[Illustration: 69. Four-stage Scout vehicle launches satellite from
the Western Test Range, California.]
[Illustration: 70. Scout in vertical position prior to the launch of
an Explorer science satellite, April 29, 1965.]
On February 16, 1961, Scout became the first solid-propellant vehicle to
orbit a satellite (_Explorer 9_). It is a four-stage launch vehicle that
can perform a variety of space and reentry research tasks. Its
relatively low cost has made it a popular choice for many satellite
programs, including Transit navigation satellites, the Small Astronomy
and Small Scientific Satellites, the Beacon Explorer, Hawkeye,
Micrometeoroid, Meteoroid Technology, and Solrad satellites. The rocket
has also been used extensively to launch foreign satellites. ANS-A
(Netherlands), GRP-A (Germany), UK-5 (England), Eole (France), San Marco
5 (Italy), and the ESRO satellites for the European Space Research
Organization (now European Space Agency) have all gone aloft aboard
Scout launch vehicles.
The satellite in the nose of the Scout on exhibit is an INJUN/Air
Density Explorer identical to that launched from Wallops Island,
Virginia, on August 8, 1968.
Scout was built by the LTV Aerospace Corporation for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense.
The Scout is from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and
LTV Aerospace Corporation.