THE SKY IS NO LIMI

what's it like 30 50 or 70 miles up under the direction of dr. Marcus Oh day of the geophysics research division at the Air Force Cambridge Research Center leading scientists from all over America are brought together to answer this question and to study such properties of the upper air as temperatures pressures winds and Composition these answers are needed to improve our radio and radar systems to solve supersonic flight problems and to gain other important scientific knowledge one of their tools is the Arab II rocket after many months of painstaking effort the equipment for this specific experiment arrives at the Air Force missile test center Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico in this city of technicians and scientists in a vast wastelands of central new mexico parts of the arab ER fitted together in preparation for the launching a few hours later in the rocket assembly shop seen here the main body of the rocket is carefully lowered under the trailer which will carry it to the launching tower once their technicians will add the instrument rack containing the complex equipment to be used in this experiment dozens of arabes like this one have been launched by all three armed services each to add some new piece of information about the upper air when the pieces are all assembled our scientists will have answers to the problems to be overcome in our conquest of the upper air here the main body is carefully clamped into position on the trailer prevent any damage in transit the trailer is then hooked to the tow truck and both the rocket and the crew are ready for the final trip to the launching site but let's take a closer look at the arrow B let's see what makes it tick the booster is an auxiliary propulsion unit containing a slow-burning powder designed to give the tremendous push required to accelerate the rocket during the first thousand feet then the burned-out booster falls away and the rocket is on its own next the rocket motor into which the fuel and oxidizer are fed under pressure to ignite and continue fulfilling the rocket this motor is contained in the tail assembly fins noted in the diagram are to stabilize the rocket in flight one fin is black in order that any role of the rocket may be recorded by cameras ahead of the motor are tanks containing the oxidizer fuel and pressurizing gas the nose section is the business end of the era be it contains the scientific instruments for the experiment the telemeter Inc beacon which sends readings back to the ground stations and a specially-designed parachute to lower the nose section safely while the rocket is being moved to the launching site scientists and technicians assemble the instrument rack to be carried by the rocket the purpose of today's experiment is to measure temperatures and pressures at altitudes up to 60 miles I on gauges and other instruments are being installed for these measurements long before the final check and the instrument rack is completed the rocket arrives at the launching site as fire prevention and safety crews arrived at the launching pad the arabi is moved into position for the race scientists bring the telemeter ring beacon out to the launching site where it's carefully fitted into place the last bolts are tightened and the beacon installation is completed then the instrument rack is attached the technicians work slowly to prevent damage to the insolence because months of study and research have gone into their development and much depends on their performance meanwhile fueling crews gone a man from Mars protective suits as they prepared a few larocca the bullet like aluminum nose corn slides into position over the instrument rack and is firmly attached to the rocket body bearings are fitted over the electrical control cables this completes the Assembly of the various components of the era be rock air tight rubber suits necessitating a supply of bottled oxygen are worn is protection against the dangerous fuels here the suits are sprayed with water in order to lower the temperature inside when all is in readiness the fuel truck is backed into position and the crew prepares to fuel the rock first the cap is removed from the fuel tank next the hose is unreal and the nozzle is screwed tightly into place then the fueling begins when the fuel tank is full the hose is carefully removed and put a way to prevent spilling of the dangerous fluid and a danger sign is placed into position to show that the rocket contains fuel afterward the launching pad is sprayed with water to neutralize any spilled chemicals the process is duplicated in loading the oxidizer into the rocket with the same careful supervision you now the rocket is ready to be raised to its launching position in the tower the yoke is attached to the rail on which the rocket rests in preparation for the slow lifting process when the rocket is finally in launching position clamps are removed and pull away plugs are attached for the final instrument checks to be made by remote control from the blockhouse mr. Zerbe command to all stations on my mark the time will be X minus 1 hour mark inside the blockhouse scientists check their instrument panels which indicate that the instruments in the rocket are operating properly these checks involve remote tella me during and tracking stations such as skillet knob standing high above the floor of the valley 60 miles to the north when buttes located 20 miles to the south sacramento Pete ninety four hundred feet high and about 40 miles for the east and Tula peak a small peak located 18 miles to the west here banks of telemeter equipment receive and record signals from iraq this is the valuable record that the scientists will use in our study of the upper area as launching time draws near we return to the blackout which is the control center for the entire operation inside scientists stand by their instrument panels checking and rechecking to see that nothing has gone wrong with a rocket instrument the firing officer clears the tower and orders the igniter attached to the booster his job accomplished the last man leaves the tower this is arabi command to all stations on my mark the time will be X minus 4 minutes mark firing officer then ordered that a red warning flare be fired to alert nearby tracking crews cameras radar telescopes and observers a weather balloon is released for our last wind check this is our B command to all stations on my mark the time will be X minus three minutes mark this is arabi command to all stations on my mark the time will be X minus two minutes mark this is our B command to all stations on my mark the time will be X minus one minute mark 30 seconds 25 seconds 25 that 20 seconds 2015 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 fire missile away and now suddenly at the end of months of planning and work a rocket is expended and the nose cone falls away parachuting the instruments to earth from 60 miles in the atmosphere dozens of tracking stations with specialized instruments carefully plot the generally scent of the nose cone impact is flooded and a spotter aircraft is dispatched it's directed to the impact area where the pilot drops a red smoke bomb to guide recovery team the nose cone will be carried back to the base to remove rocket born recorders and to salvage other instruments for use in future arabi rockets back at the Air Force Cambridge Research Center a group of scientists meet to discuss the results obtained by the latest arabi rocket and who plan the experiments to be included in the next we are one more step up the ladder of knowledge the ladder that leads to conquering the air miles above us for defense in time of war for advancement in time of peace this is just the beginning