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

368 Schweikart, Russell (“Rusty”) L.
Corps Reserve in 1933 after completing pilot training. He
earned an M.A. in aeronautical engineering from Stanford
in 1942 and then flew 63 combat missions in the
Pacific Theater during World War II. In 1954, he became
commander of the Western Development Division (soon
renamed the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division) and
from 1959 to 1966 was commander of its parent organization,
the Air Research and Development Command
(renamed Air Force Systems Command in 1961). As
such, he oversaw the development of the Atlas, Thor,
and Titan missiles, introducing a systems approach
whereby the various components of the Atlas and succeeding
missiles underwent simultaneous design and testing.
Schriever also instigated the practice of concurrency,
which allowed the components of missiles to enter production
while still in the test phase, thereby speeding up
development. He retired as a general in 1966. 215
Schweikart, Russell (“Rusty”) L. (1935–)
An American astronaut who served as the Lunar Module
(LM) pilot on Apollo 9, the mission during which
the LM was tested for the first time in space. Schweikart
attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), earning a B.S. in aeronautical engineering and
an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics. Following graduation,
he served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and Air
National Guard (1956–1963). During part of this period
he worked as a research scientist in the Experimental
Astronomy Laboratory at MIT. Schweikart joined
NASA in October 1963 as one of 14 selected in the
third group of astronauts. Later he moved to NASA
Headquarters in Washington as director of user affairs
in the Office of Applications, responsible for transferring
NASA technology to the outside world. He then
held several technology-related positions with the California
state government, including assistant to the governor
for science and technology and, in 1979, as
chairman of the California Energy Commission.
Schweikart is currently president of Aloha Networks.
SCORE (Signal Corps Orbiting Relay Experiment)
An American satellite, nicknamed “Chatterbox,” that
relayed the first voice communications from space. Its
payload included an audio tape machine that broadcast
messages, including a 58-word prerecorded Christmas
message from President Eisenhower, for 13 days.
Launch
Date: December 18, 1958
Vehicle: Atlas B
Site: Cape Canaveral
Orbit: 185 × 1,484 km × 32.3°
Mass: 70 kg
Scott, David R. (1932–)
An American astronaut who was the pilot on Gemini 8,
Command Module pilot on Apollo 9, and commander
of Apollo 15. Scott received a B.S. from the U.S. Military
Academy in 1954 and an M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1962. He entered the Air Force and graduated from the
Experimental Test Pilot School and Aerospace Research
Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base before being
selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1963. Later, he held
administrative posts with NASA, including director of
the Dryden Flight Research Center. Scott retired from the
Air Force in 1975 as a colonel and is currently president
of Scott Science and Technology. 265
Scout
A small rocket, 21.9 m high and 1 m in diameter, able to
launch lightweight satellites or perform high-altitude
research at relatively low cost. Conceived by NACA
(National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics) in 1958,
the Scout program was taken over by the Langley
Research Center when NASA was created in October
1958. In less than a year, Scout emerged as a four-stage
vehicle that could serve as a sounding rocket or small
satellite launcher. NASA decided that all four stages
would be solid-fueled, citing the relative simplicity and
reliability of previously demonstrated solid-fuel technology.
The Scout first stage, called Algor, was adapted from
the Polaris missile program. Controlled by the moveable
outer tips of four stabilizer fins in conjunction with four
exhaust deflector vanes, it burned for 40 seconds and
could produce a thrust of 510,000 newtons (N). The second
stage also had its roots in a military program. Called
Castor, it originated with the Army Sergeant rocket program.
It burned for 39 seconds, was stabilized by hydrogen
peroxide jets, and could produce a thrust of 225,000
N. The third stage, Antares, was an upgraded version of
the Vanguard Altair third stage. It burned for 39 seconds,
was stabilized by hydrogen peroxide jets, and could produce
61,000 N of thrust. An actual Vanguard Altair third
stage was incorporated as the Scout’s fourth stage. This
burned for 38 seconds, was spin-stabilized, and could
produce a thrust of 13,700 N. Both the third and fourth
stages were encased in a glass-fiber shield that included
the payload shroud and a device to spin-stabilize the
fourth stage. The Scout was able to carry a 23-kg payload
on a ballistic trajectory to an altitude of 13,700 km or a
68-kg payload into low Earth orbit. The original NASA
Scout was modified for Air Force applications under the
designations Blue Scout I, Blue Scout II, and Blue Scout
Junior. In addition, a single Blue Scout II rocket was
modified by NASA for use in the Mercury program and
became known as the Mercury-Scout.