astronautix.com | Chronology - 1954 - Quarter 4 |
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Rocket performance test. Launched at 1115 local time. Reached 158 km.
AF flight 2. Glide flight, aborted power flight because of evidence of high lox-tank pressure. References: 49 , 97 .
AF flight 3. First powered flight. References: 49 , 97 .
AF flight 4. References: 49 , 97 .
The first American four-stage rocket was launched by the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division of NACA's Langley Laboratory at Wallops Island. NACA's PARD four-stage, solid-fuel rocket obtained heat transfer data to Mach 10.4. References: 17 .
Missile test failure. Missed aimpoint by 166,300 m. References: 439 .
At the suggestion of Theodore von Kármán and following a request of Gen. H. B. Thatcher, an Ad Hoc Committee of the Scientific Advisory Board met in the Pentagon to consider the application of nuclear energy to missile propulsion. In its report, the Committee "noted that there was an almost complete hiatus in the study of the nuclear rocket from 1947 following a report by North American Aviation, until a 1953 report by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Because the technical problems appear so severe, and because another 6 years of no progress in this area would seem to be unfortunate," the Committee felt that a continuing study both analytical and experimental, at a modest level of effort, should be carried on. References: 17 .
AF flight 5. References: 49 , 97 .
AF flight 6. References: 49 , 97 .
AF flight 7. References: 49 , 97 .
Inertial guidance system for Navaho X-10 missile tested in first flight at Downey, Calif. References: 17 .
Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 'On approval of the R-7 draft project' was issued. References: 474 .
AF flight 8. References: 49 , 97 .
AF flight 9. References: 49 , 97 .
AF flight 10. Mach 2.3 at 19825 m. References: 49 , 97 .
First successful recovery of a Navaho X-10 using fully automatic approach and landing system, made at Edwards AFB, Calif. References: 17 .
USAF announced Atlas ICBM under construction by Convair. References: 17 , 278 .
Army Ordnance terminated the Hermes project, during which development of high-performance liquid-fuel rocket and first stabilized platform inertial guidance equipment had been accomplished. References: 17 .
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