The Japanese Sounding Rockets

T h e J a p a n e s e Science Counc i l h a s two pro jec t s for t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Geophysica l Year , 1957-1958, S o u n d i n g Rocke t s P r o g r a m , n a m e l y , K a p p a a n d S igma Pro jec t s . T h e object ive of t h e K a p p a Pro jec t is t o m a k e a m u l t i s t aged , solid p r o p e l l a n t , g r o u n d l a u n c h e d rocke t capab le of c l i m b i n g t o 80 mi les a l t i t u d e w i t h a pay load of 15 lb . T h e S igma Pro jec t a i m s to develop a Rockoon s y s t e m , w i t h a s m a l l rocke t of a b o u t 25-lb we igh t , a n d a peak a l t i t u d e of b e t w e e n 55 a n d 65 mi le s . T h e a p p r o a c h t o t h e final K a p p a rocke t took two s teps . T h e first s t ep was t o fire t h e m i n i a t u r e size t e s t miss i le , Penc i l rocke t . As t h e second s t ep a l i t t l e larger sized rocke t , called Baby, was t e s t ed . W i t h Baby rocke t s , a firing r a n g e was set u p , op t ica l a n d r a d a r t r a c k i n g sys t ems , t e l e m e t e r i n g , a n d recovery of d a t a were s tud ied , a n d field c rews were t r a i n e d . T h r e e K a p p a rocke ts were fired successfully in Sept e m b e r 1956, a t t a i n i n g a speed of M a c h 2.7. K a p p a w i t h boos te r s will be t es ted in M a r c h a n d April of 1957. I n 1956 t w o p r e l i m i n a r y t e s t s for Rockoon were carr ied o u t t o s t u d y t h e ba l loon l a u n c h i n g f rom a sh ip on t h e ocean , t o m e a s u r e t h e c h a n g e of t e m p e r a t u r e of t h e rocke t p rope l l a n t d u r i n g t h e ba l loon a scen t , a n d t o check t h e o p e r a t i o n of t h e p res su re sensi t ive ign i t ion s y s t e m s . T h e l a u n c h i n g of Rockoons w i t h live r o u n d s is scheduled for April a n d May 1957.