Friday, July 13, 2012

50 Years Ago: Titan-2 Test Launches

Titan-2 ICBM test launch from silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

On July 11 and 12, 1962, the US Air Force made the second and third successful launches of the Titan-2 rocket. This second version of the Titan rocket could carry twice the payload of the Titan-1, and used a storable version of liquid propellants that would enable it to be fueled long before actual launch, making its readiness easier. While the initial version of the rocket carried the largest of the American nuclear warheads, this rocket would become an essential piece of the NASA program of space exploration, launching both satellites and astronauts into space.

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