Orion (the Sounding Rocket)

[YodaMcFly]

My Google-fu is failing me. I'm trying to learn more about the history of the Orion (and its various multi-stage incarnations like Terrier-Orion, Nike-Orion, etc...)

I know it's based around the HAWK motor. It *seems* that, when flown single-stage, it's got triform fins, but when it becomes an upper stage, it gains a fin.

I've seen it with a conical nose, I *think* I've seen it with a parabolic nose, but I can't find those, now. I've definitely seen it with different lengths of conical nose.

As a single-stage, I know it has a mild boattail; does it keep the boattail when it becomes an upper stage?

I've seen some where the payload section seems to be larger-diameter than the nominal 14 inches ... Or is that an optical delusion?

Short version, does anyone have a line on some detail of the history of the platform, and the variations that production rounds have been flown with?

Thanks

 

[YodaMcFly]

So, to partially answer my own question, in case anyone's interested, I've found that the 2002 supplement of Rockets of the World apparently talks about the Hawk Test Vehicle and the eventual Orion, and that the 2003 supplement covers the Nike- and Taurus-Orion vehicles ... So, I've got those two on order, and hopefully they'll at least get me on the right path.

 

[mikec]

Short version, does anyone have a line on some detail of the history of the platform, and the variations that production rounds have been flown with?

All of these sounding rockets have a lot of variations in nose cone and payload section length, at a minimum. E.g., https://hepialab.ch/projects/rexus-team-caesar

There's probably a difference between Orion and Improved Orion but I'm not sure what it is.

https://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code810/vehicles.html is a place to start but combing through the Wallops newsletters and reports gives you a sense of how much the configurations vary.

 

[PeterAlway]

My Google-fu is failing me. I'm trying to learn more about the history of the Orion (and its various multi-stage incarnations like Terrier-Orion, Nike-Orion, etc...)

I know it's based around the HAWK motor. It *seems* that, when flown single-stage, it's got triform fins, but when it becomes an upper stage, it gains a fin.

I've seen it with a conical nose, I *think* I've seen it with a parabolic nose, but I can't find those, now. I've definitely seen it with different lengths of conical nose.

As a single-stage, I know it has a mild boattail; does it keep the boattail when it becomes an upper stage?

I've seen some where the payload section seems to be larger-diameter than the nominal 14 inches ... Or is that an optical delusion?

Short version, does anyone have a line on some detail of the history of the platform, and the variations that production rounds have been flown with?

Thanks

Like all sounding rockets, the nose shape goes all over the place, from stubby cone to long cone, to long cone topped with a narrow cylinder and ogive to an ogive, and probably others. There are cylindrical sections of various lengths. I don't remember exactly which variations I've covered in "Rockets of the World" supplements. Or even if I covered them in more than one of them.

The first Hawk-based sounding rocket was probably the Aerobee 75, but I haven't found really good confirmation of that. It had aerobee-hi style fins. The first NASA Hawk Test Vehicle had three Nike fins mounted on a cylindrical fin can. Thereafter they flew with 3 (and I think sometimes 4 for upper stages--my references aren't handy and it's been a while since I drew them) fins on a boattailed fin can. I recall that they keep the boattail for upper stages.

The improved Orion used the Improved Hawk motor. I'm not sure what the differences are, but the original Hawk motor had four recesses for the forward attachments of the missile fins, which were sometimes filled in for the Orion flights. I'm not sure about the Improved version.

Peter Alway

 

[YodaMcFly]

Thanks for the extra info, Peter. I have the Kitbash book from NARTS, which talks about the Hawk Test vehicle and the Orion, and I have a couple of supplements ordered that, between them (according to the website) have the vanilla Orion, and a couple of the two-stage variants. I'm sure, between those, I'll be able to get something interesting put together.

I realized, after my original post, that the Orion is such a prolific rocket, that compiling any kind of list of configurations would essentially be tilting at windmills, so, I'm just going to work from your drawings initially, then if I happen to see an interesting photo of a live round, later, I could focus in on that one ...

I think my biggest concerns are probably the retention of the boattail on the upper-stage variant, and precisely when three v. four fins are appropriate, and I'm sure that'll be covered in the books.

Thanks again to everyone that commented.