OCR Text |
Show Range operations Major General H. G. Davisson, commander of White Sands Missile Range, this week said the stretch-out of Athena launches announced earlier by the Department of Defense would have little or no effect on overall range operations. Although some adjustment in overall personnel assignments and in contractor support at the Army's Utah Launch Complex near Green River, Utah, maybe required, no reduction in the WSMR civilian or military personnel workforce is anticipated. The General indicated that the Utah Launch Complex will .have to continue in operation to support other programs currently being carried out from that site. Examples of other active programs supported by the Green River operation are the Army's continuing Pershing missile program and NASA's HIREWIMP (High Resolution Wind Measurement Program). The range has provided logistical and data collection support to the Air Force Athena program since early 1964. The Salt Lake Tribune, Wednesday, July 23, 1989 ^•••••^•H AF Plans Renovation Of Athena Program By Bill Stockton Associated Press Writer WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (AP) -Pleased with the success of the Athena missile program, the Air Force is going ahead with plans to begin launching next spring a new, more sophisticated Athena. The Athena is a multi-stage missile launched from Green River, Utah, to White Sands Missile Range in an Air Force program to study atmospheric re-entry characteristics of inter-continental ballistic missiles. The new missile, manufactured by Athlantic Research Corp., is called the Athena H. It differs from the standard Athena mainly in its ability to carry heavier payloads. Program Boss Pleased "I think the Athena program has oversucceeded for an off-the-shelf type program of putting parts together for a missile," Col. L. R. Sugerman, in charge of the program at White Sands, said. "I'm sur they weren't expecting 95 percent success, but that's what we've been getting. Athena has pushed the state of the art we've beeiL getting here on the range." Firings of the new Athena H will be interspersed with firings of the standard Athena. Two more standard Athenas. are due to be launched in August and September before activity at Green.River halts. because of a federal funds shortage. In the interim, a launcher at Green River and other equipment will be modified to accommodate the new missile. Sugerman said launches of the missile will probably resume next February with a standard Athena. The first Athena H. will probably be launched in May. The new Athena will have a capability of carrying a pay-load of up to 1,000 pounds. Won't Discuss Paylwd While Air Force officials will talk freely about the missile and the program, they cannot discuss the top secret payloads the missiles carry over southern Utah, northeast Arizona and western New Mexico on their flights to White Sands. The payloads are generally scaled down versions of warheads used on ICBMs and other military space vehicles. The Athena can rocket test packages to ICBM atmosphere re-entry speeds. This produces the same test data that firing an ICBM would accomplish, but at a lower cost. Firing the Athena over the inland range from Green River to White Sands also thwarts efforts of foreign powers to monitor telemetry sent from a missile fired over an ocean test range such as Cape Kennedy or the Pacific Test Range. |