Nose Cone, Missile, Jupiter C

Object Details

Summary: This is the first U.S. nose cone with an ablative heat shield to be recovered from space. The ablative covering, made of a ceramic material, was designed to protect it from the tremendous temperatures experienced during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The Army Ballistic Missile Agency launched this nose cone atop a Jupiter-C rocket from Cape Canaveral on August 8, 1957. It reached an altitude of 435 kilometers (270 miles) and a temperature of 1,100 C (2,000 F). U.S. Navy ships recovered the nose cone more than 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles) downrange. The nose cone was one-third the size of the actual reentry vehicle being developed for the Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missile. Its test flight was a key milestone in the development of reentry vehicles that could carry nuclear warheads to their targets. The Army Ballistic Missile Agency transferred it to NASM in 1958.
Alternate Name: Jupiter-C Nose Cone

Credit Line: Transferred from the United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency

Materials: Stainless steel inner shell, stainless steel plate covering aft end, and ceramic ablative coating
Dimensions: 3-D: 81.3 × 47cm (32 × 18 1/2 in.)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv947d4ce4d-4678-40f2-bd6c-7bdf4be690ce