THE ATLAS FAMILY

INTRODUCTION:

• Atlas is a family of US missiles and space launch vehicles that originated with the SM-65 Atlas.

• Atlas was a liquid propellant rocket burning RP-1 fuel with liquid oxygen in three engines configured in an unusual “stage-and-a-half” or “parallel staging” design.

• The Atlas was used as the expendable launch system with both the Agena and Centaur upper stages for the Mariner space probes used to explore Mercury, Venus, and Mars (1962–1973); and to launch ten of the Mercury program missions (1962–1963).

HISTORY OF ATLAS FAMILY:

• The Atlas name was originally proposed by Karel Bossart and his design team working at Convair on project MX-1593.
• The first successful test launch of an SM-65 Atlas missile was on 17 December 1957. Approximately 350 Atlas missiles were built.

KEY FEATURES:

Manufacturer    – Convair

First flight          – 17 December 1957

Introduction      – 1957

Status                – Atlas V (current)

Primary users   – United States Air Force

                   National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Produced         –  1957–2010s (decade)

Variants       :

• SM-65 Atlas

•   SM-65D Atlas

•   Atlas IIIA

•  Atlas V

FEATURES OF ATLAS FAMILY:

Stage 1:

• At The Stage 1 Atlas V Rocket has fuel and oxygen tanks that feed an engine for the ascent; powers spacecraft into Earth orbit.

• The Atlas V first stage is the common core booster.

• This main booster is 107 feet (32.5 meters) long, with a diameter of 12.5 feet (3.8 meters). With the payload on board, the launch vehicle is 188 feet (57.3 meters).

• Fully fueled, with the spacecraft on top, it weighs about 730,000 pounds (333,000 kilograms).

Stage 2: Centaur

• Atlas V-401 Launch Vehicle, Stage 2 Centaur: Fuel and oxidizer and the vehicle’s “brains”

• The Centaur is 41.7 feet (12.7 meters) long and 10.2 feet (3.1 meters) in diameter.

• It has a restartable RL-10C engine made by Aerojet Rocketdyne, Sacramento, California.

Payload Fairing:

• Atlas V-401 Launch Vehicle, Payload Fairing: The spacecraft will ride into the sky inside a protective payload fairing atop the Centaur stage.

• The spacecraft rides into the sky inside a protective payload fairing atop the Centaur stage.

• The fairing is 39.4 feet (12 meters) long, with a diameter of 13.8 feet (4.2 meters) at the widest part, tapering to the top of the cone.

Main Engine:

• Delivering more than 860,000 pounds of thrust at liftoff and an impressive range of continuous throttling capability, the RD-180 main engine is a powerful combination of innovation and performance.

•  Designed and manufactured by NPO Energomash, the liquid oxygen/liquid kerosene, two-thrust-chamber.

• This engine uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and can provide up to about 22,890 pounds of thrust.

Solid Rocket Boosters:

• Aerojet Rocketdyne manufactures the AJ-60A strap-on solid rocket booster motors that are used to provide additional thrust at liftoff.

• Up to five AJ-60A solid rocket booster motors may be added to the Atlas V depending on mission requirements.

Control Thrusters:

• Twelve Aerojet Rocketdyne MR-106 Reaction Control System thrusters provide pitch, yaw and roll control for the Centaur upper stage, as well as settling burns.

Pressure Vessels:

• ARDÉ, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne based in New Jersey, manufactures the pressure vessels that support the first and second stages of the Atlas V launch vehicle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you. For more such blogs, please do follow our page to get posts about World’s most famous Rockets. And also Your Valuable suggestions and comments are welcomed with pleasure 😊. -Regards AEROTECH 4U .

Advertisement