HISTORY - Page 3
During the course of these events, and even prior to
the dates indicated above, personnel at Redstone
Arsenal, where most of the existing Army know-how
for missile development was concentrated, advised
0C0 that a 15-month study on a long-range missile had
been prepared and was being submitted for review.
Also, germane to the proposed development plan was
the fact that the personnel corps at Redstone had
reached a scientific point of achievement where
assignment of a challenging new project would be
quite welcome. In brief, Redstone suggested that it be
directed to initiate the 1,000-mile missile development
program.
The Redstone study concluded that the best approach
would be the development of a ballistic, two-stage
rocket-propelled missile, with the warhead separating
from the second stage after burnout. This proposal
was based on a probable need for a controllable
warhead; but, if this device were unnecessary,
feasibility studies should consider the development of
a single-stage, rocket-propelled ballistic missile.
Propulsive agent proposals involved gasoline and
liquid oxygen (LOX), which was consistent with the
then state-of-the-art and availability.
While these recommendations were being made,
Redstone Arsenal was becoming more and more
capable of initiating the long-range missile program,
for the REDSTONE missile had, by that time, traversed
a number of successful flights and could be used as a
carrier in a component development program. A
suggestion to this effect was made, especially with
regard to experimental nose sections, as it was known
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