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AN ADVANCED
ICBM
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The
two-stage Titan ICBM became operational with the U.S. Strategic Air
Command in 1962. It was deployed in "hardened" underground
silos to protect it from attack. By 1965 an improved version, Titan
II, was deployed; it was prefueled with storable propellants to reduce
launch time. |
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 The
first object to survive a round trip into space--the nose cone of
a Jupiter-C rocket--is displayed below near the base of the Minuteman
III missile. |
JUPITER-C NOSE
CONE
| This
Jupiter-C nose cone became the first man-made object to survive
a round trip into space after its1,900-kilometer (1,200-mile)
flight in August 1957. Unlike Sputnik, this object did not go
into orbit, but its return intact demonstrated that American engineers
had solved the re-entry problem. With its blunt shape and protective
surface coating, the nose cone survived the heat and friction
of descent through the atmosphere. Its successful re-entry paved
the way for using rockets to deliver weapons at long ranges and
to send humans into space.
Manufacturer:
General Electric and U.S. Army
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