The NASA Goddard Visitor Center features a full-size rocket garden located outside of the facility that features many types of rockets, mock-ups, and old flight hardware. This collection is 100% real NASA artifacts that offer many photo opportunities for the whole family or group. The Rocket Garden is also a great way to view the actual Goddard Space Flight Center facility as it offers a sweeping panoramic view of the main campus from atop the hill where it sits. Below is some basic information about the various items in the Goddard Rocket Garden.
Apollo Spacecraft Capsule
This is a genuine non-flying “boilerplate” mockup similar on the interior and exterior to the appearance, size and shape of the actual Apollo crew module. This example was most likely made and used for crew training purposes.
Sounding Rockets
All of the sounding rockets on display are real flight hardware that are without certain parts that would make them flight ready. All of these rockets are missing their launcher guides and solid rocket propellants and many are also missing the fins supplied with the Nike motors, which were detached due to their size and breakability. Also, many of the sounding rockets have been painted for display purposes and are not authentic to their true paint schemes.
Black Brant VIII Sounding Rocket:This is a two stage general purpose launch vehicle developed by Bristol Aerospace of Winnipeg, Canada. NASA has used this rocket and similar versions to study solar/earth electrodynamics and has even used these to gather dust from Comet Hale Bopp to use in other research studies. The first stage of this version is a government supplied U S Army Nike M5 E 1 rocket booster, with replacement fin unit and special inter-stage adapter. The US Army Radford Arsenal created many of these motors for the Nike-Ajax antiaircraft missile system. As motors “aged out” of the inventory, they were given to NASA for science research. The second stage is the Bristol Black Brant V c Motor. This sounding rocket has an altitude capability well over 230 miles as configured here. Weighing in at just shy of 6,400 pounds, similar models of this exact rocket are still in use today by NASA at Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility. This rocket can handle a payload up to 2,000 pounds in weight and has a thrust of 48,700lb per 3.5 seconds, and 17,025lb per 27 seconds respectively for the first and second stages.
Brunswick Corporation/Aerolab/ARC Argo D-4 Javelin: A four stage high altitude sounding vehicle originally developed to support America’s nuclear weapons test program, it became a preferred “ride” for many NASA solar physics experiments in the 1960s and 1970s. The first stage is an Army Honest John M-31 motor and fins. The exhaust plume from this 15-ft. motor typically stretched almost 300 feet. The second and third stages are Army Nike M5E1 motors with custom designed fin units. Lastly, the fourth stage was a spin-stabilized Allegheny Ballistics Lab X-248 motor and the payload shroud. As normally flown, the Javelin could exceed 600 miles of altitude with 150 lbs. payload. The last of over 70 of these vehicles flew in July of 1976. Weighing in at 7,595 pounds, this rocket could generate thrusts of 82,000lb per 5.0 seconds, 48,700lb per 3.5 seconds, and 3,150lb per 40 seconds respectively among the first, second/third, and fourth stages. .
Nike / Thiokol-AstroMet Tomahawk: Another system using the ubiquitous Nike Ajax M5E1 booster motor. Special to this vehicle was it's remarkable acceleration, achieving well over 1200mph in less than 4 seconds of flight. At peak thrust, the flame stretched 150 feet behind the Nike motor. The ultimate altitude with a 100-pound payload could hit 150 miles or more. Firing-to-impact time was just over 5 minutes. This rocket was often used for astronomy, plasma physics and atmospheric dynamics studies. The last firing of this rocket type occurred in the mid-1990’s. Weighing in at just 2130 pounds, this rocket was able to generate 48,700lb per 3.5 seconds and 10,000lb per 9.5 seconds of thrust between the first and second stages respectively.
Atlantic Research Corporation IRIS: Pre-dating the Goddard Space Flight Center's creation in 1958, the Naval Research Lab (NRL) proposed an end-burning solid fuel motor finless booster rocket to augment it's Vanguard program. Just as flight development began, the NRL's Vanguard personnel and a core group from the sounding rocket program were transferred from NRL to the new NASA Beltsville Space Flight Center (Our original name). This program moved with them. In flight-testing, the Iris rocket proved a disappointment. Goddard flew only four of the Iris's before moving in other directions. The Iris is important to Goddard's history, as it was one of the first space vehicles flown under the original NASA Goddard banner. The Visitor Center’s Iris was a ground test rocket, which was originally seen in a striking black, white, and silver paint scheme. Our rocket was photographed behind Mrs. Esther Goddard as she dedicated the Goddard Space Flight Center in early 1959. Weighing in at 1218 pounds, this is the only example of this rocket currently confirmed to exist.
Cushcraft Dual Polarity Twin Beam 16-element Yagi 140-160 MHz. Fixed Position Satellite Antenna
This very high gain directional antenna was used until the late 1980s to send signals to the pioneering Applications Technology Satellite-3 from a transmitter in the Visitor Center. The transmitter was removed when vacuum tubes to operate it became unavailable.
Douglas Aircraft/ Aerojet /ABL Delta-B Satellite Launch Vehicle (Thor Delta)
This was a launch vehicle jointly developed by the US Air Force and NASA Goddard. This rocket used the reliable Thor ballistic missile as a first stage. This was topped by an improved second and third stage from the Vanguard launch vehicle (the “Delta” stages). The Thor name was dropped and as the "Delta", it has served America for over four decades. It was used to launch many of the most famous early Goddard missions, from the TIROS weather satellites to the SYNCOM and RELAY communications spacecraft. It also launched most of the famous Explorer family of basic research satellites. Delta’s latest model can lift well over 20 times the original payload of the version we display. The Delta-B displayed at the Visitor Center is a type of mechanical systems test unit. While not a flight vehicle, most of its hardware is real. In the early 1960s, it served as the centerpiece for the US Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. Weighing in at 114,170 pounds, the rocket was able to generate 175,000lbs of thrust during it's first stage, while generating 7,575lbs per 170 seconds and 2,760lbs per 42 seconds in it's second and third stages respectively.
Delta Payload Shroud
This unit protected the third stage and payload of the Thor Able and Delta B model vehicles from mechanical and heating damage during launch. It was designed to jettison during the second stage climb out to reduce weight. This item is actual flight hardware, not a mockup.
Compiled by Alan Williams, NASA Goddard Visitor Center.
References:
"Rockets of the World" by Peter Always. First Edition. 1993. Saturn Press.
