Atlas Centaur 204

The inaugural launch of the Atlas Centaur 3B rocket from launch complex 36B.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Atlas
• Rocket
• Science
• Space
• Complex36

[ugowar]

@jschnei3 Rob Gagnon

[jschnei3]

This is Atlas Mission Control at T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Atlas engine ignition, 1, zero and liftoff of the maiden flight of the Lockheed-Martin Atlas 3V rocket with the Echo Star Seven spacecraft on board for Echo Star Communications of Littleton, Colorado. With this Atlas Flight underway, let's listen to Rob Gainen providing the launch vehicle ascent data from the mission director center telemetry lab here at Cape Canaveral.

[ugowar]

@suhail3920 Agree on the RP-1 flame look, nothing beats it, not even LH2.

[suhail3920]

@ugowar Structural issues were a big factor with the early Atlas models; too thin-skinned to allow a faster boost or higher volume of propellents. They were made to be just powerful enough to send a nuclear warhead. The newer RD-180 powered versions, with different design priorities, have thicker skins = more capacity and/or acceleration. Regardless of specific model, I love seeing the Atlas's loft. There's something about the LOX/kerosene visuals that the smoky solids can't touch.

[ugowar]

@suhail3920 That's because the Atlas III tank sizes and propellant loads were mostly sized for the old engines and RD-180 is much more powerful than that. IIRC on Atlas III it never even went above 87% throttle level, I suppose due to structural limitations.

Atlas V tank sizes are optimized for RD-180 and the "vanilla" 401 configuration really oozes off the launch pad as the propellant load is maxed out.

[suhail3920]

@ugowar True. Much faster acceleration compared to the originally engined Atlas rockets - which seemed to ooze their way into space at times.

[carter774]

kind of awesome!

[ugowar]

RD-180, baby!