Photo Gallery
Reentry vehicle presentation
Overview
Display Location:
- Hangar C, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
History
The RVX-1 was tested on the Thor Able II rocket. A total of six were launched from Launch Complex 17A from 23 January to 11 June 1959. Two of the reentry vehicles were recovered in the South Atlantic Ocean some 5,000 miles from the Cape.
The RVX-1 weighed 645 pounds was 67 inches long with a diameter at the base of 28 inches. It used phenolic nylon as the ablator. Peak heating occurred at Mach 16 at 60,000 feet.
This mock-up of the General Electric RVX-1 reentry vehicle was a gift from General Electric Company Re-entry Systems. The presentation was made at the museum on 16 November 1966 by company representatives.
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