[Illustration: 22. A booster lifts Aerobee 150 out of its launch
rail.]
The half-ton Aerobee could carry a 45.4-kilogram (100-pound) payload to
an altitude of 120.6 kilometers (75 miles). For many years, the Aerobee
was the standard American sounding rocket due to its reliability and
relatively low cost. Several versions of the original Aerobee were
produced. The Aerobee relied on a short-duration, solid-fuel booster for
launching, after which the main-stage, liquid-propellant engine ignited.
On display at the NASM is an Aerobee 150, a more sophisticated version
of the rocket. An Aerobee 150 can lift a 68.1-kilogram (150-pound)
payload to an altitude of 274 kilometers (170 miles). Payloads consisted
of a variety of scientific experiments.
The Aerobee concept originated early in 1946 when Dr. James Van Allen,
then of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University,
suggested that the Office of Naval Research contract for a rocket with
these particular capabilities. The Aerojet General Corporation (then
Aerojet, Inc.) was awarded the contract, with the Douglas Aircraft
Corporation subcontracting for aerodynamic studies on the nose, fins,
and tail cone, and for the final assembly of the rocket.
The Aerobee 150 is from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center.