The different variants of Atlas boosters

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Hi. I have been searching information about the Atlas family, and I have a problem with the different Atlas boosters used for the Atlas-Agena and Atlas-Centaur versions. What are the differences between these Atlas boosters used?

Atlas-LV3
Atlas-SLV3
Atlas-SLV3A
Atlas-SLV3B
Atlas-LV3C
Atlas-SLV3C
Atlas-SLV3D
Stock (ex-missile) Atlas D/E/F
Atlas G/H

I would also like to know the specifications of these stages (dry/wet weight, booster/sustainer engines thrust/burn time/specific impulse, length of the stages, engines used etc.), as I am gathering information for making add-ons for a spaceflight simulator. The only place I can find these information on the web is on Mark Wade's page, and his given data are inconsistent with each other, so I would like to ask for pointers to them. Thanks! 

GPS

[STS-200]

NASA TM X-2525 (on NTRS) is a failure report of an SLV-3C launch - it also contains most of the technical data you are looking for on that particular variant.

You might consider "Atlas - The ultimate weapon" (ISBN-13: 978-1894959186). Its a decent enough book, covering the development & some operations of the ICBM and SLV variants of Atlas, with a short aside on Centaur.

[Jim]

The variants are

Mercury
LV-3B manrating

Agena
LV-3A  Agena adaption
SLV-3  standardized interfaces
SLV-3A  lengthened
SLV-3B  10' dia fairing

Two type of Atlas D (LV and refurb ICBM)
refurb D ICBM's were used for ABRES as were E/F

D's were used in LV-3 A & B and Able and other lesser upper stages
refurb E/F ICBM's were used for space launch with no and different uppperstages.  One F flew an Agena.

Atlas H was a purpose built no upperstage booster

Centaur
LV-3C  10' wide for whole length
SLV-3C   lengthened
SLV-3D   new engines and avionics
Atlas G   lengthened
Atlas I    standardized and new fairing
Atlas II  lengthened
Atlas IIA new engines and avionics
Atlas IIAS   SRM's
Atlas III   new engines
Atlas IIIA
Atlas IIIB


Those are from memory and not complete

The user handbook of the L2 has some old Atlas docs with info

[Yarrah]

What about the different solid-fuel stages used on the Atlas D/E/F and Atlas H rockets (i.e. MSD for NOSS satellites, Star-37 for DMSP satellites and the OV-1). Were they part of the satellite or part of the rocket?

[Jim]

What about the different solid-fuel stages used on the Atlas D/E/F and Atlas H rockets (i.e. MSD for NOSS satellites, Star-37 for DMSP satellites and the OV-1). Were they part of the satellite or part of the rocket?

Satellite

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Did some googling, I uncovered this pretty good website by Norbert Brugge. He have a extensive number of photos of different launchers, as well as a configuration diagram for almost every single launcher variant. While I spotted one or two errors, they seems to be quite good for such an extensive collection.

The US launchers collection: http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets_2/index.htm

The other countries' launchers collection: http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets_1/index.htm

GPS

[Jim]

I saw errors right away on the Atlas H pages.

[Antilope7724]

Here are links to a couple of old Atlas missile documents I found on the DTIC website

ATLAS Plan VII (Slide presentation) - 21 Sep 1954 (early Atlas plan - 5 engine Atlas)
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/494139.pdf

(Atlas) WEIGHT AND BALANCE DATA HANDBOOK - 1959
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/835611.pdf

[Rocket Science]

Our friend Ed Kyle has an excellent site; check it out!

http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/library.html#lvdatar

[edkyle99]

These may help.

 - Ed Kyle

[edkyle99]

Here's a prototype for an Atlas variant "baseball card".  This one is for the SLV-3C Centaur D version that launched Surveyors, Mariners, and Pioneers, including the first made made objects to orbit another planet (Mariner 9) and to leave the solar system (Pioneer 10).  Comments welcome.

UPDATED April 9, 2015.

 - Ed Kyle

[RonM]

Here's a prototype for an Atlas variant "baseball card".  This one is for the SLC-3C Centaur D version that launched Surveyors, Mariners, and Pioneers, including the first made made objects to orbit another planet (Mariner 9) and to leave the solar system (Pioneer 10).  Comments welcome.

 - Ed Kyle

That looks very good, including the detailed specifications. Keep up the good work.

[Jim Davis]

Comments welcome.

The mixing of English and metric units (inches and tonnes) is a problem for me. Go one way or the other.

[the_other_Doug]

Comments welcome.

The mixing of English and metric units (inches and tonnes) is a problem for me. Go one way or the other.

I believe he's stating it in English tons.  I know there is a British restriction from using the term "metric ton" and demanding that the term "tonne" be used to represent the metric ton (i.e., a thousand kg), but "tonne" has been a variant British spelling for ton for a long time, well before the metric ton existed.

Then again, I'm not Ed, so I can't say for sure.

Speaking of Ed, can he tell me --what flavor of bubble gum comes with Ballistic Missile Cards? 

[RonM]

Comments welcome.

The mixing of English and metric units (inches and tonnes) is a problem for me. Go one way or the other.

I believe he's stating it in English tons.  I know there is a British restriction from using the term "metric ton" and demanding that the term "tonne" be used to represent the metric ton (i.e., a thousand kg), but "tonne" has been a variant British spelling for ton for a long time, well before the metric ton existed.

Then again, I'm not Ed, so I can't say for sure.

Speaking of Ed, can he tell me --what flavor of bubble gum comes with Ballistic Missile Cards? 

In US Customary Units, which are different from English Units, a ton is 2000 pounds and a long ton is 2240 pounds. Note the spelling is ton, not tonne. Sometimes it is spelled tonne and that add to the confusion.

Not only should we all get along, we should all use the metric system. Life would be better. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units

[John-H]

Speaking of Mariner and Pioneer, I didn't realize that some really impressive missions had launch weights of less than 200 tons (or tonnes or whatever).

John

[edkyle99]

Comments welcome.

The mixing of English and metric units (inches and tonnes) is a problem for me. Go one way or the other.

Agreed.  I'll update the image today with all metric units.  I used inches on the dimensions because that was the available drawing.  I used metric tons (tonnes) in the original card, but to clarify I'll redo everything in kilograms and meters.

 - Ed Kyle

[mike robel]

I recommend you list metric first, then English in ( ) for those who are metrically challenged or cannot convert in their head.

[arachnitect]

Here's my stab at Atlas SLV-3 Agena D, the classic American rocket.  Some tweaking likely needed on this one yet.

 - Ed Kyle

I was looking at Agena specs the other day and was surprised at the mass fraction. To me it always looked like it was built in a barn, but I guess it was pretty sophisticated.

Are there any surviving Agena D stages?

[edkyle99]

Here's my stab at Atlas SLV-3 Agena D, the classic American rocket.  Some tweaking likely needed on this one yet.

 - Ed Kyle

I was looking at Agena specs the other day and was surprised at the mass fraction. To me it always looked like it was built in a barn, but I guess it was pretty sophisticated.

Are there any surviving Agena D stages?

I've seen two at Cape Canaveral Air Force Museum.  There's one or two at the USAF museum in Dayton, and one or two at the Smithsonian.  These are in addition to whatever Agena stages might actually be stacked in rocket gardens.

Yes.  Agena was more Lockheed Skunk Works magic.  It took a lot of money, and a lot of early teething problems, but Agena to this day remains the most-flown U.S. upper stage (launched atop Thor, Atlas, and Titan).  Its importance is not widely understood due to the secrecy of most of its missions.

 - Ed Kyle