Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of launch of the Lockheed X-17, ca.1960. At center, the large, slender rocket is visible launching erect. The lightly-colored rocket is cylindrical in form, but the thickness of its body continually decreases as it stretches upwards. Near the center of the rocket's body, a small device is seen emitting plumes of smoke on either side of the rocket. To the right of the rocket, a tall pole is seen nearly the same length as the rocket. A large single wire connects the rocket to the pole, and several other wires can be seen extending from the pole to the ground below. In the foreground below the rocket, a fence is barely visible. In the foreground and background, huge clouds of smoke enshroud the bottom of the rocket. Photoprint reads: "High flying Lockheed X-17 blasts off on its journey into the ionosphere as spin rockets on its side give it a stabilizing twirl. The spin rockets, shown emitting plumes of smoke, will drop from huge bird a few seconds after launch. U.S. Department of Defense stated X-17 has reached highest speed ever achieved by an instrumented vehicle. The research missiles are fired from Florida test base to probe the heat barrier which would be encountered by long range missiles re-entering earths atmosphere from space".
Type
image
Format
1 photograph : photoprint, b&w 21 x 26 cm. photographic prints photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
