THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering High Altitude Engineering Laboratory Final Report THE NIKE-YARDBIRD SOUNDING ROCKET (VERTIGO) Prepared for the Project by: W. H. Hansen F. F. Fischbach Under Contract With: Department of the Army Ballistic Research Laboratories Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Contract No. DA-20-018-509-ORD 103 administered through: OFFICE OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION ANN ARBOR December 1961

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS iii ABSTRACT iv UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PROJECT PERSONNEL v 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. PERFORMANCE 1 2.1 Designed 1 2.2 Flight Test 8 3. DESIGN FEATURES 16 3. 1 Motors 16 3. 2 Launching and Handling 16 3. 3 Stability 16 3.4 Coupling and Flight Program 20 3. 5 Instrumented Nose 20 4. PREPARATION AND ASSEMBLY 25 4. 1 First-Stage Preparation 25 4. 2 Second-Stage Preparation 26 4. 2. 1 Fin Shroud and Nozzle Assembly and 26 Installation. 4. 2. 2 Fin Alignment Check 27 4. 2. 3 Igniter Installation 27'4.3 Final Assembly 27 RECOMMENDATIONS 28 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 28 REFERENCES 28 ii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Table Page I Flight Parameters 8 Figure 1 Vertigo on Launcher 2 2 Vertigo Weights, Centers of Gravity and Gross 3 Dimensions 3 Vertical Trajectory 4 4 Peak Altitude vs Payload 7 5 Skin Temperatures: Fin Leading Edge and 9 Aluminum Cylinder 6 First-Stage Fins 17 7 Second-Stage Fins 18 8 Yardbird.Fin: Leading Edge Cross-Section 19 9 Coupling Parts 21 10 First- to Second-Stage Coupling Assembly 22 11 Nose Cone Ejection Assembly 23 12 Nose Cone and Instrumentation 24 iii

ABSTRACT The Nike-Yardbird (Vertigo) sounding rocket was designed to fill a need in upper-air research for an economical vehicle capable of carrying an 80-pound payload to an altitude of 140 statute miles. The report describes the vehicle in detail and gives the results of the first two test firings. Parts lists and procurement information are included. iv

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IPROJECT PERSONNEL (Both Full and Part Time) Filsinger, Edward A., Instrument Maker Fischbach, Frederick F., M.S., Associate Research Mathematician Gleason, Kermit L., Instrument Maker Haddock, Don E., B. S. E., Assistant Research Engineer Hansen, Linda S., A.B., Typist Clerk Hansen, William H., B.S., Research Engineer Howe, Robert M., Ph. D., Professor of Aeronautical Engineering Jones, Leslie M., B. S., Project Supervisor Mosakewicz, Mary C., Secretary Peterson, John W., M. S., Associate Research Engineer Wenzel, Elton A., Associate Research Engineer Wenzel, John L., Assistant in Research v

1. INTRODUCTION The Vertigo sounding rocket is a two-stage, solid-propellant, aerodynamically stabilized vehicle capable of carrying a payload of 80 pounds to an altitude of 140 miles. It is the latest in a series of designs by this laboratory. Nike-Deacon, Nike-Cajun2, Exos, and Strongarm4 were previously designed and constructed here. Vertigo consists of a Nike-Ajax booster and a Thiokol'" Yardbird, both of which are relatively short-duration solid-propellant motors. Both stages are fin stabilized, and the coupling is of the simple post type with separation accomplished by differential drag. The burn-out velocity of the second stage is approximately Mach 7. Both stages are ignited on the ground with the second-stage burning initiated through 27-sec delay squibs. The Vertigo is pictured in Fig. 1. Figures 2 and 3 show the gross dimensions and predicted trajectory. Two flight tests have been carried out to date. Both failed during second-stage burning. Post-flight analysis showed that both failures were probably caused by a failure at the separation joint in the nose structure. This structure was peculiar to the instrumentation carried and not to the sounding rocket system, therefore additional flights with a conventional nose cone are indicated. The preparation, assembly and launching of Vertigo can be carried out by a small crew with modest equipment. The total cost of the vehicle is approximately $11, 000. The vehicle may be readily launched from either a slightly modified Nike-Ajax launcher or boom-type zero length launcher. 2o PERFORMANCE 2. 1 Designed The Vertigo rocket was designed to carry payloads of 80 pounds to 140 statute miles altitude. Simple trajectory calculations based on a vertical launch show a variation of 2/3 mile altitude per pound change in payload. Figure 4 is a graph of payload vs altitude. From the general characteristics of the rocket system payloads from 60 to 110 pounds are considered most practical, though certainly not limiting. A summary of flight parameters for critical points of the trajectory with vertical launch and an 80-lb payload are given in the table below. Thiokol Chemical Corporation -1

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AFT END 2nd STAGE STA. 177 2nd STAGE HEAD GAP STA.77.^l \..................... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:.-.~; C.G.NOSE 2 nd STAGE B.O. 2ndSTAGE IGNITION 80* STA. 52 C. G. 209# STA. 108.4 C.G. STA. 116.6 476* Figure 2. Vertigo Weights, Centers of Gravity and Gross Dimensions.

Figure 3. Estimated Trajectory of Vertigo with Vertical Launch. VERTICAL TRAJECTORY (80 lb. Payload) Density Reynolds No. Drag Coef. x Time Altitude Velocity Thrust Mass x 103 per ft x 10-4 Frontal Area Acceleration (sec) (ft) (ft/sec) (lbf) (slugs) (slugs/cu ft) (ft-1) (ft)(ft/sec).000 1 0 39838 55.013 2.3767955.16 692.125 12 86 39838 54.069 2.3759605 54.16 705.250 33 175 39838 53.125 2.3742915 111.16 718.375 66 264 39838 52.181 2.3717069 167.16 731.500 110 356 39838 51.237 2.3682097 225.16 745.625 165 449 39838 50.293 2.3638039 284.16 759.750 233 544 39838 49.349 2.3584946 343.16 774.875 312 640 39838 48.405 2.3522052 403.16 789 1.000 404 739 39838 47.461 2.3450262 464 16 805 1.125 509 840 39838 46.517 2.3368015 526.18 821 1.250 626 942 39838 45.572 2.3277058 588.57 829 1.375 756 1046 39838 44.628 2.3176682 650.80 837 1.500 899 1151 39838 43.684 2.3065390 713.79 852 1.625 1056 1257 39838 42.740 2.2944957 776.76 868 1.750 1226 1366 39838 41.796 2.2814729 839.74 884 1.875 1410 1476 39838 40.852 2.2674882 902.71 900 2.000 1609 1589 39838 39.908 2.2524809 966.68 918 2.125 1821 1703 39838 38.964 2.2365512 1029.65 936 2.250 2048 1820 39838 38.020 2.2196421 1094.63 954 2.375 2290 1940 39838 37.076 2.2017775 1158.61 974 2.500 2547 2061 39838 36.132 2.1829827 1221.59 994 2.625 2820 2186 39838 35.187 2.1631319 1285.57 1016 2.750 3109 2313 39838 34.243 2.1424075 1349.56 1038 2.875 3414 2442 39838 33.299 2.1206893 1412.54 1062 3.000 3735 2575 39838 32.355 2.0980114 1477.52 1087 3.125 4073 2711 39838 31.411 2.0744825 1540.50 1114 3.250 4429 2850 0 15.168 2.0499927 1603.26 -117 3.750 5809 2761 0 15.168 1.9575710 1495.27 -164 4.250 7148 2679 0 15.168 1.8719450 1398.27 -153 4.750 8449 2603 0 15.168 1.7923300 1311.28 -142 5.250 9714 2532 0 15.168 1.7181522 1231.28 -133 5.750 10946 2465 0 15.168 1.6488393 1159.28 -125 6.250 12147 2402 0 15.168 1.5839913 1094.28 -118 6.750 13319 2343 0 15.168 1.5231915 1033.29 -111 7.250 14462 2288 0 15.168 1.4661155 977.29 -106 7.750 15579 2235 0 15.168 1.4123688 927.29 -100 8.250 16671 2185 0 15.168 1. 3618358 879.29 - 95 8.750 17739 2137 0 15.168 1.3140800 835.30 - 91 9.250 18784 2092 0 15.168 1.2689794 795.30 - 87 9.750 19808 2048 0 15.168 1.2262881 757.30 - 83 10.250 20811 2007 0 15.168 1.1859077 722.31 - 80 10.750 21793 1967 0 15.168 1.1475825 688.31 - 77 11.250 22757 1928 0 15.168 1.1112375 658.31 - 75 11.750 23701 1891 0 15.168 1.0767242 629.31 - 72 12.250 24628 1855 0 15.168 1.0439062 602.32 - 70 12.750 25537 1820 0 15.168 1.0126576 576.32 - 67 13.250 26430 1786 0 15.168.9828968 552.32 - 65 13.750 27306 1753 0 15.168.9545471 530.33 - 64 14.250 28167 1722 0 15.168.9275037 508.33 - 62 14.750 29012 1691 0 15.168.9016700 488.33 - 60 15.250 29841 1661 0 15.168.8770178 468.33 - 59 15.750 30656 1631 0 15.168.8534594 451.34 - 57 16.250 31457 1603 0 15.168.8309424 433.34 - 56 16.750 32244 1575 0 15.168.8093606 417.34 - 55 17.250 33017 1547 0 15.168.7887273 401.34 - 53 17.750 3-3777 1521 0 15.168.7689441 387.34 - 52 18.250 34524 1495 0 15.168.7500259 372.35 - 51 18.750 35258 1469 0 15.168.7290842 358.35 - 50 19.250 35979 1444 0 15.168.7042097 342.35 - 49 19.750 36688 1419 0 15.168.6805903 325.35 - 48 20.250 37385 1395 0 15.168.6581329 309.36 - 47 20.750 38071 1372 0 15.168.6367744 293.36 - 46 21.250 38744 1349 0 15.168.6164771 279.36 - 45 21,750 39407 1326 0 15.168.5971205 266.36 - 45 22.250 40058 1304 0 15.168.5786969 254.37 - 44 22.750 40699 1282 0 15.168.5611177 242.37 - 44 23.250 41328 1260 0 15.168.5443784 230.37 - 43 23.750 41947 1239 0 15.168.5283983 220.37 - 42 24.250 42556 1218 0 15.168.5131577 209.37 - 41 24.750 43154 1197 0 15.168.4986019 200.38 - 41 25.250 43742 1177 0 15.168.4846802 192.38 - 40 25.750 44319 1157 0 15.168.4713957 183.38 - 40 26.250 44887 1137 0 15.168.4586847 175.38 - 40 26.750 45445 1117 0 15.168.4465361 167.38 - 39 -4

FIGURE 3 (continued) Density Reynolds No. Drag Coef. x Time Altitude Velocity Thrust Mass x 103 per ft x 10-4 Frontal Area Acceleration (sec) (ft) (ft/sec) (lbf) (slugs) (slugs/cu ft) ) (-1) (ft2) (ft/sec ) 27.250 45993 1097 17126 15.168.4349231 161.29 1092 27.375 46147 1234 17126 14.893.4317108 179.28 1112 27.500 46318 1373 17126 14.619.4281609 197.27 1132 27.625 46507 1514 17126 14.344.4242973 216.26 1153 27.750 46714 1658 17126 14.070.4200846 234.25 1175 27.875 46939 1805 17126 13.796.4155632 253.24 1198 28.000 47183 1955 17126 13.521.4107151 270.23 1221 28.125 47446 2108 17126 13.247.4055386 287.22 1246 28.250 47728 2263 17126 12.972.4000758 304.21 1271 28.375 48030 2422 17126 12.698.3943124 321.20 1298 28.500 48353 2585 17126 12.423.3882362 337.20 1326 28.625 48696 2750 17126 12.149.3818644 353.19 1355 28.750 49061 2920 17126 11.875.3752278 368.18 1386 28.875 49447 3093 17126 11.600.3683182 383.17 1418 29.000 49855 3270 17126 11.326.3611549 397.16 1452 29.125 50286 3452 17126 11.051.3537330 410.16 1488 29.250 50740 3638 17126 10.777.3460986 424.15 1525 29.375 51218 3828 17126 10.503.3382247 435.14 1565 29.500 51721 4024 17126 10.228.3301469 447.14 1607 29.625 52249 4225 17126 9.954.3218547 458.13 1651 29.750 52802 4431 17126 9.679.3133962 467.13 1697 29.875 53382 4643 17126 9.405.3047742 476.12 1747 30.000 53989 4862 17126 9.130.2959940 484.11 1800 30.125 54625 5087 17126 8.856.2870832 491.11 1856 30.250 55289 5319 17126 8.582.2780496 497.10 1917 30.375 55983 5558 17126 8.307.2689126 503.10 1981 30.500 56708 5806 17126 8.033.2596924 508.09 2051 30.625 57466 6063 17126 7.758.2504009 510.09 2122 30.750 58256 6328 17126 7.484.2410519 513.09 2198 30.875 59081 6603 17126 7.210.2316773 514.09 2281 31.000 59941 6888 0 6.931.2222764 514 13 -131 31.500 63352 6822 0 6.931.1886338 433.13 -114 32.000 66734 6765 0 6.931.1602970 364.13 -101 32.500 70091 6715 0 6.931.1363847 308.13 - 90 33.000 73425 6670 0 6.931.1161659 260.13 - 80 33.500 76739 6630 0 6.931.0990419 221.13 - 73 34.000 80035 6593 0 6.931.0845134 187.13 - 66 34.500 83315 6560 0 6.931.0721744 159.13 - 61 35.000 86579 6530 0 6.931.0616824 134.13 - 57 35.500 89829 6501 0 6.931.0527508 112.13 - 53 36.000 93066 6475 0 6.931.0451426 94.13 - 50 36.500 96291 6450 0 6. 931.0386535 79.13 - 47 37.000 99504 6427 0 6.931.0331158 67.13 - 45 37.500 102705 6404 0 6.931.0283874 57.13 - 43 38.000 105896 6383 0 6.931.0243461 48.13 - 41 38.500 109077 6362 0 6.931.0208911 41.13 - 40 39.000 112248 6342 0 6. 931.0179346 35.13 - 38 39.500 115409 6323 0 6.931.0154036 28.13 - 38 40.000 118561 6304 0 6.931.0132358 25.13 - 37 40.500 121703 6286 0 6.931.0113779 21.13 - 36 41.000 124836 6268 0 6.931.0097855 17.13 - 35 41.500 127961 6250 0 6.931.0084196 15.13 - 35 42.000 131077 6233 0 6.931.0072472 12.13 - 34 42.500 134184 6215 0 6.931.0062406 10.14 - 34 43.000 137282 6198 0 6.931.0055282 9.14 - 34 43.500 140373 6181 0 6.931.0049490 8.14 - 34 44.000 143455 6165 0 6.931.0044317 7 14 - 33 44.500 146528 6148 0 6.931.0039698 7.14 - 33 45.000 149593 6131 0 6.931.0035570 5 14 - 33 45.500 152650 6115 0 6.931.0031882 4 14 - 33 46.000 155699 6098 0 6.931.0028583 4 14 - 33 46.500 158739 6082 0 6.931.0025635 3.14 - 33 47.000 161771 6066 0 6.931.0022997 3 15- 33 47.500 164795 6049 0 6.931.0020636 3.15 - 32 48.000 167811 6033 0 6.931.0018523 2 15- 32 48.500 170819 6017 0 6.931.0016631 2 15- 32 49.000 173819 6001 0 6.931.0014937 2 15 - 32 49.500 176810 5985 0 6.931.0013419 2 15 - 32 50.000 179794 5969 0 6.931.0012059 1 15 - 32 50.500 182769 5952 0 6.931.0010840 1 15 - 32 51.000 185737 5936 0 6.931.0009747 1.15 - 32 51.500 188697 5920 0 6.931.0008767 1 14 - 32 52.000 191649 5905 0 6.931.0007887 1 14 - 32 52.500 194593 5889 0 6.931.0007098 1 14 - 32 53.000 197529 5873 0 6.931.006389.14 -32 53.500 200457 5857 0 6.931.0005753 14 -32 54.000 203377 5841 0 6.931.0005182 14- 32 54.500 206289 5825 0 6.931.0004669 14- 32 55.000 209193 5809 0 6.931.0004207.14 - 32 -5

FIGURE 3 (concluded) Density Reynolds No. Drag Coef. x Time Altitude Velocity Thrust Mass x 103 per ft x 10-4 Frontal Area Acceleration (sec) (ft) (ft/sec) (lbf) (slugs) (slugs/cu ft) (ft-1) (ft ) (ft/sec 55.500 212090 5793 0 6.931.0003793.14 - 32 56.000 214978 5777 0 6.931.0003420.14 - 32 56.500 217859 5162 0 6.931.0003085.14 - 32 57.000 220731 5746 0 6.931.0002783.14 - 32 57.500 223596 5730 0 6.931..0002512.14 - 32 58.000 226453 5714 0 6.931.0002227.14 - 32 58.500 229302 5698 0 6.931.0001942.13 - 32 59.000 232143 5683 0 6.931.0001694.13 - 32 59.500 234976 5667 0 6.931.0001478.13 - 32 60.000 237801 5651 0 6.931.0001290.13 - 31 60.500 240618 5635 0 6.931.0001126.13 - 31 61.000 243428 5262 0 6.931.0000984.13 - 31 143. 5483 statute miles peak altitude -6

2.I 170 _l co 160 1150 I. 0. 150 140 I - 130 r' I; I0 120 60 70 80 90 100 110 PAYLOAD - POUNDS Figure 4. Peak Altitude vs Payload

FLIGHT PARAMETERS Time -Mass Drag Altitude Velocity Acceleration (sec) (slugs) (lb-ft) (ft) (ft/sec) (g's) 1st Ignition 0 55.01 0 0 0 22 1st Burn-out 3. 25 31. 41 3848 4429 2850 35 Separation 3. 30 15. 17 2200 4570 2842 -5. 5 2nd Ignition 27.25 15.19 76 45993 1097 34 2nd Burn-out 31.00 6.93 474 59941 6888 74 Peak 245 6.93 0 143. 5 mi 0 -1 Incorporation of the long, 24-sec, coast period was not for optimizing the altitude, but for reduction of aerodynamic heating. The fin leading edges were specially built to resist heating effects, and the nose cone was constructed of a Fiberglas-phenolic laminate. Just aft of the nose cone an aluminum alloy cylinder 19 in. long, formed the base of the instrumentation compartment. The alloy was 5086-0 (annealed condition) because no other was available in a suitable extrusion. Temperature calculations were made on the cylinder and the fin leading edge, and are shown in Fig. 5. Temperatures on both appeared to be satisfactorily low. The fin design was based on maintaining better than 1 caliber of static margin at Mach 8 with a typical nose shape. 2. 2 Flight Test To date, the Vertigo has had two flight tests. Both flights were conducted at Wallops Island, Va., at a launch angle of 80 degrees. Instrumentation was primarily to determine rocket performance: An angle of attack gauge was attached to the nose tip; two. longitudinal accelerometers were carried; and a thermocouple and four thermistors were mounted in the fins and nose cone. Telemetry was FM/FM, three continuous channels and one commutated. A falling-sphere experiment to determine atmospheric density was also carried. The first flight test went normally until 0. 4 sec after ignition of the second stage, when an abnormally large yaw occurred. The yaw magnitude increased, and at 2. 0 sec after ignition the rocket tumbled and -8

2000 Fin Leading Edge ---- Mid-point of Aluminun Alloy Cylinder 1600.....1200 OF 800 40O 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 TIME- SEC Figure 5. Skin Temperatures: Fin Leading Edge and Aluminum Cylinder

broke into several pieces. The telemetry equipment functioned throughout and data was received until impact. Data reduction is completely described in the following memorandum report issued July 20, 1961: "MEMORANDUM REPORT Flight Test of First Nike-Yardbird Sounding Rocket A. Flight History "The first Nike-Yardbird (Vertigo) rocket was launched at Wallops Island, Virginia, on June 1, 1961, at an elevation angle of 80 degrees. "The boost phase was normal. "Separation occurred normally between 3 and 4 seconds. Rocket and booster were separated in space at 4. 1 seconds by many yards. At 4. 1 seconds telemetry shows a definite disturbance in the pitch and yaw channels and the drag accelerometer. The thermocouple and thermistor signals from the fin were normal before 4. 1 seconds, showing a leading edge rise of roughly 160 degrees F. After 4. 1 seconds the indications are those of an open circuit. " The only explanation advanced of the irregularities at 4. 1 seconds is that the RTV shroud containing the wires was wrenched from the rocket due to high dynamic pressure at this time. "The coast period was normal with respect to yaw and drag. During the coast period, at 10. 5-10. 6 seconds the FPS-16 and Mod. II radars both detect an object separating from the rocket. This object was tracked sufficiently long for it to exhibit high drag to weight character but not as high as the particles typically left at ignition. "This object would seem to be one of four things: 1. The dummy RTV shroud, 2. The wired RTV shroud which broke at 4. 1 seconds and dangled since, 3. The frangible ring prematurely broken, 4. A layer of fiberglas-phenolic nose cone. No other possibilities have been suggested. The Wallops Island radar operator is strong in his contention that the dummy RTV shroud would make no radar target whatsoever. No abnormalities occur subsequent to 10. 6 seconds which appear to be a direct result of the object's separation. -10

"Between 12 and 13 seconds the falling sphere apparently began to function as if the ball switch had closed. The ball switch was designed to remain open as long as the sphere remained in the nose cone. The nose cone remained on the rocket at this time, thus the operation of the sphere is an unexplained anomaly and presumed to be unrelated to any other failure occurring on the flight. "Telemetry functioned well throughout the flight and was excellent throughout boost, separation and coast. All functions telemetered were normal prior to Yardbird ignition except as noted above. In particular, the yaw and pitch were less than 1 degree; the drag acceleration was approximately as predicted; and the thrust acceleration was normal during boost. And the temperature measurements were as predicted except for the tail fin measurements which were interrupted at 4. 1 seconds as previously noted. "The Yardbird ignited at 28. 77 seconds. The accelerometer indicates that the rocket engine reached the proper thrust level in about 35 milliseconds. The thrust rise was smooth but marked by a brief pause in the rise curve at about 12 g's (a similar pause was noted in the booster acceleration rise). The initial level of acceleration is about 42 g's and increases slowly for 1. 4 sec to about 50 g's at 30. 2 sec. The acceleration remains at 50 g's until the accelerometer record becomes grossly abnormal at 30. 8 seconds. "Returning to the situation at Yardbird ignition, 28. 77 seconds, the alpha and beta records show virtually no yaw or pitch. These channels continue to show only small fluctuations, perhaps 4 degree for. 4 sec, when at 29. 15 both pitch and yaw records show a decided saw-tooth character resembling severe vibration. (For the sake of a better name this sawtooth record character will be called "vibration". Coincident with the beginning of this vibration (29. 15 sec) the rocket begins to yaw abnormally and within 4 sec is yawing 2-3/4 degrees. The vibration as well as the abnormal yaw continues until 30. 8 sec when the rocket apparently tumbles, both pitch and yaw channels showing maximum readings. "The FPS-16 radar detects an object separating from the rocket at about 29. 15 sec, or nearly coincident with the beginning of vibration and abnormal yaw. It would appear that this separation is likely the primary cause of failure. The object's trajectory indicates a high drag-to-weight ratio, but not as high as ignition residue. The object requires 2 seconds to lose its velocity. -11

"The radar records show the sphere was ejected from the rocket and nose cone at 31. 55 and tracked to splash at 218 sec by -the FPS-16 radar. This means the nose cone separated from the rocket at the frangible ring joint between 30. 8 and 31. 55 seconds, presumably at the first tumble. "Visual tracking and boresight cameras show second stage ignition clearly at 28. 7-28. 8 sec. The smoke trail appears straight or slightly curving until about 30. 8 seconds when the trail describes a helix of six turns during the next 1. 2 seconds. No definite change of character of the smoke trail is noted at any time. The smoke trail fades into contrail gradually. "Thus the rocket seems to have operated normally for. 4 sec after Yardbird ignition, when a separation occurred accompanied by some type of vibration and a large yaw. The rocket failed to recover from this yaw and within 2. 0 seconds after ignition had begun to tumble. The nose cone separated from the rocket in this tumble and the sphere was ejected. B. Conclusions "Based on the data above, the following conclusions are drawn: 1) Failure of the wired RTV shroud occurred at 4. 1 sec due to high dynamic pressure. This failure was unrelated to the subsequent trouble. 2) The separation that occurred at. 4 sec after Yardbird ignition was directly related to the failure. Immediately after this event the rocket yawed to destruction and there is indirect evidence of severe vibration. The yaw had to be caused by misalignment. (Wind shear is ruled out by the object which separated. ) This suggests nozzle, fins, or nose cone trouble. 3) The time of the flight at which this failure occurred is significant, shortly after second-stage ignition. At this time the chamber pressure and acceleration are most likely to cause trouble as they are near the design maxima, while both dynamic pressure and aerodynamic heating are an order of magnitude less than their design maxima. 4) Since the rocket survived similar acceleration during boost phase, the failure is most probably associated with chamber pressure, i. e. operation of the second-stage engine. A rocket case failure is impossible since thrust continued, therefore a nozzle failure is indicated. This failure had to be minor enough to be scarcely noticed on the acceleration record but the cause -12

of a catastrophic misalignment, thus the carbon insert and phenolic lining seem to be the only possibilities. 5) Since both time and nature of the catastrophe point to nozzle trouble, this must be accorded the highest probability of cause of failure. It must be noted that this explanation does not account for the following: a) Separation at 10. 5 sec, b) Apparent vibration encountered, and c) Lack of thrust level change 6) Vibration and misalignment might both have been caused by a delamination of the nose cone due to aerodynamic heating. Although the heat input rates are modest and short in duration up to the time of failure, the low conductivity of the structure allowed the surface layer to become quite hot. One layer might be the object separating at 10. 5 sec. This is considered the second most probable cause of failure. 7) Aerodynamic heating and vibration during boost might have loosened the frangible separation ring and allowed the nose cone to vibrate and tilt. This is believed the third most probable cause of failure. 8) Aerodynamic heating might have caused a primer to explode prematurely at 10. 5 sec and remove the frangible separation ring. The nose cone might be presumed to be stable but misaligned at second-stage ignition due to an unlikely combination of drag, lift, deceleration, and acceleration. This explanation is accorded a small probability. 9) The fins or their leading-edge caps could cause misalignment if warped due to heating. This too is considered unlikely from theoretical considerations and past experience. C. Remedial Action "Because of the conclusions above, the following remedies are being undertaken on the second flight: 1) A new nozzle was strength tested and subjected to x-ray examination. Certain "planing" was seen in the graphite insert but it was not considered abnormal nor weakening. Strength testing was limited to the maximum expected load, which is the horizontal cantilever on the launcher. 2) The nose cone manufacture process was modified, and it is believed that the interlaminar strength was improvedo In addition, the nose tip was revised to prevent the possibility of airstream impingement on the -13

edges of the laminate at the tip. Also, Emerson Electric Co. Thermo-Lag ablation material was sprayed over the nose cone and fairing ring. 3) The frangible ring was coated with Thermo-Lag and will be shrunk on at assembly. The ability of the primers to break the ring when so coated was tested. 4) A monitor to detect separation of the frangible ring was added to the instrumentation. 5) The fin and leading edge cap designs were reviewed but not changed. Frederick Fo Fischbach July 20, 1961" In addition to the remedies noted, a signal-strength roll record was taken on the second flight. The second flight test was held on July 26, 1961. The gross results were identical to the first flight except that the abnormal yaw began immediately with ignition of the second stage; the rocket tumbled and broke 2, 0 sec later. Again the telemetry survived and continued until splash. However, on this flight the frangible ring monitor indicated that the ring was in place at ignition of the Yardbird and detached within 1. 2 sec afterward. An anomaly in the monitor circuit prevented a specific determination of the time of detachment, but the most probable time was between. 9 and 1. 1 sec. The fact that the ring was definitely broken off so early is most significant. The existing yaw and dynamic pressure should not have broken the ring —thus a weakness is apparent either in ring strength or in the ejection timer circuit. In either case, a failure of the ring earlier in the flight which would cause the rocket failure would be consistent with the data. Since testing showed that explosion of the primers would normally blow the broken ring parts well off the nose cone, the assumption of a timer failure alone could not explain the data. Therefore, the only hypothesis wherein a single failure accounts for all data is that the frangible ring was loosened by vibration or cracked by overstress at Yardbird ignition or before (probably near booster burnout). The resulting lack of rigidity precipitated abnormal yaws which resulted in breaking the ring completely off at 1 sec after Yardbird ignition and causing a tumble at 2 sec. 144

The next simplest explanation is that the timer failed at Yardbird ignition and exploded the primers immediately in the second flight (at. 4 sec in the first). This explanation requires that the ring monitor switch was unexpectedly held open for 1 sec or that the monitor data is being misinterpreted. The other explanations advanced after the first flight are still possible; but in light of the positive indication of frangible ring separation, this failure must be added in every case. Furthermore, three of these explanations were virtually ruled out by corrective measures, these being: 1) delamination of the nose cone due to aerodynamic heating, or 2) explosion of a primer due to aerodynamic heating of the ring since nose cone and ring were coated with Thermo-Lag, yet the flights were almost identical and 3) fin or fin-cap warping would have induced roll, but the roll record shows little or no roll throughout. In summary, the possible causes of rocket failure were: 1) Frangible ring loosened by vibration or cracked by overstress prior to, or at, Yardbird ignition. 2) Premature explosion of primers due to timer failure plus either anomalous operation of monitor switch or misinterpretation of monitor switch data. 3) Failure of nozzle insert or lining causing thrust misalignment, plus premature loss of frangible ring due to timer failure or overstress. Each of these possibilities furnishes a logical and consistent explanation of all data obtained from both flights. The simplicity of the first makes it most probable. The monitor switch data between Yardbird ignition and 1. 2 sec afterward are difficult to interpret, while few theoretical grounds exist for suspecting the nozzle insert or lining; therefore, the second possibility is deemed considerably more probable than the third. -15

3. DESIGN FEATURES 3. 1 Motors The first stage of Vertigo is the booster motor of the Army's NikeAjax antiaircraft missile system. The Army designation is either M-5 or M-5 Elo The second stage of Vertigo is the Thiokol Chemical Corporation's Yardbird. The Thiokol designation is TE 289. 3. 2 Launching and Handling The Vertigo can be assembled on and launched from the standard Nike-Ajax system launcher. Slight modification to the transporter rail is necessary. This modification is completely described in Ref. 2. The Vertigo, because of its high initial acceleration, is admirably suited for zero length launching. Figure 1 shows Vertigo in the firing position on such a launcher. No unusual handling equipment is necessary although neither stage is light enough to be safely man-handled. A fork lift truck or a dolly which can be adjusted vertically is a virtual necessity. 3. 3 Stability Both stages are stabilized by means of cruciform fins. The firststage fins are 2~ sq. ft. in area per fin and are a weldment of cast and wrought magnesium. These fins are shown in Fig. 6 and are more fully described in Ref. 2. The second stage or Yardbird fins are a clipped-tip delta planform of 2 sq-ft area shown in Fig. 7. The leading edge is at a 50~ angle to the longitudinal axis of the rocket. The fin is tapered from 5/8 in. thickness at the root to 4 in. thickness at the tip. The fin also has leading and trailing edge tapers. The material chosen for the fin is the thorium alloy of magnesium HK 31 A. This has significantly better high-temperature strength characteristics. It was felt that for the first four rockets the added cost of the material and the added inconvenience of working with a radioactive material was justified. The calculated skin temperature for the second stage fin leading edge was so high that protection for the magnesium fin was called for. Figure 8 shows a cross section through the leading edge. The. 031 Inconel sheet is die formed to give a smaller radius than is possible with a brake, and also makes a more symmetrical part. The copper heat sink was machined from bar stock, annealed and then silver plated. -16

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The formed Inconel part was also annealed, and then the copper strip forced into the Inconel in the forming die. The copper-Inconel assembly was then oven brazed, the silver plate acting as the braze material. This cuff then is installed over. 013-in Fiberglas cloth with a 1/16-in strip of asbestos insulation between the copper and the Fiberglas cloth. The fastenings to the fin consist of short posts of Inconel welding rod inserted in holes drilled through the cuff and fin and welded to the Inconel sheet on both sides. The fastening is then ground down flush with the Inconel. 3. 4 Coupling and Flight Program The coupling between the first and second stage, Figs. 9 and 10, is basically the simple post type with no locking device. The coupling is a magnesium casting tapering from the Nike diameter at the base to a short post on the forward end, which is a few thousands of an inch less in diameter than the Yardbird nozzle throat. A second cylindrical fit is provided between the exterior surface of the nozzle and a steel ring which is bolted to the magnesium casting. Separation of the two stages occurs automatically when the first stage ceases to thrust, due to different dragweight ratios. The flight program calls for first-stage burning of about 3 sec followed immediately by separation and a coast period of 24 sec, at which time the Yardbird ignites. The first-stage igniter contains instantaneous squibs, and the second stage has 27-sec delay squibs. Both sets of squibs are ignited on the ground with a simple circuit employed to prevent the application of voltage to the second-stage squibs until after the first stage has started to move. The long coast period is used to reduce the heating rather than simply to maximize the peak altitude. Vertigo's peak altitude varies only 0. 4 mile per sec variation in coast period, when the coast period is near 24 sec. 3. 5 Instrumented Nose The nose cone, Figs. 11 and 12, consists of an aluminum cylinder topped by a Fiberglas laminate cone with a modified 22-caliber tangent ogive shape. The aluminum cylinder and the Fiberglas cone are joined by a frangible threaded ring. This particular arrangement was used to accommodate two geophysical experiments, both requiring an ejectable nose cone, and one requiring the absence of metal in the ejected part. -20

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BOLT RING SHROUD HS 346113 COUPLING H7 -46102 RING COUPLING H3 -46104 \ FIN SHROUD ^//^>^^ --—, \ \ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FAIRING RING (0 \. //~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ SHROUD- VERTIGO // H5-46106A \ // / Figure 10. First- to Second-Stage Coupling Assembly.

MAGNESIUM PRIMER (4) FRANGIBLE RING 7 "INSTRUMENTED SPHERE EJECTION TIMER AND BATTERY FIBERGLAS NOSE CONE X\ FIBERGLAS FAIRING \ / I\ \ RING PHENOLIC SPHERE SUPPORT Figure 11. Nose Cone Ejection Assembly.

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The usable volume within this total nose cone is approximately 1. 7 cubic feet. 5 The first two Vertigo test flights carried the small-sphere experiment for upper air density. This requires the opening of the nose cone and ejection of a rigid 7-in.-diameter sphere. The sphere contains an omnidirectional time-of-flight accelerometer and a transmitter for relaying the data to ground receivers. The first flights also carried vehicle-performance instrumentation consisting of the following: 1) A 235-mc transmitter with internal antenna radiating through the Fiberglas nose cone. 2) An attitude indicator developed at and furnished by Langley Research Center of NASA. This used two of the four telemeter channels. 3) A 0- to 80-g axial accelerometer on the third channel. 4) Three temperature sensors located in one fin (two thermistors and a chromel-alumel thermocouple), two thermistors in the instrumentation package, and -12 to +4-g axial accelerometer were commutated on the fourth telemeter channel. In the second test flight of Vertigo, a switch was added to monitor the position of the frangible coupling ring. This was added to the commutated channel. 4. PREPARATION AND ASSEMBLY 4. 1 First-Stage Preparation To modify the standard Nike-Ajax booster M-5 or M-5 El for use on the first stage of Vertigo, the following operations are required: 1) Remove unnecessary hardware; 2) Attach and check alignment of fins; and 3) Attach coupling. The first two of these operations are fully described in Ref. 3, p. 28-9. The third operation consists of bolting the coupling to the Nike thrust face, using six NAS 147. bolts. If the vehicle is to be launched from a boom type launcher using launching fitting H2-40402, a shallow recess will have to be filed in the coupling casting to avoid interference with this fitting. -25

4. 2 Second-Stage Preparation The three general operations required is preparation of the Vertigo second stage are as follows: 1) Assemble and install the fin-shroud assembly and nozzle; 2) Check fin alignment; and 3) Install the igniter. 4. 2. 1. Fin Shroud and Nozzle Assembly and Installation The screws and special nuts which hold the fin mounting channels, H5-46120, on the shroud, H5-46106A, are checked to be sure that they are tight and that the screw heads do not project above the inside surface of the shroud. The fairing ring, H3-46114, is sawed through and slipped over the aft end of the motor. The inside of this ring is filed parallel to the saw cut to clear the weld bead. When this has been done, the ring is slipped well forward and left there. The nozzle mounting threads, both on the motor and on the nozzle, are cleaned with methyl-ethyl-ketone and a brush and inspected for burrs. The nozzle is then screwed into the motor and the circumferential position of the nozzle when the thread first engages and when the nozzle shoulder seats on the motor are marked relative to the weld bead. These marks should be placed on the inside of the nozzle exit cone so that one can see them during the final assembly when the nozzle is installed inside the fin shroud. The nozzle is then removed and number of turns required carefully noted. The fin shroud is then mounted on the motor, all bolts installed before any are tightened. Then after the bolts are tightened with a torque of approximately 50 ft-lb, the nozzle is screwed in again to be sure that there is no interference with the shroud. The nozzle is then removed to apply the 3M sealant, provided with the motor, to the aft end of the grain and the metal surfaces forward of the nozzle threads. Only a small amount of the sealant should be allowed on the thread. The nozzle is then installed, using the previously noted number of turns and seated hard against the shoulder. A special nozzle wrench and strap wrench to hold the engine are required for this operation. The fins are now installed in the fin mounting channels. The fins have been previously assembled to specific channels and both parts stamped with corresponding numbers. All screws and special nuts are.'216-P

installed and tightened. The fairing ring is slipped aft under the forward edge of the shroudo The ring is then hammered aft until it is seated evenly and tightly between the motor case and shroudo 4. 2. 2. Fin Alignment Check. The fin alignment is checked with the equipment shown in Ref. 3, Fig. 16. The method is completely described in the same reference on pages 24 and 26. 4, 2. 3. Igniter Installation In the Vertigo rocket, the Yardbird igniter leads come out to the ground firing leads through the coupling. The first step then in the installation of the igniter is to feed the igniter lead aft from the head end through the grain. A stick or metal rod 10 ft long and small enough to go through the igniter hole in the head cap facilitates getting the igniter wire through. The standard AN connector on the igniter is not used and is cut off so that no problem of having the connector get wedged in the grain exists. With the lead in place through the engine and with the mating surfaces of the igniter and engine cleaned the sealing O-ring is greased and the igniter screws installed and drawn up tight. Care should be exercised to balance the forces by pulling down a little at a time on each screw. 4, 3 Final Assembly After assembly is complete on the second-stage motor, the instrumentation is installed and final weight and center-of-gravity measurements taken. The two stages are then put on dollies and taken to the launcher. The Nike without the coupling is lifted to the proper height under the beam of the launcher and mated to the launcher by simply rolling the dolly back a few incheso The coupling is mated to the Yardbird and oriented circumferentially so that the bolts line up approximately with the tapped holes in the Nike thrust face. The Yardbird is then raised on its dolly to proper height and the dolly moved back until the coupling is mated with the Nike. The six bolts are pulled up tight and the dolly carefully lowered and removed, A slight rotation of the second stage may be necessary to align the fins with the booster fins. -27"

The vehicle is now complete on the launcher; and the usual procedure is to have a horizontal check of the instrumentation, elevate the launcher, have a vertical check of the instrumentation, make final corrections in launcher azimuth and elevation and launch. RECOMMENDATIONS The need for a rocket with the capability of Vertigo remains. Many two-stage solid propellant sounding rockets have been successful and there is no inherent reason why Vertigo should not be as well. Further flight tests with a strengthened frangible ring are recommended. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Langley Research Center and the Wallops Station of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for their cooperation, technical advice and willing help on desgining and launching of the test vehicles. Further, we wish to acknowledge the support of the Ballistic Research Laboratories of the United States Army. Their interest and financial support made this project possible. REFERENCES 1. Jones, L. Mo and Hansen, W. H., "The Nike-Deacon Sounding Rocket", The University of Michigan Research Institute Research Institute Report, unpublished. 2. Hansen, W. H., and Fischbach, F. F., "The Nike-Cajun Sounding Rocket", The University of Michigan Research Institute Report 2453-1-F, Ann Arbor, March, 1957. 3. Hansen, W. H., and Fischbach, F. F., "The Exos Sounding Rocket", The University of Michigan Research Institute Report 2595-1-F, Ann Arbor, December, 1958. 4. Hansen, W. H., and Fischbach, F. F., "The Strongarm Sounding Rocket", The University of Michigan Research Institute Report 2816:004-1-F, Ann Arbor, May, 1960. 5. Jones, Lo M., Peterson, J. W., Schaefer, E. J., and Schulte, H. F., "Upper Air Densities and Temperatures from Eight IGY Rocket Flights by the Falling Sphere Method", Nat. Acad. Sci., IGY Rocket Report Series No. 5, 1959. -28