Over the past several years I have been working on detailed CAD drawings of the Argo D-4 Javelin using materials and photos supplied by Bob Biedron, Taras Tataryn, John Langford, and Dave Fitch, as well as information obtained from real hardware.

Drawing Project Overview

The Javelin has long been a popular scale subject for rocketeers, with award-winning models being entered in NAR competition by such names as Howard Kuhn and the Biedron-Langford Team, among others.  Although basic Javelin data is available in Peter Alway’s Rockets of the World, detailed drawings are more difficult to find. Those that do exist tend to disagree in various ways (this is fairly typical when dealing with scale data).  Some of the most sought-after information comes from a set of drawings done by Jon Randolph in the 1970’s as well as a similar set by Bob Biedron which he derived closely from Jon’s work.  Various Aerolab and NASA drawings, as well as data obtained from real hardware provide other important data and a basis for comparison with the Randolph and Biedron data.  When completed, the final form of the drawings may appear in Sport Rocketry magazine and/or as a NARTS scale data packet.

Sources used in the 2002 NARTS Update are in WHITE
New Sources found AFTER the 2002 update are in GREEN

* Denotes sources (1,2) showing accurate lengths for Aerobee 350 Sustainer (as verified in 2006 by measurements of actual hardware)

Aerobee 350 Data Sources

Aerobee 350 (brochure), Space General Company, 11/70

Aerobee 350 Configuration Drawing, 10-10-67

Aerobee 350 Configuration Drawing, 11-13-69

*Aerobee 350 Configuration Drawing (No Date, Labeled “p19”) — This drawing shows correct Sustainer length

Aerobee 350 Outline Drawing, Space General Corporation, 10-3-68

Chronology of Aerobee 350 flights

Mercer, Mark and Paul C. Conner II.  “Aerobee 350 Sounding Rocket.”  Model Rocketeer.
November 1973, p 14-15

NAR Technical Services [NARTS] Aerobee 350 Scale Data Packet (same as MR Nov 1973 article, with minor changes)

Tschirhart, Joshua T.  Aerobee 350 Sustainer and Nike Thrust Structure dimensions/photos taken at NASM’s Garber Facility, April 4, 2006

NASA Photographs

From Al Pizzo (Jon Randolph collection): G-66-1698, G-66-1699, G-66-1700, G-66-1701, G-66-1702, G-66-1703, G-66-1704, G-66-1705, G-66-1706, G-66-1707, G-66-1708, G-66-1709, G-66-1710, G-66-1711, G-66-1712, G-66-1713, G-66-1714, G-66-1715, G-66-1716, G-66-1719, G-66-1724, G-66-1725, G-66-1726

From NARTS:  G-66-1700, G-66-1714, G-66-1715, G-66-1581 (B&W)

From NARTS SP-1A:  4 NASA 8×10 color photos, numbers unknown.
[Correction 10-28-2013:  One photo from NARTS SP-1A was previously identified as 68-HC-25 using a low-res copy of a NASA photo index.  Although similar to the NARTS photo (as well as to G-66-1698), there are slight differences between all three.]

NASA 8×10 color photo:  68-HC-29

Additional Photos

Hughes, Peter.  Photos of Aerobee 350 in outside storage at White Sands Missile Range Museum.

Nike M5 or M5E1 Booster (ONLY) Data

Aerojet-General Drawing No. SK8536-56-001 — Aerobee 170 (4 Fin) Station Diagram and External Profile, 2-10-69

Atlantic Research Corp. Brochure – Standard Fins, Nike Rocket Motor

Atlantic Research Corporation. Drawing R-1013-N – Nike Fin Assembly, 2 ½ sq ft

Beyers, Craig. “Nike-Tomahawk Round 18.261A and Beam Launcher.”  Model Rocketeer.
May 1983, p 9 (re: weld on Nike nozzle shroud)

Biedron, Robert T.  Nike M5 Rocket Motor Drawing/Notes from Redstone Arsenal sources

Biedron, Robert T.  Nike M5 Rocket Motor Drawing, 1-24-94

Larson, Don.  “Nike-Tomahawk.”  Model Rocketeer.  February 1974, p 12-13

NASA photos of Nike-Tomahawk on launcher showing nozzle fairing weld location (round 18.26 IA uses the same fin design as Aerobee 350 17.01 GT)

Redstone Arsenal Drawings:
8025001 (NASA Drawing 807031) – Body
8030044 – Body, Rocket Motor, M5E1

Rose, A. J.  Nike Tomahawk, Nike Fin Drawing, July 1987

Tschirhart, Joshua T.  Nike M5 and M5E1 notes and measurements from Nike-Hercules and Nike-Ajax missiles at Air Power Park, Hampton, VA, 2001

Technical Reports (see also http://ntrs.nasa.gov)

NOTE:  Several reports do not appear to contain pertinent scale data; they are listed here for reference only.

Aerobee 350 Passes Test with Payload.  NASA News Release, 8-17-66

Groves, J. R. and T. E. Thompson, Jr.  Aerobee 350 Flight 17.03 GE Instrumentation
Information and Calibration Data.  GSFC Report X-721-69-315, 1969
(Hard copy purchased through CASI)

Lane, J. H. and C. P. Chalfant. “Development of the Aerobee 350 Sounding Rocket,”
Proceedings of the AIAA 4th Sounding Rocket Technology Conference. 1967, p 43-60 (Includes Configuration Drawing)

*Lawrence, J. T.  Some Aspects of the Flight Dynamics of the Aerobee 350 in the Region
of Pitch-Roll Coupling. GSFC Report X-671-65-252, July 1965, Figure 1 (Configuration
Drawing of Sustainer only with correct length)

Munford, J. A. and W. J. Hungerford.  Manufacturing and Test Procedures for Aerobee
350 Burst Diaphragms. GSFC Report X-284-66-479, October 1966

Tackett, C.D.  Aerobee 350 Rocket Instrumentation.  GSFC Report X-721-68-34, 1968
(Hard copy purchased through CASI, contains drawings and photos)

Acknowledgments

Additional entries in CYAN.

There are many people who helped make my Aerobee 350 drawings possible by assisting me in my research; many thanks to:

• Peter Alway for providing detailed Aerobee 350 prototype information (Sounding Rocket Technology Conference article, 1976), as well as for giving an educated second opinion on tough questions;
• Glen Avalear for an Aerobee 350 Configuration Drawing, photocopies of another Aerobee round, Aerobee 350 launch data, and a detailed Aerobee 170 drawing;
• Bob Biedron for providing Nike M5 data, access to his scale data archives, including the original Aerobee 350 article in Model Rocketeer, for spending four hours on a Saturday helping me proofread the drawings for the 1st NARTS update, and for offering his invaluable opinion on questionable data;
• Ramon Carreras for color scans of the Space General Aerobee 350 brochure;
• Pete Covell for providing a photocopy of the Aerobee 350 Model Rocketeer article;
• Peter Hughes for photos of the Aerobee 350 in outside storage at the White Sands Missile Range Museum in 2007;
  
• Don Larson for his lovely work on the 1974 Nike-Tomahawk drawing, which was an inspiration for my own drawing project;
• D.H. Meyer for providing much needed Space General drawings of the ogive nose cone assembly;
• Connie Moore of NASA Headquarters for providing NASA photo 68-HC-29;
• Al Pizzo, for providing a wealth of data and photos originally obtained by Jon Randolph, following my trip to Garber;
  
• Bill Spadafora [formerly of NARTS] for providing helpful Outline and Configuration Drawings and hi-resolution scans of all 8 NASA photos;
• Taras Tataryn for providing the Aerobee 350 brochure booklet;
• Jess, my wife, for her assistance in sorting through particularly ambiguous information and for putting up with my work on the 2002 drawings;
• Dan Wheeler for accompanying me on my trip to the Paul E. Garber Facility to see a real Aerobee 350; and
• Frank Winter, a National Air and Space Museum curator, for granting me access to the 350 at Garber and spending the day as “chaperone.”