Blue Scout - Military research rocket

The history of the USAF Blue Scout research rocket is traced. The vehicle featured second stage spin rockets, which induced a three rev/sec motion at lift-off. The NASA Scout was the basic configuration adapted for radiation, atmospheric, astronomical, and military applications experiments. The first Scout launch occurred in September, 1960, and operational flights began in August 1962. Suborbital flights into the Van Allen radiation belt were followed by tests of an emergency rocket communications system, ion engine tests, and the Space Radio Project, which determined that there was no significant radio leakage from earth into space. The final mission was launched in November, 1970, for night sky UV photometry, and lifted the Blue Scout mission total to 28 over 10 yr.