The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

H series (Japanese launch vehicles)
A family of Japanese launch vehicles used by NASDA
(National Space Development Agency) that consists, in
chronological order of development, of the H-1, H-2,
and H-2A and their variants.
H-1
The first stage of the H-1 was essentially the same as that
of the N-2 (see N series [ Japanese launch vehicles]), a
license-built Delta first stage, with a liquid oxygen
(LOX)/kerosene main engine and six to nine small solidpropellant
strap-on boosters. The second stage was of
Japanese origin, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
and burned LOX/liquid hydrogen. A small solidpropellant
third stage designed by Nissan enabled payloads
of up to 1,100 kg to be placed in geostationary
transfer orbit (GTO). The H-1 program concluded in
1992 with nine successes and no failures.
H-2
To provide greater payload capacity and to permit unencumbered
commercial space transportation offerings (the
Delta licensing agreement restricted the use of the H-1 for
commercial flights), Japan developed the H-2 launch vehicle
based on all-Japanese propulsion systems. The H-2 can
lift payloads four times heavier than those of the H-1—
up to 10 tons into LEO (low Earth orbit) or up to 4 tons
into GTO—and opened the door to NASDA spacecraft
designed to explore the Moon and the planets. The first
mission, on February 3, 1994, deployed one payload into
LEO and then carried an experimental package VEP (Vehicle
Evaluation Payload) into GTO. Dwarfing its predecessor,
the H-2 consisted of a two-stage core vehicle, burning
LOX and liquid hydrogen in both stages, with two large
solid-propellant strap-on boosters. Nissan produced the
4-segmented strap-on boosters, which are considerably
larger than the main stages of ISAS’s (Institute of Space
and Astronautical Science’s) M-3 and M-5 series vehicles.
The LE-7 first-stage main engine overcame numerous
developmental difficulties, while the LE-5A engine used by
the second stage is an upgraded version of the proven LE-5,
which had been flown on the second stage of the H-1.
H-2A
An upgraded version of the H-2 currently in service; the
first H-2A was launched successfully from Tanegashima
on August 29, 2001, although a test satellite failed to
H
176
separate. A similar problem marred the second test flight
on February 3, 2002. The first operational flight, to
launch the DRTS-W satellite, took place successfully on
September 10, 2002. Intended to compete commercially
on the world market, the H-2A builds upon its predecessor
and incorporates a simplified design and upgraded
avionics and engines. Although the core vehicle is similar
to the H-2’s, the H-2A uses new solid and liquid
boosters to improve payload performance. There are five
variants. The basic H-2A 202 configuration uses a core
vehicle with two solid rocket boosters to place four tons
into a 28.5° GTO. The H-2A 2022 and H-2A 2024 configurations
add two and four solid strap-on boosters,
respectively, to increase GTO capability to 4.5 tons.
Adding liquid strap-on boosters (LRBs) to the basic H-
2A 202 configuration creates the H-2A 212 (one LRB)
and H-2A 222 (two LRBs) configurations, which can
place 7.5 to 9.5 tons into GTO.
H-1 (American rocket engine)
A liquid-propellant rocket engine, eight of which were
used on the first stage of the Saturn I and IB launch vehicles.
Employing liquid oxygen and RP-1 (kerosene mixture)
as propellants, the gimbaled H-1 developed 830,000
N of thrust at sea level. See F-1 and J-2.
Haas, Conrad (c. 1509–1579)
An Austrian artillery officer who may have been the first
to describe the principle of the multistage rocket. The evidence
comes from a 450-page manuscript in the national
archive of Sibiu, Romania (formerly Hermannstadt),
dealing with problems of artillery and ballistics, the third
part of which was written by Haas. Born in Dornbach,
near Vienna, Haas served as an artillery guard and a
commissioned officer of the Imperial court and, in this
capacity, it seems, came in 1551 with Imperial troops to
Transylvania and became chief of the artillery camp of
the arsenal of Hermannstadt. Between 1529 and 1569, he
wrote the work mentioned above, which describes and
depicts rockets that use two and three stages, stabilizing
fins, and liquid fuel.
Hagen, John P. (1908–1990)
Director of the Vanguard program during the 1950s.
Hagen had been an astronomer at Wesleyan University
(1931–1935) before working for the Naval Research Lab-