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Project FIRE

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Schematic drawing of Project FIRE Velocity Package. This was the design of a package used for flight tests with the Atlas rockets.

Project FIRE (Flight Investigation Reentry Environment) was a United States NASA effort to determine the effects of atmospheric entry on spacecraft materials.[1][2]

Project FIRE used both ground testing in wind tunnels and flight tests to test the effects of reentry heating on spacecraft materials, using a subscale model of the Apollo Command Module.[2]

Wind tunnel tests

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Wind tunnel testing occurred at the 4-foot Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, the High-Temperature Tunnel, and the Thermal Structures Tunnel at the Langley Research Center located in Hampton, Virginia.

Flight tests

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Project FIRE - Configuration of the upper stage and probe; flight trajectory

Recoverable reentry packages were flight tested using Atlas-D rockets with Antares-2 solid fuel upperstages (used on the Scout rocket family),[3][4] launched from LC 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United States.[5][2]

FIRE 1

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The first Project FIRE reentry package was propelled to an altitude of 122 km (76 miles) by an Atlas-D Antares-2 launch vehicle (missile 263D) on 14 April 1964.[6]

Following a coasting phase that reached an apogee exceeding 800 km (500 miles) the velocity package initiated the reentry vehicle's trajectory, plunging it into a trajectory at a velocity of 11,300 m/s (25,000 mph) with a minus 15 degree trajectory.[6] As the spacecraft descended towards Earth, a solid-fuel Antares II rocket positioned behind the payload ignited for 30 seconds, elevating the descent speed to 40,501 km/h (25,166 mph).[6] Temperature data from the spacecraft's instruments were transmitted to the ground, indicating an estimated exterior temperature of 11,400 K (20,100 °F).[6]

Approximately 32 minutes post-launch, the spacecraft made impact into the Atlantic Ocean.[6]

FIRE 2

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During the second trial, a propelled instrumented probe, referred to as a "flying thermometer," was launched into a ballistic trajectory over 805 km (500 miles) high by an Atlas-D Antares-2 booster (missile 264D) on 22 May 1965.[6]

As the spacecraft initiated its descent after 26 minutes of flight, the Antares II rocket accelerated its fall. The probe entered the atmosphere at a velocity of 40,877 km/h (25,400 mph), generating temperatures of approximately 11,206 K (19,711 °F).[6] Ground stations received data on heating throughout the descent.[6]

Thirty-two minutes post-launch, and a mere six minutes after the Antares ignition, the device impacted in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 8,256 km (5,130 miles) southeast of the Cape.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Morse, Mary Louise; Bays, Jean Kernahan (1973). The Apollo Spacecraft - A Chronology (PDF). Vol. 2. NASA.
  2. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "FIRE". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  3. ^ Krebs, Gunter D. "Atlas-D Antares-2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  4. ^ "Antares 2". astronautix.com. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  5. ^ "Image of the Day Gallery". NASA. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Krebs, Gunter D. "Fire 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page.