles and a speed of approximately 16,000 miles per hour. Elapsed time for a flight of 6,785 miles: 43 minutes.
The Convair Atlas missile was America's first ICBM, being fully operational by September, 1959 ("Big Joe", the Atlas D). The Atlas variants, through the Series E, were stored horizontally and fueled once lifted to the upright position. The F Series was nearly identical to the E but was stored vertically in a silo, raised to the surface, loaded and launched. The Atlas series was fueled with liquid oxygen (LOX) and a hydrocarbonlike jet fuel, RP-1, thus requiring filling the LOX only just before launch because of its cryogenic nature. The Series F Atlas was the last of the ICBM series, passing its final test at the Cape in December, 1962. This Topping Models missile is the "D" version of the Atlas and was made for General Dynamics Astronautics, probably around 1959.
Interestingly, Topping made several versions of the Atlas missile. An E/F version, which differs slightly in several external areas, has been offered here in the past, and is shown as an addendum to this "D" version. The D version shown here has the same General Electric Mk 3 re-entry vehicle as the E/F version. The external booster fairings are different between the D and the E/F and the bottom "skirt" fairing extends lower on the D. The two versions are shown below in line drawings.
The Atlas D was equipped with radio-inertial guidance. First tested in April 1959, three Atlas Ds were placed on operational alert at Vandenberg AFB in late 1959 with the 576th Strategic Missile Squadron; this squadron is still based at Vandenberg and now has a Topping Atlas D,which was purchased from CollectAir,in their history museum. The Convair Division of General Dynamics produced three different models of the Atlas ICBM destined for deployment with the Strategic Air Command. The first operational version of the Atlas, the "D" model, was stored in a horizontal position on a "soft" above-ground launcher, unprotected from the effects of nuclear blast, and had an effective range, like all Atlas models, of approximately 6,500 nautical miles. The first full Atlas D squadrons became operational in 1960. In these so-called "soft" sites, which could only withstand overpressures of 5 pounds per square inch (psi), the missiles were stored horizontally within a 103 by 133-foot launch and service building built of reinforced concrete. The missile bay had a retractable roof. To launch the missile, the roof was pulled back, the missile raised to the vertical position, fueled, and fired. An individual Atlas D launch site consisted of a launch and service building, a launch operations building, guidance operations building, generating plant, and communications facilities.
Photo Release #69521 A - General Dynamics/Astronautics - June 1961. ATLAS MISSILE PRODUCTION - An Air Force Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile moves along production line on overhead crane at San Diego, Calif., plant of General Dynamics/Astronautics. Single sustainer engine attached to aft-end of missile tank is shown in foreground. Two booster engines are contained in cylindrical thrust structure housing which is mated to the missile as shown on top Atlas; this portion is jettisoned at staging and Atlas continues on course powered by single sustainer engine. Atlas engines are made by North American-Rocketdyne.
An operational Atlas D is shown below in its vertical launch position.
The first American astronaut to experience orbital flight, John Glenn, was lifted into orbit on February 20, 1962 aboard the Atlas rocket powered Friendship 7 (see models further down on this page). The 2-stage Atlas/Centaur was first launched in 1963 and became a space workhorse for 30 years.including the Pioneer 10 to Jupiter and Surveyor I to the Moon.
This Topping Atlas D measures 15 5/8" in length, making it about 1:72 scale. Note the single booster engine turbine exhaust duct on the bottom alongside the three engines and the two vernier engines midway up the missile body. External parts also include the liquid oxygen tank pressurization line, upper pod, lower bump pad, and the cableway fairing that runs up one side to the re-entry vehicle, carrying the inflight disconnect.
This Topping Atlas D missile is in very nice display condition. It is an excellent example of an historic vehicle that was used both as a weapon and a space vehicle launcher. This manufacturer's display model is available for $850.00..
An Atlas D with an earlier version of the Topping base marked, "Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation," is available with the original Topping box for $895.00.
A 1961 Convair Astronautics publicity photo by Henry Kierstead of the Atlas family of missiles. These are all one-tenth scale models, ranging in height from 7.5 to 12 feet. Left to right, the Atlas-Agena, Atlas-Able, Series "D" ICBM, Atlas-Mercury and Atlas-Centaur. There is an Atlas ICBM model in the NASM Hazy facility that could be from this family of Atlas models.
Just as the Delta series of launch rockets has maintained the Delta name, the Atlas series name continues to this day. In January 2006, the Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket launched the Pluto-bound "New Horizons" mission.
TOPPING ATLAS E/F VERSION
LOCKHEED-MARTIN ATLAS II LAUNCH VEHICLE
The Atlas II was the final member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles which evolved from the successful Atlas ICBM program of the 1950s. It was designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. In May 1988, the Air Force chose General Dynamics (now Lockheed-Martin) to develop the Atlas II vehicle, primarily to launch Defense Satellite Communications System payloads and for commercial users as a result of Atlas I launch failures in the late 1980s.
Sixty-three launches of the Altas II, IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1988 and 2004, when the project was dropped in favour of Delta-based launchers. Larger Atlas-derived vehicles were also produced, the Atlas III and Atlas V.
Atlas IIs were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., by the 45th Space Wing and at Vandenberg AFB; the final West Coast Atlas II launch was accomplished December 2003 by the 30th Space Wing, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Power Plant of the Atlas II consisted of three MA-5A Rocketdyne engines and two Pratt & Whitney RL10A-4 Centaur engines The Gross Liftoff Weight was 414,000 lb. The first launch of the Atlas II was on February 10, 1992 from Cape Canaveral.
This maker of this Atlas II model is unknown; it is plastic with a wood base.
MONOGRAM PLASTIC MISSILE KIT - 1958
Monogram Missile Arsenal, PD40 - advertisement from the February 1959 "American Modeler" magazine.
This is the ultimate in plastic missile kits. Thirty-one missiles in one Monogram kit! Truly a collector item for the missile buff, right up there with the Monogram PA56 Airpower kit for the aviation enthusiast. Own this fantastic kit, complete, for $600.00.
75th ANNIVERSARY OF NAVAL AVIATION COMMEMORATIVE PRINT
The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation published this remarkable print as a 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation Commemorative in 1986, 75 years since the founding of naval aviation in 1911. It is a limited edition lithograph which was mounted on a mat and framed by the foundation; this particular print being offered, number 947/1000, has been removed from the frame but is linen hinge hung from the matting and will be shipped flat.
Painted by R.L. Rasmussen, this montage of naval aviation history has been signed by twelve distinguished naval aviators as featured in the painting, three of whom are famous as astronauts: Col. John H. Glenn Jr., USMC; Radm. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN; and Capt. Gene Cernan, USN.
Additionally, the print is signed by LTJG George H.W. Bush, USN who was Vice President of the United States at the time of signing; Radm Jeremiah Denton, USN; LCol Joseph J. Foss, USMC; Adm Thomas H. Moorer, USN; VAdm James Bond Stockdale, USN; Capt David McCampbell, USN; Col Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, USMC; Cdr Clyde E. Lassen, USN; and Cdr Randall "Duke" Cunningham, USN. The Certificate of Authenticity has brief bios and pictures of each of the signers. The painting features twelve flight vehicles representing the twelve distinguished naval aviators who have signed this print. The selection of participants was made based on accomplishments and representation of the widest possible span of naval aviation communities and time periods associated with its history. Sadly, today many of these gentlemen are no longer living but their accomplishments will remain part of our proud national history. This print is available for $1500.00 SPECIAL PRICE REDUCED TO $1200.00.
TOPPING MODELS OF THE HUGHES AGM-65 MAVERICK MISSILE
Background: The Hughes Maverick is a tactical, air-to-surface guided missile designed for close air support, interdiction and defense suppression mission. It provides stand-off capability and high probability of strike against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, transportation equipment and fuel storage facilities. Maverick has been used in recent U.S. actions.
The Maverick has a cylindrical body, and either a rounded glass nose for electro-optical imaging, or a zinc sulfide nose for imaging infrared. It has long-chord delta wings and tail control surfaces mounted close to the trailing edge of the wing of the aircraft using it. The warhead is in the missile's center section. A cone-shaped warhead, one of two types carried by the Maverick missile, is fired by a contact fuse in the nose. The other is a delayed-fuse penetrator, a heavyweight warhead that penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before firing. The latter is very effective against large, hard targets. The propulsion system for both types is a solid-rocket motor behind the warhead.
The Maverick variants include electro-optical/television (A and B), imaging infrared (D, F, and G), or laser guidance (E). The Air Force developed the Maverick, and the Navy procured the imaging infrared and the laser guided versions. Maverick A has an electro-optical television guidance system. After the protective dome cover is automatically removed from the nose of the missile and its video circuitry activated, the scene viewed by the guidance system appears on a cockpit television screen. The pilot selects the target, centers cross hairs on it, locks on, then launches the missile. The Maverick B is similar to the A model, although the television guidance system has a screen magnification capability that enables the pilot to identify and lock on smaller and more distant targets.
Hughes won the Maverick contract in 1968 with a first test launch in 1969 and production initiated in 1971. The Air Force accepted the first AGM-65A Maverick in August 1972. TV Mavericks have been experiencing declining reliability and maintainability since exceeding their 10 year shelf life many years ago. The Depot has ceased to repair AGM-65A Maverick missiles and concentrates on maintaining AGM-65B, AGM-65D, and AGM-65G Maverick missiles.
There's a certain element of mystery connected with the Maverick models. I've seen all the variants, A through the F, and they all have a Topping logo on the underside of the base, as seen at left. The Topping AGM-65A (USAF) being offered here is likely the earliest model of the series in that it is the only one with the "U.S. Air Force AGM-65A" on the nose section. Later versions, since there were additional versions, have the type of sensor on the nose, such as "TV", "LASER", "IR" etc.
The mystery? Topping's production plant was in Elyria, Ohio in the 1950s and later. Military restrictions on gifts to officers, Pentagon workers etc, along with Topping's disasterous New York World's Fair contract for the unisphere model, caused Topping to go into bankruptcy in 1964. Many of the molds (which belonged to the aircraft manufacturers) were sent along to other Ohio companies such as Precise in Elyria and RoLen or, in the case of Douglas models, to Walt Hyatt on the west coast. Bill Topping suffered a stroke in 1966, at which time he elected to personally build historic models as part of his recuperation effort - that was when he began the the series of models which he called "Aviation's Pioneer Collection", consisting of ten famous airplanes, all in 1:30 scale, which he completed in the mid-1970s. By 1976, Bill Topping published a very limited, private edition book which had tipped-in photos of the ten models. This collection later grew to a total of twenty-four models, the "Wings of History" exhibit which was first shown at the 1988 San Diego Air/Space America '88 show. By the late 1960s, Topping Models, Inc. was still producing display models, primarily for the general aviation manufacturers and in much smaller quantities. I have several Piper models from 1969; Topping ran ads for the Cessna models in 1969. These models, along with other civilian models such as the early Boeing 747, carried a Topping logo unlike the one on this Maverick model base. Earlier Topping logos on models carried addresses of Akron, then Elyria, and then Akron again. Based on the history of the Maverick, we know that it can't be much earlier than 1969 or 1970 making the Maverick series later than the general aviation series. Also, Edward William Topping states in his book that, "From 1942 until 1972, the Firm of Topping Models, Inc. produced 250 types of miniatures, mostly for the aircraft industry. The total volume of the manufactured units was nearly three million." So the mystery to me is why a Topping model produced in the 1970 era carries a logo style used on 1950s models, yet there was a complete change of logo design during the late 1960s civilian aviation model production. Information anyone?
The AGM-65A shown below has the production launch rails incorporated into the top of the model. Subsequent models eliminated the rails for some reason. This is the TV version and the nose is clear plastic. The model has a canted support, perhaps to reveal the base. The AGM-65A Topping Maverick model is available for $210.00.
A MESSAGE FROM OUTER SPACE POSTCARD - 1966
A whimsical, 3D plastic postcard from 1966. The reverse side has "A Message From Outer Space"; the message side has been written on and mailed with a 6 cent stamp. Names have been defaced. The card was printed in Japan and sold by the W.C. Jones Publishing Co. with a 1966 copyright date. The 3D effect is good and is accomplished with laminated plastic; the card face is in fine condition. Own some space fun from the 60s for only $8.00.
AIR FORCE SM-62A NORTHROP SNARK MISSILE - America's First ICM
The 1950's Northrop Snark missile is an unusual subject for display models, a project seldom seen today although one of historic significance. The Snark project began at Northrop in 1947 under Air Force contract as the Northrop N-25, an unmanned, turbojet-powered aircraft to be used as a guided "flying bomb". The N-25 was unsuccessful and a follow-on version was designed, the N-69, a much larger aircraft with a more sophisticated guidance system which, with numerous changes, became the production SM-62A Snark, the first U.S. surface-to-surface missile which had inter-continental capability. The N-69 first flew on August 6, 1953 and progressed through the "E" version. Variously referred to as an ICM or a GLCM (Ground Launched Cruise Missile), the system was originally designated a B-62 by the Air Force.
The first of anything is ground breaking, with difficulties and unknowns usually plaguing the effort. Certainly the Snark was a large technological bite for Northrop; imagine, the production SM-62A had a T.O. gross weight (includes the boosters) of 60,251 lbs, more than the weight of an F-14 Tomcat. Never before had such a large aerodynamic vehicle been designed to not only fly unmanned, but to fly with onboard guidance to a target 5,000 to 6,000 miles is distance and deposit a "first priority" weapon (a euphemism for a nuclear bomb).
The Snark SM-62A, in it's final form, the Northrop Model N-69E, was operational with the 702d SMW at Presque Isle, Maine with the first on "alert" status on March 18, 1960, yet the unit wasn't considered operational until February 28, 1961. Four months later, the unit was inactivated by President John F. Kennedy, a short operational life indeed for a project that was 14 years old. Fifty-one production Snarks were delivered.
A rare model is presented here for your consideration. Significant background material for the Snark is available on the web and I recommend the FAS site, http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/icbm/sm-62.html for a digest of the Snark's history and problems. Excerpts from sources not found on the web are presented below; copies were made of these documents from the Air Force Museum Library.
T.O. 21-SM62-2-1 SECTION I - GENERAL INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION. The SM-62A missile is a zero launched, turbo-jet powered, surface to surface, intercontinental missile capable of delivering a first priority warhead to a predetermined target area at near-sonic speeds. A releasable nose then carries the warhead to the target. The missile is guided to its destination by a celestial guidance system and controlled by an elevon flight control system operated by a closed-center hydraulic system. Electrical power for operating the guidance system and various other components is supplied by an engine-driven alternator. Fuel is carried in bladder type, integral cells located throughout the fuselage. Supplemental fuel is carried in wing mounted pylon tanks which are automatically jettisoned when the tanks empty. The missile is propelled by a J57-P-17 turbojet engine, mounted internally in the aft fuselage of the missile. Additional thrust is supplied at launch and for several seconds thereafter by two 16-foot booster rockets. Immediately after rocket power is exhausted the rockets are automatically jettisoned. Refer to T.O. 21-SM62-2-1A for classified information pertaining to guidance and arming and fuzing systems.
From "REPORT ON THE SNARK"- a government report - 1960s
FACTUAL DATA. SM-62A is the Air Force designation given to the air breathing intercontinental range guided missile named "Snark". This missile required in excess of eleven years to develop and produce. Today, a comparable missile system is developed and produced in less than five years. This condensation of time came about during the development of the Snark weapons system and hence made it obsolete at almost the same time that it became operational. The original plan for the missile called for several squadrons to be located across the northern portion of the United States. The concept did not materialize due to the rapid evolution of the ballistic missile. The intercontinental ballistic missiles such as the Atlas and Titan and their successors have taken the place of the Snark. There are several reasons for this: (1) Duration of the guided portion of flight for the Atlas or Titan is five minutes or less. For the Snark is was approximately ten hours. (2) Time to target, Atlas or Titan, approximately 30 minutes. For the Snark, approximately ten hours. (3) Velocity of warhead at the target, for the Atlas or Titan is approximately 15,000 miles per hour. For the Snark it was approximately Mach one. Due to these factors and others, the Snark was limited to one operational squadron of thirty missiles at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Presque Isle, Maine.
THE GUIDANCE SUB-SYSTEM
A portion of the missile capable of guiding it across the surface of the earth through the use of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and a platform slaved to a local vertical passing through the center of the earth directly under the missile. The Snark guidance system was capable of making corrections for winds, coriolis effect, 84 minute oscillation, oblatness of the earth and variations in gravity from point to point on the earth. The operational system after launch, was unaffected by any known method of jamming, in fact, if a Snark was launched in anger, the only way we could prevent the completion of its mission, would be to shoot it down. The stellar portion of the guidance system was mounted on the gyro stabilized inertial platform to correct for gyro drift during flight. With no gyro drift, the star of stars, (up to three), were detected in the center of one of the three telescopes. In the event of gyro drift, the star image would not fall in the center of the telescope. The amount of displacement was then measured and appropriate platform corrections were made. The inertial platform thus stabilized became a reference for range and lateral accelerometer, These extremely sensitive accelerometers would provide an output anytime the missile deviated from its prescribed course and feed this information to the remainder of the system. The amount of deviation was measured in feet. Acceleration signals, when intergrated, in this case, electronically by Miller Integrators, once provides velocity information, and when integrated a second time will provide displacement or distance information. This method of course requires previous knowledge of the launch point and the planned target. The guidance problem then becomes one of keeping track of all accelerations occuring during the flight and maintaining the stellar monitoring as often as possible. In order to allow the telescopes a view of the various programmed stars, it was necessary to provide an optically perfect 20 inch diameter window directly over the inertial platform. with this method, the Snark was said to be able to "thread the eye of a needle at 5000 miles."
LAUNCHING OF THE MISSILE
The Air Force operational crews required for launching the missile totaled eight people. The reaction time for the weapons system was less than 30 minutes from the warning time of impending attack. This included the final check of the missile, towing the missile to the launch pad, starting the engine, elevating the missile to launch attitude, clearing the personnel from the area and igniting the boosters. This operation required months of training and practice by each member of the launch crew. The launch itself is like an ear splitting thunder clap. The missile jumps from its launcher to a velocity of 300 miles per hour in less than five seconds, the expended boosters drop away and the missile disappears over the horizon.
NORTHROP MODEL OF SM-62A PRODUCTION SNARK
This is definitely a one-off model of the final production version of the SM-62A Snark. A large 1:10 scale, the model is finely constructed of laminated planks of what is believed to be hard maple wood. The model is precisely formed with superb accuracy as would be expected of a wind tunnel model; airfoil sections, leading edge cuffs, pylon tanks etc. have been meticulously duplicated in 1:10 scale.
T.O. 21-SM62-2-1 has finely detailed principal dimensions and lines and stations. The pylon mounted fuel tanks, for example, are oddly mounted with a 3 degree nose down attitude and are canted inwards by 4.5 degrees. The tail fins on the tanks are not equally spaced but have an angle of 78 degrees between the upper fins. These dimensions are exactly duplicated on the model. The booster rockets are removable from slots milled in the fuselage.
Because of the exactness of form and configuration, this Snark model might have been used as a wind tunnel model for a drag confirmation; range was always a problem so the final production version with finned pylon tanks would have had to have some sort of substantiation for the aerodynamic solution. The use of planked maple suggests a wind tunnel model as opposed to the usual display model construction which wouldn't require the stability of lamination and the weight of solid wood. When I got the model, it had been painted grey with Air Force markings. I stripped the paint to find another layer of redish or maroon primer which had probably been used to create the final and exact dimensions for testing. I'm certain that you'll agree that the laminated wood shows the model off best. There is absolutely no delamination at any point. Of interest, the small air scoop on the RH side has nothing to do with the J-57 engine; the scoop is used for cooling air for the inertial guidance system - electronics weren't the miniature chip variety in the 1950s. A search for information about this model has come up with nothing so if you can add a scrap of info, please let me know.
This handsome and historic model belongs in a missiles museum. It is for sale for $10,000.
The April 1958 issue of Popular Science had an article, "Our First 5,000-Mile Missile is Ready Now", about the Snark. Included was the picture below with the caption, "FIRST SNARK SQUADRON, for AF's new base at Presque Isle, Me., gets preliminary technical instruction. On table in foreground is model of Snark poised for flight on mobile launcher." What a cool model! Looks to be about 1:12 scale or smaller, somewhat less than the wind tunnel model above. It's the test version of the Snark as it has the test probe on the nose. This is probably a one-off model.
THE EXPLORATION OF MARS by Willy Ley and Wernher von Braun, with paintings by Chesley Bonestell - 1956
A landmark work that deserves to be in every space library. Written in 1956 by two spaceflight proponents who worked with and wrote about spaceflight and rocketry long before America became energized by Russian successes in space. The book features sixteen paintings by Chesley Bonestell, a visionary painter of extraterrestrial landscapes and interplanetary flight.
Chesley Bonestell (1888-1987) worked on the Illustrated London News as an illustrator following World War I, returned to the U.S. in 1927 and worked as an architectural artist on projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Chysler Building until 1944 when he began painting space scenes. Bonestell had a childhood interest in astronomy and is reported to have read Laplace's nebular hypothesis at the age of ten. He was also active as a scene painter for numerous Hollywood films, starting with "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939) through the movie "Conquest of Space" (1955) and won many awards. Bonestell is considered to be the dean of modern space art. Bonestell's work appeared in hundreds of magazines, from Life to Popular Mechanics, and in many books starting in the mid 1940s. A great deal of information is available on Bonestell on the web.
The Bonestell paintings of our Solar System were done at a time when space travel was considered as science fiction, yet his painting combined his skill at realism with scientific facts so that views of extraterrestrial objects - such as the lunar surface, or Saturn as seen from Titan - are classical renditions even though they have been superceeded by modern space exploration. Wernher von Braun stated that Bonestell's pictures, "...present the most accurate portrayal of those faraway heavenly bodies that modern science can offer."
The dust jacket for THE EXPLORATION OF MARS states that "Willy Ley and Wernher von Braun, basing their plans on astronomical realities and sticking strictly to engineering knowledge available today, have outlined a master blueprint for man's first exploring trip to Mars." The authors explain in the book that a space station is necessary to launch the Mars exploration ships. The planet Mars is examined closely using all available material.
TOPPING MODEL 1:48 SCALE CHANCE VOUGHT REGULUS I MISSILES
First, a little Regulus I history. The Regulus Guided Missile Program is all too frequently overlooked in the history of strategic nuclear weapons systems. A legacy of the German V1 rocket, the Regulus program ushered in a new era that changed the strategic role of the submarine forever. Developed by the Navy and Chance Vought Aircraft, the missile was carried horizontally in a chamber on top of the sub. To fire, the sub would have to surface. The missile was then rolled out, positioned and fired.
The Navy's BuAer issued a Letter of Intent to Vought for Contract NOa(s) 9450 On 16 November 1947. On 28 November 1947 initial engineering design work was begun and on 23 December 1947 Chance Vought accepted the program contract. The Regulus program was begun. The missile was named for a first-magnitude star in the constellation Leo.
From 1952 until contract termination in 1958, the Regulus missile program progressed from an experimental status to a fully operational weapon system. The Navy ultimately had the Regulus system installed on five missile submarines and eleven guidance submarines. During the cold war years the submarine fleet made 41 strategic deterrent patrols armed with Regulus, not ceasing operations until 14 July 1964. Over 500 Regulus I missiles were produced.
The USS TUNNY SS-282 was the first Regulus-firing submarine in the U.S. Navy. The TUNNY was commissioned on September 1, 1942. Following shakedown training out of California ports, USS TUNNY (SS-282) arrived in the Hawaiian Islands on 12 December 1942. After an additional week of training and two weeks of availability, she got underway from Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, on 12 January 1943 for her first war patrol; the TUNNY was engaged in significant action in the Pacific during WWII. Following Japan's surrender, the submarine then made her way back to the west coast. TUNNY was decommissioned on 13 December 1945 and placed in the Mare Island Group, 19th Fleet.
Communist aggression in Korea placed new demands on the resources of the Navy and led to TUNNY's being placed in commission, in reserve, on 28 February 1952. She saw no service at this time, however, and was decommissioned in April 1952. On 6 March 1953, she was placed in commission for the third time. Converted to carry guided missiles, she was reclassified SSG-282 and served as a Regulus-missile submarine for nearly 12 years.
For the first four of those years, she operated out of Point Mugu, contributing to the development of the Regulus missile system. Except for a short period of type training, TUNNY engaged entirely in the launching and guidance of Regulus missiles for purposes of missile evaluation in the development of the system. In 1957, she shifted her base of operations to Hawaii where she conducted deterrent patrols and fired exercise missiles. In May 1965, the Regulus missile system was phased out, and TUNNY was redesignated SS-282. She served in other capacities until she was decommissioned on 28 June 1969.
The Topping model in 1:48 scale with launching ramp is in nice display condition. Note that it was probably designed at Topping from early test units of the Regulus I as it does not have the lower "chin" that later appeared to accomodate the warhead; also, the model was not made with the JATO take-off bottles.
This Topping Regulus I has been stored in the original Topping/Chance Vought shipping box which has a worn label indicating that it was shipped from Texas to Alexandria, Virginia. The model is in "as new" condition as is the interior of the box. Photos of this model are shown below. The price of this immaculate Topping missile is $650.00.
Models of the Regulus I are quite rare. There was only a single kit sold in the 1950s, the StromBecKer Regulus I, kit M1, which was a combination of wood and plastic - there were no all-plastic kits made that I know of. The StromBecKer model is pictured on the StromBecKer History link on this website. The Topping model is the only display model outside of some possible factory one-off models. Oddly, the Regulus II appeared in many plastic kits, and a Topping model, although it was never an operational missile so lacks the historical cachet of the Regulus I.
Of general interest, the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Pier 86 12th Ave. & 46th Street, New York, N.Y. 10036, exhibits the USS GROWLER with a Regulus I missile installation.
A superb website is devoted to the Regulus, www.Regulus-Missile.com. They offer a DVD entitled REGULUS: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines. This incredible disc is jam-packed with special features including: Three exciting supplemental segments, featuring nearly 20 minutes of additional footage never before seen by the public, Archival footage of the never-deployed Regulus II supersonic cruise missile, and Dozens of newly declassified historic photos, data cards and fact sheets. This DVD is a must-have for the submarine afficionado, or anyone interested in Naval aviation, cruise missiles, or the Cold War!
DISPLAY MODELS OF REGULUS I and II
This unusual piece featuring an ashtray appears to have been made in a limited quantity. The models are cast resin and the uprights are what appears to be polished plexiglas - no sign of any yellowing as experienced with acrylic stands. The ashtray has been simply die-formed and fitted to a wood base. This may have been a factory piece for presentations. Definitely vintage.
2.75 IN FOLDING FIN AIR ROCKET (FFAR)
The American 2.75 in. (70 mm) Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR) appears to be a development of the German design. Two full-size training or demonstration 2.75 in. FFARs are being offered here for sale and each has an interesting provenance; these particular rockets appeared several years earlier than most references indicate and are, in fact nearly 60 years-old. Interesting when considering that variants of the 2.75 in. FFAR are still very much in use today, particularly on armed helicopters as air-to-ground weapons.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Naval Ordnance Test Station, NOTS, at China Lake lays claim to developing the unguided air-launched rockets of 2.75 in (70 mm) diameter. Here is a quote concerning the China Lake development: "Unguided air-launched rockets of 2.75 in (70 mm) diameter were originally developed in the late 1940s by the NOTS (Naval Ordnance Test Station) at China Lake. The rockets were to be used as more powerful supplements and/or replacements for guns in both air-to-air and air-to-ground applications. Many millions of rocket rounds have been built so far, and the latest versions are still widely used by all U.S. armed services.
"Designation Note: No formal designations are allocated to all-up 2.75-inch rockets. Instead, the rocket type is generally identified by the designation of the motor assembly, which is the main body of the rocket and includes nozzle and fins. The various warheads are typically usable with all available motors, and are presumably often fitted to the rockets in the field only shortly before actual use. Therefore it was apparently deemed unnecessary to assign designations to every specific combination of rocket and payload. In fact, the original edition of the current designation system for rockets and missiles explicitly excluded unguided line-of-sight rockets from the system."
Another quote, this from China Lake: "Aircraft rockets were China Lake's raison d'etre at its establishment. The early forward-firing aircraft rockets developed by the CalTech-NOTS team included the 3.5- and 5.0-Inch Aircraft Rockets; the 5.0-Inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rocket, Holy Moses; and the 11.75-inch Tiny Tim. Early China Lake products also included spin-stabilized bombardment rockets and special-purpose rockets that were used for everything from propelling line charges to sampling atomic clouds. Folding-fin aircraft rockets (FFARs) are another highly successful China Lake product; literally millions of the 2.75-inch Mighty Mouse and 5.0-inch Zuni have been fired in combat."
Additional information: "MK 4 Mighty Mouse, MK 40. The 2.75-inch FFAR (Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket) was originally developed by the NOTS as an air-to-air weapon to be used by interceptors against heavy bombers. A salvo of rockets was considered much more effective than a stream of cannon shells. The original rocket model was the MK 4, which was spin-stabilized and featured four flip-out fins around the nozzle. Fitted with a 2.7 kg (6 lb) HE warhead, it was widely used in the 1950s as the Mighty Mouse air-to-air rocket by USAF interceptors like the F-86D Sabre, F-89D Scorpion, F-94C Starfire and F-102A Delta Dagger. Total length of the MK 4 Mighty Mouse was 1.2 m (4 ft), and it weighed 8.4 kg (18.5 lb). Maximum range was around 6000 m (6500 yds), but effective range was more like 3400 m (3700 yds). The rocket's accuracy was relatively poor, because its speed and spin rate were too low to effectively counter gravity drop, cross winds and dispersion." The F-89D carried 52 "Mighty Mouse" rockets in each wingtip pod along with fuel. This installation was first tested on a YF-89D in 1951.
Air-to-Air rockets were first used during World War II by the Luftwaffe. The R4M, was developed in 1944 from the Föhn antiaircraft rocket by fitting a new elongated motor body to the warhead. Folding fins which lay alongside the rocket motor exhaust nozzle unfolded backwards, jack-knife fashion, upon launch. The warhead was fitted with an impact-and-self-destruction fuse. The motor used a single stick of nitrocellulose propellant and burned for about 0.8 seconds. The R4M was mass produced by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabrik at Lübeck. The Me 262 A-1b was fitted with underwing rocket mounts with twelve under each wing (See the Diverse Images 1:72 scale pewter Me 262 models on the Diverse Images page link). The R4M was 33.1 inches in length and was 55 mm in diameter (2.2 in). The fighters launched a salvo of these unguided rockets at bomber formations.
Another source states: "The R4M was used as the basis for unguided rockets built by many nations after the war. Rather than mounting individual rockets individually on a stores pylon, unguided rockets were fitted to aircraft in "pods" that could be streamlined and could carry a large quantity of folding-fin rockets.
"As such unguided rockets are very simple and easy to manufacture, they are widely available in many different versions. In 1948, the US introduced a 70 millimeter (2.75 inch) "Folding Fin Air Rocket (FFAR)", also once known as "Mighty Mouse", derived from the German R4M that was fired in clusters by 1950s interceptors such as the Northrop F-89 Scorpion, North American F-86D Sabre, and Lockheed F-94C Starfire to knock out Soviet bomber formations attacking the North American continent. The FFAR saw little or no action in air-to-air combat, which was fortunate because most pilots who fired them in tests found them much too inaccurate, but it was used for ground attack in the Vietnam War with good effect. It was standard armament for attack helicopters like the Bell AH-1 Hueycobra, and was often carried by fixed-wing close-support aircraft such as the A-1 Skyraider, fitted with different versions of cylindrical pods accommodating 7 or 19 rockets. The FFAR was often fitted with a smoke warhead for target marking by forward air controller aircraft. "
The AIR FORCE ARMAMENT MUSEUM, EGLIN AFB has a display of 2.75 in. FFARs which is labeled as "Air-to-Air weapons". I copied the text which accompanies the display of three of these missiles with their tail fins in different postions as they would unfold in flight. The museum display reads: "By the early 1950's, air-to-air missiles began to be added to the arsenal of fighter aircraft weapons, initially supplementing machine guns and eventually overtaking them in importance. Rockets under development were based on the German designed R-24 air-to-air rocket that had been used against allied bombers during the Second World War. The rockets that evolved from this development program were designated the 2.75 inch Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR). The rockets had an effective range of about 2,000 yards and a high explosive warhead. Several fighter aircraft were armed with these rockets, including the North American F-86D with an under fuselage retractable tray containing 24 FFARs, and the Lockheed F-94C with 24 FFARs in the nose."
The unguided 2.75 rockets, after all these years of use, are now being targeted as a possible cheap ($10,000) guided weapon for use against lesser targets where higher cost rockets such as the Hellfire is an overkill, the range is in excess of the 30 mm chain-gun and the old unguided 2.75 lacks accuracy. A LCPK and APKWS program (Low Cost Precision Kill and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) by BAE Systems adds a guidance and aerodynamic control unit which screws in between the motor and the warhead. Called the Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker (DASALS) it also features advanced digital signal processing and a tiny vibrating silicon "gyro" inertial measurement unit.
The earliest dates mentioned above for the American 70 mm FFAR is "late 1940s" and "In 1948" with actual use in "the early 1950s". The FFARs offered here predate these years and, in fact, can be traced to December 1945, making these examples rather rare pieces which perhaps were used as preliminary training tools. Additionally, the inert motors are marked as Mk 1s whereas the production versions used in the 1950s were apparently Mk 4s. The units are detailed below. The rockets came from the Naval Ammunition Depot in Crane, Indiana.
FULL-SIZE, 48 INCH, 2.75 IN. (70MM) FFAR INERT TRAINING MISSILE MK 1
This is a complete inert missile which can be disassembled (see separated warhead below)and which has working fins, fin casing (removed when loading) and firing contact which holds fin tips. Pictures of the missile, fin closeups, and the removed warhead are shown below. The unit is in excellent condition. Markings are as follows:
Marking on warhead. "INERT , PLASTER 1.4 LBS, ALN RHHB-2023-C-60, 2.75 IN ROCKET HEAD MK 1 MOD 3, BUORD DR NO-660897-D, CONT NO 17319 LOT NO 3D1258" and the following die-stamped in, "MK 1 MOD 3 LOT 3D 1258".
Marking on motor body. "2.75 IN ROCKET MOTOR EX 1 MOD 0, BUORD 1350654, CONT NO NORD 14207" along with a Navy anchor with "US". The removable fin casing is marked, "RETURN TO NEAREST LOADING ACTIVITY".
Note that this missile had a shipping cardboard container which was marked with a December 1945 date. The price of this full-size inert training missile is $5000.00.
FULL-SIZE, 48 INCH, 2.75 IN. (70MM) FFAR INERT TRAINING MISSILE MK 1 WHICH HAS BEEN SECTIONED
This is a complete 70mm FFAR which has been sectionalized to show the warhead fuse mechanism and powder charge and two portions of the motor. Fins and arming contact are in perfect working condition and the fin casing is included. The provenance of this rare uni