Challenge: With PoDs in any period make the MX-774/Hiroc ICBM program successful enough for US to have the first ICBM (defined as a rocket projectile with ranges more than 5500km) before USSR gets it on August 1957.
Challenge: With PoDs in any period make the MX-774/Hiroc ICBM program successful enough for US to have the first ICBM (defined as a rocket projectile with ranges more than 5500km) before USSR gets it on August 1957.
Operation Paperclip goes better for the US, helping the US rocket program and slowing the Soviets program down.
The Hiroc was too small to be effectively ground-launched (it lost about half of delta-V to air resistance). In best case, in original configuration it can hope for ~150km range. A special setup for topping it with liquid oxygen and launching from B-29 bomb bay may give it a chance, increasing range to ~350km plus the range of the B-29 itself.Challenge: With PoDs in any period make the MX-774/Hiroc ICBM program successful enough for US to have the first ICBM (defined as a rocket projectile with ranges more than 5500km) before USSR gets it on August 1957.
Challenge: With PoDs in any period make the MX-774/Hiroc ICBM program successful enough for US to have the first ICBM (defined as a rocket projectile with ranges more than 5500km) before USSR gets it on August 1957.
Arguably the US could have had NONE of the Paperclip scientist and still moved forward as we were well on the way with purely US research.
If I remember correctly there was a lot of interest service rivalry about Rockets. If we had to listen just to Von Braun and not let the military Navy in particular design their own the ones that kept blowing up on the Launchpad we would have had the first satellite in space and ICBM. If you kind of look at the historical record after the late 50s Von Braun have much more of a upper hand in design and built some very good Rockets Saturn series for instance. Had the military continued I have a feeling the Saturn Rockets would have ended up like the vanguards that blew up the LaunchPadOperation Paperclip goes better for the US, helping the US rocket program and slowing the Soviets program down.
Could we have no Paperclip but instead a massive "Skrepka" (Paperclip in Russian) and perhaps some Soviet PR stunts with rockets in late 40's, like VR-190? This would arguably boost US interest in rocketry earlier?
If I remember correctly there was a lot of interest service rivalry about Rockets.
If we had to listen just to Von Braun and not let the military Navy in particular design their own the ones that kept blowing up on the Launchpad we would have had the first satellite in space and ICBM. If you kind of look at the historical record after the late 50s Von Braun have much more of a upper hand in design and built some very good Rockets Saturn series for instance. Had the military continued I have a feeling the Saturn Rockets would have ended up like the vanguards that blew up the LaunchPad
But given an actual continuation of MX-774 from 1946 you could see an ‘operational’ (very limited and very questionable on the ‘operational’ part since it would be very similar to the early R7 in that it couldn’t be launched from a hardened position and took a long time to prepare and launch) “Atlas” coming on-line in the mid-to-late 50s.
'Big' Atlas for original sized H-Bombs
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Since the Atlas lasted decades longer as a Sat-Lofter, than ICBM, this would have been useful for more payload to LEO
Unlike the R7, the Atlas, be it 3 or 5 engine type, was planned for a slightly harder launcher than the open padsArguably this would be about as ‘operational’ as the Soviet R7 and probably ‘used’ if it came to that but the US would quite obviously begin work on something ‘better’ the second they can. And they in fact ‘can’ almost right off the bat.
Unlike the R7, the Atlas, be it 3 or 5 engine type, was planned for a slightly harder launcher than the open pads
The first Titan I Silos took 2 minutes to raise, as didn't have the fueling delay
From the start, it was known that Titan from Martin would be the Superior weapon system, but wouldn't be ready in time to deploy before Atlas, or carry megaton class weapons when it was first pitched, but 'only' boosted fission warheads in the 400kt range
So Atlas, be it 'big' or 'regular' had a planned operational window of just a few years as an ICBM, and then far longer as a manned launcher ( 'Big' Atlas and Gemini, woo-hoo!) and then Satellite and probe lofter after that
Sure? I recall that Titan 1 had to be fueled just like the Atlas which gave it about the same response time. It's wasn't till the Titan-II hypergolics the fueling delay went away.
Might be even more 'woo-hoo-ier!' Because "Big" Atlas has more payload "Mercury" might actually be a more capable design and be open to modification unlike OTL Mercury was![]()
I believe the non-balloon tanks could be filled faster on the Titan I
Will agree with that, a 60-70 orbit flight with Alan Shepard would have been good to get that flight in before he got grounded for a few years
Was that because of some technical requirement of the missile or simply because they hadn't built the silo with flame and exhaust ducts? The RAF did a fair amount of research on missile silos in the mid- to late-1950s, IIRC the US Air Force showed a lot interest in the work.In both, missiles had to be raised clear and fuelled before ignition.