Help Identify an Atlas please!

[Jimmy_C]

Someone on Reddit found a photo of an Atlas missile. Does anyone know where that photo was taken? Which Atlas is it? I’m attaching a copy for reference.

[catdlr]

That is quite an old artifact; my assessment is that it is a Convair Atlas SM-65 ICBM located in front of the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building in Washington, D.C. Based on the age of the vehicles, I would estimate it to be from the late 1950s to early 1960s.  That's my guess.

There are some solid Atlas guys in the Forum who will give you a more solid assessment when they see this.

[DanClemmensen]

Someone on Reddit found a photo of an Atlas missile. Does anyone know where that photo was taken? Which Atlas is it? I’m attaching a copy for reference.

The building is the original Smithsonian building on the Mall in Washington, DC. The building was often called "the castle", and at the time of that photo (late '50s), it was the main exhibition building, with exhibits including the original Wright flyer.

[litton4]

ChatGPT agrees with you and has also had a go at identifying the cars:

Buick Special/Century (1955–56) ← far distance
Chevrolet Bel Air (1956–57)
Chevrolet Bel Air (1956–57)
Ford Fairlane 500 Sunliner (1957)
Ford Ranch Wagon–type wagon (1956–57)

[Alter Sachse]

Is it ?

https://www.atlasmissilesilo.com/missile_37d.htm

[RocketFan1959]

From Google AI:

The Atlas Missile 37D refers to a specific SM-65D Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with General Dynamics Manufacturing Number 37D.

[leovinus]

This is/was the Atlas from the "Rocket row" exhibit in front of Smithsonian 1961. The exact rocket number is not given and not readable but someone will know. More details

1) https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_14094

Summary

"Rocket Row" along the west side of the Arts and Industries Building before the National Air and Space Museum was built. The four missiles on exhibit are: From left to right, the Jupiter C, which launched Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite; the Vanguard; the Polaris A-1, the first U.S. submarine-launched ICBM; and the Atlas, the famed Mercury launch vehicle. Cars are parked in the parking lot and Independence Avenue can be seen in the background.

and an earlier "Rocket row" w/o Atlas
https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/9a07586640jpg

and
https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_7245

2) Art
https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/snljdn/dc_is_my_city_rocket_row_at_smithsonians_arts_and/

3)This image seems to be the same rocket in same location. Squinting at the cars, I see the "azul" blue car which is also on the image of post #1. Am still unsure what that blue print on the rocket below USAF says.

USAF ROCKET ‘THE ATLAS’, SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/ellen-frances-tuchman-usaf-rocket-the-atlas-smithsonian-museum-washington-dc

4) Same image as (3) but better quality.
Titled "Atlas Rocket Smithsonian National Air Museum Washington DC"
https://s.ecrater.com/stores/84511/50084c40e2c53_84511b.jpg
PS: In case it helps, the link has another dozen images of the same rocket it seems.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.mBh-O3wnEZ_xqtz2o0YJRgHaJE%3Fpid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=4e727e1933e46295759d5fef22d28d359ae7910fc023a6436b26acdeedd12433&ipo=images

5) "Rocket row" in front of the Smithsonian
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.5yR_128IT-Bsnrt8eclkyQHaMO%3Fpid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=63df2ac9a66e8060c8fb3bd8a77f5899a2a669b7ba914529c522b92fa7abd10d&ipo=images

6) Rocket Row, Arts and Industries Building - Atlas Launching Vehicle
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
"Exterior view, National Air Museum exhibit known as Rocket Row outside the Arts and Industries Building, featuring Atlas launching vehicle by Convair."
https://www.si.edu/object/rocket-row-arts-and-industries-building-atlas-launching-vehicle:siris_arc_401933

7) Still cannot read and text on the holding blocks
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-a-detailed-image-of-the-atlas-missile-displayed-at-the-smithsonian-89526678.html

https://sova.si.edu/record/nasm.2010.0003?q=Atlas+ICBM&t=C

9) https://www.instagram.com/p/C-gP272J1xO/

A trip down Rocket Row 🚀 There's been a National Air and Space Museum building for nearly half a century, but the Smithsonian has been collecting aviation and space artifacts way longer than that. Artifacts in our collection were frequently displayed in (and outside) various Museum buildings around DC.

"Rocket Row," pictured here, was situated along the west side of the Arts and Industries Building. The rockets pictured are the Jupiter C, Vanguard, Polaris A-1, and Atlas.

This photo was taken at some point in or after 1961 when the last two rockets, Polaris A-1 and Atlas, were acquired, but before the Polaris A-1 was swapped for the Polaris A-3 in 1967.

This trip down memory lane is inspired by the @Smithsonian's 178th birthday today — the Smithsonian was officially created by an Act of Congress on August 10, 1846.

[leovinus]

Despite my misgivings about YouTube there are these movies:

1) 1960 ATLAS ROCKET ADDED TO SMITHSONIAN


ATLAS ROCKET DONATED TO SMITHSONIAN BY USAF. 
DOCTOR ROBERT GODDARD HONORED.
Date not given ... please advise. Source - National Archives

0:00 [Music]
0:06 The Smithsonian Institution recently
0:08 added this nation's first
0:09 intercontinental ballistic missile to
0:11 its National Air Museum in Washington.
0:15 The 80ft tall Atlas joins a long list of
0:17 aviation memorabilia which marks an
0:20 amazing growth from the Wright brothers
0:22 1903 biplane to the globe spanning
0:25 missiles of today.
0:29 Air Force Chief of Staff General Thomas
0:31 White hears Air Force Secretary Dudley
0:33 Sharp present the Atlas to the
0:35 institution in an impressive ceremony
0:38 attended by many government and military
0:40 dignitaries.
0:47 Mrs. Goddard, wife of the late Dr.
0:49 Robert Goddard, father of modern
0:51 rocketry, receives a medal in honor of
0:53 her husband's work, which led to the
0:55 development of rockets like the Atlas.
1:01 Dr. Goddard fired his first liquid
1:03 rocket in 1926,
1:05 and as a captured German V2 scientist
1:08 said during interrogation in 1945, "Ask
1:11 your own Robert Goddard. We learned about
1:13 rockets from him."
1:17 belated tribute to a man now honored in
1:20 the National Air Museum.

2) Rocket Row 1961


3) Charlie's rocket
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPvBGwFjFD8#t=0m13s

[Jim]

see attached

[leovinus]

see attached

Only on NSF Thanks Jim! See attached for the exact missile listing.

[leovinus]

From Google AI:

The Atlas Missile 37D refers to a specific SM-65D Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with General Dynamics Manufacturing Number 37D.

While that is the correct number and identifier, it makes me wonder where that answer came from? By reading the image (though I do not see any 37D in there) or by parsing some textual source we do not know about? Anyway, cool answer.

[leovinus]

To close the loop, here are more pictures of Atlas 37D by Ed in a previous thread named Atlas Displays.

[Blackstar]

I know you are interested in the missile, but for a little more context, before there was a "National Air and Space Museum" I believe there was a precursor to it as a department of the Smithsonian (probably a department of the American History Museum?).

I vaguely remember reading that the rockets were on display there until around 1964 or so. In one of the photos you can see across Independence Ave., and there's a different building across the street there now, so it helps establish a cut-off date.