From The Archives: 60 Years Ago In Aviation Week

Aviation Week & Space Technology’s March 29, 1965, issue features Atlantic Research Corp.'s 50-ft.-long, four-stage Athena booster held horizontally on a 10-ton rail launcher inside a movable, temperature-controlled environmental enclosure until 45 min. before launch from Green River, Utah. 

The Athena was used to carry payloads to White Sands Missile Range, N.M., under the USAF Ballistic Systems Div.'s advanced ballistic re-entry systems (ABRES) program. Interstage assembly was performed on the launcher in the 90 x 20 ft. enclosure. When the enclosure was rolled away, the booster was raised to near-vertical for firing. 

Credit: W. H. Touchberry, Atlantic Research Corp.

Read the full issue dated March 29 1965 | Aviation Week

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