R-1A

R-1A - the first of the modifications of the R-1 rocket, built under the leadership of S.P. Korolev of the Soviet long- range ballistic missile on liquid fuel. The prototype of the R-1 was the captured German A-4 rocket ( FAU-2 ), created during World War II by Werner von Braun .

The R-1A missile was specially designed to test a number of new units and mainly to work out the mechanism for separating the warhead at the end of the active section of the trajectory, which was supposed to be used in the design of the R-2 rocket.

Since many organizations showed interest in using the new rocket for their own purposes, the experimental program was significantly expanded.

For the work, eight captured A-4 missiles were used, which were completely sorted out, installed tail compartments of their own design, as well as a head separation mechanism.

The preparation of the R-1A rocket for flight tests began in January 1949 at the temporary test site NII-88 and ended on February 11. Missile flight tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar training ground and ended on May 28, 1949 with positive results.

The main stage of the experiment to refine the separation mechanism of the warhead was carried out during launches along ballistic trajectories, provided with special gyro devices, and was accompanied by telemetric measurements. Radars with active tracking were used for guaranteed information. Therefore, a special transmitter was installed on the missile body. And after separation of the warhead, the signal was transmitted by the FIAR telemetry system.

Vertical launches of two missiles with optical visual means were planned to monitor the behavior of the warhead in the passive section in case of positive results when flying along ballistic trajectories. The same rockets were supposed to be used to study the upper atmosphere using the FIAR-1 instrument developed at the Geophysical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (GeoPhIAN) for taking air samples at high altitude. The device was placed in a special container in the form of a cylinder connected to a flying bomb rescue device. The container was placed in a mortar mounted on the tail compartment, and at a given height was thrown out using compressed air. The containers were fired after the rocket engine stopped working so that the cleanliness of the samples and measurements of the air characteristics were not affected by the gases liberated by it abundantly in the rarefied surrounding space. After 4 s, sampling of the atmosphere began. To facilitate searches after landing, the container was equipped with a radio transmitter. Two mortars and two FIAR-1 devices were installed on each of the two missiles intended for vertical launches.

The R-1A rocket also provided for the study of the effect of a gas jet on the passage of radio waves. These experiments were directly related to the development of radio control systems for the R-2 and R-3 missiles. It was supposed to tune the engine to less thrust so that the ratio of the initial weight to the thrust was approximately equal to that adopted for the R-2 rocket.

Starts were carried out from the Kapustin Yar training ground.

The first two installations with FIAR-1 devices were launched on May 24, 1949 at 4 hours 40 minutes on the fifth R-1A rocket. Due to a malfunction of the parachute system, the containers collapsed upon landing.

After finalizing the parachute system on May 28, 1949 at 4 hours 50 minutes, a second similar experiment was conducted on the sixth R-1A rocket. Positive results were obtained.

Launches of the R-1A rocket, at which an altitude of 102 km was achieved, showed the great promise of rocket geophysical research and made it possible to outline their expanded program. Under the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences , a coordination interagency committee was established under the chairmanship of Academician A. A. Blagonravov. As part of this committee, S.P. Korolev paid paramount attention to all issues related not only to the creation of geophysical rockets, but also to research methods and the development of scientific equipment.

• Geophysical rocket
• Meteorological rocket
• Anti-hail rocket

• FIRST GEOPHYSICAL. "Youth Technology" 1981, No. 5, p. 28-29 (unavailable link)

• Experimental rocket R-1A. Excretion media. RKKE website
• The creative heritage of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev
• G.S. VETROV. S. P. KOROLEV AND HIS BUSINESS
• FIRST GEOPHYSICAL. "Youth Technology" 1981, No. 5, p. 28-29 (unavailable link)
• A.A. BLAGONRAVOV. RESEARCH OF THE UPPER LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE BY USING ALTITUDE ROCKETS. " Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR " 1957, No. 6, p. 25-32.
• Osterman Leo. To the contrary