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The Jason was a sounding rocket developed by Aerolab in the mid 1950s. This
five-stage vehicle was built upon stages from other rockets: one Honest John
stage, two Nike stages, and one Recruit stage were topped by a Thiokol T-55
motor.
The five stages could propel the Jason to altitudes of 800 miles, reaching
speeds of Mach 12.5. The Jason was developed for radiation monitoring, and its
launches were used to monitor the Argus series of nuclear tests. Project
Argus consisted of three high-altitude nuclear detonations that were used to
study the production of charged particles in near space. A total of 22 Jason
rockets were launched (though two failed), from Wallops Island (off of
Virginia), Cape Canaveral, and Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico. Six Jason launches
were attempted at Cape Canaveral; all were in 1959, and all took place at
Complex 10. All of the launches succeeded.
Jason specifications
and performance |
Length |
57 ft., 4.4 in. |
Diameter |
22.9 in. |
Stage |
Engine(s) |
Propellant(s) |
Thrust |
1 |
1 Allegheny M6 |
Solid |
82,000 lbs. |
2 |
1 Allegheny M5 |
Solid |
48,700 lbs. |
3 |
1 Allegheny M5 |
Solid |
48,700 lbs. |
4 |
1 Thiokol XM19E1
Recruit |
Solid |
35,000 lbs. |
5 |
1 Thiokol T-55 |
Solid |
4,800 lbs. |
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