A Vertical Empire

Author: C. N. Hill
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 1848167954
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Book Description
A Vertical Empire provides a description of the British rocketry and space programme from the 1950s to 1970s, detailing the Medium Range Ballistic Missile Blue Streak and its conversion to a satellite launcher as part of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO). This extensively revised second edition includes material only made available in the past ten years and the text is supplemented by numerous photographs, sketches and statistics. The all-British satellite Black Arrow is described, as well as the research rocket Black Knight, the Blue Steel missile and the rocket powered interceptor aircraft.

A Vertical Empire

Author: C. N. Hill
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 1848167652
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Vertical Empire, A: The History Of The Uk Rocket And Space Programme, 1950-1971

Author: Charles N Hill
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 1783261455
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 259

Book Description
A Vertical Empire describes the work in rocketry and space research carried out in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. At one time, the programme was as sophisticated as those in the US and Russia. The projects were cancelled one by one as Britain's attempts to keep up militarily with the two superpowers weakened, as a consequence of Treasury pressure and the belief that there was no economic future in space technology.Much of the material in this invaluable book has never been available before, due partly to the 30-Year Rule concerning government documents, and partly to the sensitive military nature of the work. The projects covered include rocket-propelled aircraft, large military missiles such as the medium range ballistic missile Blue Streak, the test rocket Black Knight and the re-entry experiments it carried, and the satellite launcher Black Arrow. In addition, proposed projects that could have been developed from these vehicles are covered in depth. There is also considerable political analysis of why these projects were eventually discontinued.

Limiting Outer Space

Author: Alexander C.T. Geppert
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137369167
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 375

Book Description
Limiting Outer Space propels the historicization of outer space by focusing on the Post-Apollo period. After the moon landings, disillusionment set in. Outer space, no longer considered the inevitable destination of human expansion, lost much of its popular appeal, cultural significance and political urgency. With the rapid waning of the worldwide Apollo frenzy, the optimism of the Space Age gave way to an era of space fatigue and planetized limits. Bringing together the history of European astroculture and American-Soviet spaceflight with scholarship on the 1970s, this cutting-edge volume examines the reconfiguration of space imaginaries from a multiplicity of disciplinary perspectives. Rather than invoking oft-repeated narratives of Cold War rivalry and an escalating Space Race, Limiting Outer Space breaks new ground by exploring a hitherto underrated and understudied decade, the Post-Apollo period.

Minuteman

Author: David Stumpf
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
ISBN: 1610757351
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 595

Book Description
In Minuteman: A Technical History of the Missile That Defined American Nuclear Warfare, David K. Stumpf demystifies the intercontinental ballistic missile program that was conceived at the end of the Eisenhower administration as a key component of the US nuclear strategy of massive retaliation. Although its nuclear warhead may have lacked power relative to that of the Titan II, the Minuteman more than made up for this in terms of numbers and readiness to launch—making it the ultimate ICBM. Minuteman offers a fascinating look at the technological breakthroughs necessary to field this weapon system that has served as a powerful component of the strategic nuclear triad for more than half a century. With exacting detail, Stumpf examines the construction of launch and launch control facilities; innovations in solid propellant, lightweight inertial guidance systems, and lightweight reentry vehicle development; and key flight tests and operational flight programs—all while situating the Minuteman program in the context of world events. In doing so, the author reveals how the historic missile has adapted to changing defense strategies—from counterforce to mutually assured destruction to sufficiency.

In Turbulent Skies

Author: Peter Reese
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750994444
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 390

Book Description
In 1945 confidence in British aviation was sky-high. Yet decades later, the industry had not lived up to its potential. What happened? The years that followed the war saw the Brabazon Committee issue flawed proposals for civil aviation planning. Enforced cancellations restricted the advancement of military aircraft, compounded later on by Defence Minister Duncan Sandys abandoning aircraft to fixate solely on missiles. Commercially, Britain's small and neglected domestic market hindered the development of civilian airliners. In the production of notorious aircraft, the inauspicious Comet came from de Havilland's attempts to gain an edge over its American competitors. The iconic Harrier jump jet and an indigenous crop of helicopters were squandered, while unrealistic performance requirements brought about the cancellation of TSR2. Peter Reese explores how repeated financial crises, a lack of rigour and fatal self-satisfaction led British aviation to miss vital opportunities across this turbulent period in Britain's skies.

Messages from the Moon

Author: Sven Grampp
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3658445181
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description

A Vertical Empire

Author: C. N. Hill
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company Incorporated
ISBN: 9781860942679
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 253

Book Description
A Vertical Empire describes the work in rocketry and space research carried out in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. At one time, the programme was as sophisticated as those in the US and Russia. The projects were cancelled one by one as Britain's attempts to keep up militarily with the two superpowers weakened, as a consequence of Treasury pressure and the belief that there was no economic future in space technology. Much of the material in this invaluable book has never been available before, due partly to the 30-Year Rule concerning government documents, and partly to the sensitive military nature of the work. The projects covered include rocket-propelled aircraft, large military missiles such as the medium range ballistic missile Blue Streak, the test rocket Black Knight and the re-entry experiments it carried, and the satellite launcher Black Arrow. In addition, proposed projects that could have been developed from these vehicles are covered in depth. There is also considerable political analysis of why these projects were eventually discontinued.

The Black Arrow Rocket

Author: Douglas Millard
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 78

Book Description
Black Arrow R4 is Britain's only surviving satellite launch vehicle. In 1971, its predecessor, R3, carried out the only launch of a spacecraft by a British vehicle. This book draws on the Science Museum's unique collection of rocket engines and vehicles to tell Black Arrow's story. It traces the evolution of engines from those that boosted German aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s to the Gammas of the Black Knight ballistic research vehicle, from which Black Arrow originated. It relates this technological history to the political climate at the time, both in Britain and abroad, and also to the activities of government research establishments and industry. In doing so, the book outlines how and why Black Arrow was created and later allowed to die. This book will be of interest both to those who wish to know more of the forces that drive space exploration and to those who are interested in Britain's political, military and technological aspirations during the Cold War.

Blue Streak

Author: John Boyes
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
In the early 1950s the United States wished to concentrate its defence resources on the development of a 4,000 mile range intercontinental ballistic missile. As a stop-gap measure, US defence chiefs hoped to assist Britain with the development of its own intermediate range missile. Despite US concerns that British resources were limited the Air Ministry nonetheless proceeded with the missile, called Blue Streak, to fulfil the operational requirement which would give Britain an independent deterrent which should remain invulnerable until the early 1970s. Blue Streak: Britain's Medium Range Ballistic Missile traces the path from the political decision to issue the contracts through the early development and testing both in the UK and in Australia. The reasons for the project's cancellation are considered and Blue Streak's subsequent role as the first stage of the ELDO civilian satellite launcher is noted. A requirement of the project was the need to base the missiles in underground launchers to protect them from attack. This aspect of the project is fully covered using recently available information and specially drawn plans.