Castor-Recruit
Launch vehicle · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Castor + 1 x Recruit
Related
- Country
- USA
- Launch Sites
- Johnston Island
- Stages
- 1.5KS35000, Castor 1
- Agency
- JPL
Chronology
1 event
1962 October 20
08:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. LV Family: Sergeant. Launch Vehicle: Castor-Recruit.- CHECKMATE Nuclear test - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: AEC.
Apogee: 147 km (91 mi).
Test of the Los Alamos XW-50X1 60 kiloton nuclear warhead. Launch vehicle was a solid propellant XM-33 Strypi rocket with a Recruit booster stage. The warhead detonated at an altitude of 147 km, 66 km from Johnston Island. Observers on the island saw a green and blue circular region surrounded by a red ring. This faded in less than a minute. Blue-green streamers and pink striations developed that lasted half an hour. At this yield, even with the high altitude, extensive disruption of communications were not reported.