Time of firing: 1534 MST
    Agency: General Electric Company
    Altitude: 90.3 miles

UPPER AIR INSTRUMENTS

    Pressure-temperature: Thirty-four absolute pressure gages for measuring surface
        and internal pressure distribution in a Hermes B-1 ram-jet diffuser which
        replaced the customary warhead installation
    Composition: Two air-sampling bottles (Mich. U.)
    Solar radiation: Four thermoluminescent strips (NRL), four soft x-ray film packs
    Biological: Five seed containers (Harvard, New Mexico College)

DATA RECOVERY INSTRUMENTS

    Telemeter: One 28-channel Hermes telemetry system; one 30-channel AN/DKT-2
        (XN-1) (NRL)
    Physical recovery: Separation of forward portion of rocket with TNT

BALLISTIC INSTRUMENTS

    Firing Range
        Theodolites: Two Mitchell and eight Askania stations
        Cameras: Two ballistic and three Bowen-Knapp stations
        Telescopes: Four stations
        Radar: Two modified SCR-584 (S-band) stations
        Doppler: Five receiving stations

    Airborne
        Beacon: Type AN/APN-55
        Doppler: Dovap transceiver
        Radio Cutoff: AN/ARW-37 FM control receiver
        Other: Two telemetering gyros for measuring missile attitude. Three vibration
            pickups installed, one along each axis. Pickup outputs transmitted by a
            specially modified Hermes telemetry unit to ground stations where oscil-
            lographic and wire recordings were made.

ROCKET INFORMATION

    Payload weight: 2245 lb
    Unfueled rocket weight: 8858 lb
    Gross weight at takeoff:: 28,376 lb

ROCKET PERFORMANCE

    Firing angle: 0.0 degrees
    Program angle: Seven degrees
    Time to burnout: 63.5 sec
    Velocity at burnout: 5150 ft/sec
    Altitude at burnout: 20.2 miles
    Time to zenith: 218 sec
    Altitude at zenith: 90.3 miles
    Time to tail blowoff: 350.9 sec
    Altitude at tail blowoff: 39.2 miles
    Flight duration: 594.5 sec
    Impact coordinates: Main body - 27.2 mi. north, 7.5 mi. east; warhead - 30.5 mi.
        north, 4.7 mi. east

BALLISTIC DATA

    Theodolites: Askania - trajectory 0 to 73.08 sec; Mitchell - to 70 sec
    Cameras: Performance satisfactory
    Telescopes: Fairly complete records from all telescopes. No roll (+-5 degrees)
        detected up to burnout
    Radar: Satisfactory performance, tracked the missile to impact
    Doppler: No data after 40 sec
    Other: Both yaw and pitch axis telemetering gyros performed satisfactorily.
        Vibration equipment produced a good record during powered portion of flight
        but signal became noisy at 64 sec. Analysis of oscillographic records and wire
        recordings showed little correlation between vibration frequencies and
        amplitudes.

DATA RECOVERY

    Telemeter: Hermes equipment functioned satisfactorily up to about 56 sec.
        Reception from AN/DKT-2 (XN-1) very sporadic; no data obtained.
    Physical recovery: Effected except for two thermoluminescent strips

EXPERIMENTAL DATA

    Pressure-temperature: Good data were obtained while telemetry signals were
        received

COMMENTS

    Rocket modifications: Ram-jet diffuser attached to front of warhead did not affect
        stability or performance
    Rocket performance: Performance of rocket equaled that predicted for normal
        flight. Steering was good.
    Experiments: Loss of telemetry signal early in flight prevented securing much
        useful ram-jet diffuser data

REPORTS AND PAPERS

    "A Flight Test of the Hermes B Diffuser on an A-4 Rocket," W. F. Dankhoff, General
        Electric Report R49A0526 (Confidential Report, Unclassified Title), July 1949