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32-549: ERCS may refer to: AN/DRC-8 Emergency Rocket Communications System Eagle Ridge Christian School, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri East Richland Christian Schools , in St. Clairsville, Ohio Emissions Reduction Currency System Ethiopian Red Cross Society Extended Reference Concrete Syntax See also [ edit ] ERC (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

64-503: A LGM-30 Minuteman missile. The standard Scout launch vehicle was a solid propellant, four-stage booster system, approximately 23 meters (75 ft) in length with a launch weight of 21,499 kilograms (47,397 lb). The Scout A was used for launches of the Transit NNSS series (Transit-O 6 to 19), placing two satellites in orbit at the same time. Twelve flights were conducted between 21 December 1965 and 27 August 1970. It

96-536: A Scout, on February 16, 1961, delivered Explorer 9 , a 7 kilograms (15 lb) satellite used for atmospheric density studies, into orbit. The final launch of a Scout, using a Scout G-1, was on May 8, 1994, from Vandenberg Air Force Base . The payload was the Miniature Sensor Technology Integration Series 2 ( MSTI-2 ) military spacecraft with a mass of 163 kilograms (359 lb). MSTI-2 successfully acquired and tracked

128-526: A distance of 225 000 km (140 000 miles), but again a telemetry failure prevented the reception of scientific data. The fourth and final XRM-91 mission in December 1961 also carried particle detectors, and was the only completely successful flight of the initial Blue Scout Junior program. The Blue Scout Junior was regarded by the USAF as the most useful of the various Blue Scout configurations. It

160-499: A spherical NOTS Cetus in a common nose fairing. The XRM-91 also lacked the gyro-stabilization and guidance system of the RM-89 Blue Scout I and RM-90 Blue Scout II, making it a completely unguided rocket. It relied on second-stage fins and two spin motors to achieve a stable flight trajectory. The first launch of an XRM-91 occurred on September 21, 1960, making it actually the first Blue Scout configuration to fly. The flight

192-564: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages AN/DRC-8 Emergency Rocket Communications System The Emergency Rocket Communications System ( ERCS ) was designed to provide a reliable and survivable emergency communications method for the United States National Command Authority , using a UHF repeater placed atop a Blue Scout rocket or Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile . ERCS

224-663: The Dual Air Density Explorer satellites from Vandenberg. The Scout G-1 flew from 1974 until the Scout's retirement in 1994. It was rated to orbit a 210 kg payload. The USAF Scout program was known as HETS (Hyper Environmental Test System) or System 609A, and the rockets were generally referred to as Blue Scout. The prime contractor for the NASA Scout was LTV, but the Blue Scout prime contractor

256-652: The Army's Sergeant surface-to-surface missile; and the third- and fourth-stage motors were adapted by NASA's Langley Research Center; Hampton, VA, from the Navy's Vanguard launch vehicle. Unlike the Thor or Atlas-Agena the Scout was non-military and could be sold to foreign customers. The Scout X-1 first flew successfully on 10 October 1960, after an earlier failure in July 1960. The rocket's first stage had four stabilizing fins, and

288-509: The Blue Scout Junior had sufficient impulse to have put a small satellite in low Earth orbit, it was not used as an orbital launch vehicle. The XRM-91 did not resemble the other Scout variants externally, because the usual first Scout stage (an Aerojet General Algol) was not used. Instead, the four-stage Blue Scout Junior used Scout's 2nd and 3rd stages (Castor and Antares) as the first two stages, and added an Aerojet General Alcor and

320-704: The Castor IIA upgrades. The Scout B-1 flew after 1971 and introduced the Altair III upgrades. The Scout D-1 flew in 1972 and introduced the Algol III upgrade. The Scout F-1 flew twice in 1975, and was composed of a Algol-3A first stage, a Castor-2A second stage, a Antares-2B third stage and a Star-20 fourth stage. It successfully launched Small Astronomy Satellite 3 from the San Marco Launch Complex, but failed on launching

352-595: The XRM-89 Blue Scout I. The first XRM-90 launch occurred on 1961-03-03, followed by a second one on 1961-04-12. Both sub-orbital flights were successful, and measured radiation levels in the Van Allen belts . The second Blue Scout II also carried a micrometeorite sampling experiment, but the recovery of the reentry capsule failed. The third XRM-90 was used by NASA in November 1961 for Mercury-Scout 1 . This

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384-508: The XRM-89 carried a variety of experiments to measure rocket performance and high-altitude fields and particle radiation. The payload was located in a recoverable reentry capsule, but the capsule sank before it could be recovered from the water. The only other XRM-89 launches (in May 1961 and April 1962) were unsuccessful, and the Blue Scout I program was terminated in 1962. The XRM-90 Blue Scout II

416-726: The accelerated deactivation schedule. The mission of the Emergency Rocket Communications System was to provide assured communication to United States strategic forces in the event of a nuclear attack. ERCS was a rocket or missile that carried a UHF transmitter as a payload instead of a nuclear warhead. In the event of a nuclear attack, ERCS would launch the UHF transmitter into low space to transmit an Emergency Action Message ( EAM ) to Strategic Air Command units. The ERCS sorties had two possible trajectories, East and West, to inform SAC alert forces in

448-448: The code name GIANT MOON . Launch Control Facility Oscar-1A (LCF O-1A) and Launch Facility Zero Four (LF-04) at Vandenberg AFB , California were modified in 1977 to perform ERCS-related test functions. After the system was declassified, the ten ERCS sorties were powered down and removed from their launch facilities. During these power-down operations, the location of the sorties were: The Ogden Air Materiel Area at Hill AFB , Utah

480-758: The development team opted to use "off the shelf" hardware, originally produced for military programs. According to the NASA fact sheet: "... the first stage motor was a combination of the Jupiter Senior and the Navy Polaris ; the second stage came from the Army MGM-29 Sergeant ; and the third and fourth stage motors were designed by Langley engineers who adapted a version of the Navy Vanguard ." The first successful orbital launch of

512-615: The northern tier bases (i.e. Minot AFB, Fairchild AFB, Grand Forks AFB). ERCS was deactivated and taken out of the inventory as other means of emergency communication (i.e. ISST and Milstar ) came online. ERCS was also known as Project 279 ( Blue Scout version) and Project 494L ( Minuteman version). Sources report that the Project 279 was also known as Project Beanstalk; while the Minuteman system may have been designated LEM-70A . The Blue Scout version of ERCS (Program 279)

544-405: The program, but different requirements led to some divergence in the development of NASA and USAF Scouts. The basic NASA Scout configuration, from which all variants were derived, was known as Scout-X1. It was a four-stage rocket, which used the following motors: Scout's first-stage motor was based on an earlier version of the Navy's Polaris missile motor; the second-stage motor was developed from

576-670: The rocket's apogee . NASA used a three-stage Blue Scout Junior configuration (omitting the Cetus 4th stage) as the RAM B. The Italian space research program began in 1959 with the creation of the CRA (Centro Ricerche Aerospaziali) at the University of Rome. Three years later, on 7 September 1962, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with NASA to collaborate on a space research program named San Marco (St. Mark). The Italian launch team

608-405: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title ERCS . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ERCS&oldid=1257069890 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

640-415: The vehicle incorporated a gyro-based guidance system for attitude stabilization to keep the rocket on course. Scout X-1A was an American sounding rocket which was flown in 1962. It was a five-stage derivative of the earlier Scout X-1 , with an uprated first stage, and a NOTS-17 upper stage. Scout X-2 was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket which was flown twice in 1962. It

672-469: Was Ford Aeronutronics. By using different combinations of rocket stages, the USAF created several different Blue Scout configurations. One of these was the XRM-89 Blue Scout I , which was a three-stage vehicle, using Castor 2 and an Antares 1A stages, but omitting the basic Scout's Altair 4th stage. The first launch of an XRM-89 occurred on 1961-01-07, and was mostly successful. On that flight,

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704-572: Was a four-stage rocket, based on the earlier Scout X-1 , introducing the Algol 1D and Antares IIB stage upgrades. On 1962-08-23 a Scout X-2 was used for the first successful launch of a DMSP satellite, lifting off from Point Arguello near Vandenberg Air Force Base . The Scout X-3 flew after 1962 and introduced the Algol IIA upgrade. The Scout X-4 flew after 1963 and introduced Altair 2 upgrade. The Scout A-1 flew in 1973 and introduced

736-472: Was a rocket of the U.S. Air Force's System 609A Blue Scout family. The XRM-90 was a four-stage rocket, which used the same stages as the basic NASA Scout. It was nevertheless not identical to the latter, because the 4th stage was hidden in a payload fairing with the same diameter as the 3rd stage, and the first stage nozzle used a flared tail skirt between the fins. Externally, the XRM-90 was indistinguishable from

768-467: Was also used to launch the British Ariel 3 scientific satellite. Standard payload capability was 122 kg into a low-Earth orbit. Stage 1: Algol Stage 2: Castor Stage 3: Antares Stage 4: Altair In the late 1950s, NASA established the Scout program to develop a multistage solid-propellant space booster and research rocket. The U.S. Air Force also participated in

800-501: Was an attempt to orbit a communications payload for Project Mercury , but the rocket failed after 28 seconds of flight. The USAF subsequently abandoned the XRM-89 Blue Scout I and XRM-90 Blue Scout II vehicles, and shifted to the RM-91/SLV-1B Blue Scout Junior instead. The XRM-91 Blue Scout Junior (sometimes called Journeyman B) was a rocket of the U.S. Air Force's System 609A Blue Scout family. Although

832-480: Was deactivated as a communication means when President George H.W. Bush issued a message to stand down SIOP -committed bombers and Minuteman IIs on 27 September 1991. Headquarters SAC was given approval by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to deactivate the 494L payloads beginning 1 October 1992. However, Headquarters SAC believed it was inefficient and unnecessary to support ERCS past fiscal year 1991, and kept

864-425: Was deployed to three sites near Wisner , West Point , and Tekamah , Nebraska. The Program 494L Minuteman version of ERCS was only deployed to Whiteman AFB , Missouri 's 351st Strategic Missile Wing , under the direct control of the 510th Strategic Missile Squadron (later the 510th Missile Squadron ). ERCS was a three part communications system composed of the following elements: Interface with ERCS hardware

896-879: Was made the Systems Support Manager in August 1963. ERCS is mentioned in The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy by David Hoffman. ERCS is mentioned in Arc Light by Eric Harry. Scout (rocket family) The original Scout (a backronym for Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test system) was designed in 1957 at the NACA , at Langley center . Scout launch vehicles were used from 1961 until 1994. To enhance reliability

928-470: Was planned to make radiation and magnetic field measurements at distances of up to 26 700 km (16 600 miles) from earth, and while the rocket did indeed achieve this altitude, the telemetry system failed so that no data was received. The second launch in November ended with a failure during second stage burn. The third flight was to measure particle densities in the Van Allen belts and reached

960-471: Was provided by three modes: Headquarters Strategic Air Command had the ability to make inputs directly into the missile. The Numbered Air Forces could direct the missile crew to make the inputs. In the case of the airborne command post, inputs could be made directly into the missile and missile launch could be made from the aircraft. Operational tests of the 494L Minuteman II ERCS were conducted by Air Force Systems Command and Strategic Air Command under

992-460: Was trained by NASA. The San Marco project was focused on the launching of scientific satellites by Scout rockets from a mobile rigid platform located close to the equator. This station, composed of 3 oil platforms and two logistical support boats, was installed off the Kenya coast, close to the town of Malindi. The Scout rockets have contributed to several pieces of debris over the years, some of which

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1024-655: Was used (in slightly modified form) between 1962 and 1965 by the Air Force as the SLV-1B/C launch vehicle for suborbital scientific payloads. The SLV-1C was also chosen as the rocket for the MER-6A interim ERCS ( Emergency Rocket Communications System ) vehicle; this provided a reliable and survivable emergency communications method for the United States National Command Authority , using a UHF repeater that would transmit pre-recorded messages to all units within line-of-sight of

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