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Show Big AfhenaH SiflissiS Right on Target i j 1 i i I i t l ' ft" '" -r , b i l ':rVi.U'iV i-'l Blastoff of the Athena H. missile last Friday was at 10 a.m., and a scant five minutes later the payload of the rocket impacted at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. With the Athena Ath-ena H, all stages of the missile mis-sile will also impact at White Sands. Friday marked the successful suc-cessful firing of the HiOlh Athena Jiussde from the Green River launch complex com-plex of the Inland Test Range located at White Sands New Mexico. The launch of an Athena 11 missile, was termed successful suc-cessful by personnel at the base as the missile impacted impact-ed at White Sands "AYi seconds sec-onds after lift off. Originally Origin-ally scheduled for launch at S:ir a.m., a series of delays de-lays caused by wind con-d. con-d. lions and the need for releasing re-leasing roadblocks in the While Sands area delayed the lift off until 10 a.m. This was only the second of the Athena II missiles to be launched from the Green River site in a program which began in 1901. The II model of the Athena varies va-ries from the standard in overall sie and weight. The standard Athena, including in-cluding payload weighs approximately ap-proximately 10,000 pounds, is 50 Joet high, and is 31 inches in diameter at the wiliest part while the newer 'model weighs approximately approximat-ely 30.-I50 pounds, is 00 feet h'.gh and -10 inches in diameter dia-meter at the widest part. The launch Friday, which traveled approximately 420 miles downrange and about 120 miles high, reached nearly 17.000 miles per hour and carried two pay- loads. One of the payloads . was designed to test methods meth-ods of slowdown involved in re-entry to preserve pay-Toads. pay-Toads. The oM.er carried two experiments involved with looking at radar responses re-sponses and determining how to altar those responses. U.S. Army personnel at White Sands monitor the firing and provide safety l .. I I IlljU II) I 1 J I -...p-.. .11.-1 ...I... .1 I L.i..lBl.f.J PI..I. ; ,- '-$ , - " . - ; . . - . . - -' ; 4 1 V. - ' 5 - I .'.-:' -. ., v .' '.'.,.-0. - -J 1? , - . . I 1 t " ' I ...... . -.:.o.::..'.,;..,;.:; :i.;..i After only a few seconds of the flight of the Athena II, all that remains in view of the naked eye is an artists study of the and data gathering support for the Athena program. For details on the Green River launch complex and the Ahena program see Pages A-2 and A-3. delicate contrails left by th craft. After afew minutes and a light breeze, even those disappear. ' ' ' ' - j 4 V r.Jry S - -SI''"-'.,. , j One of the Athena II missiles is shown on its launcher at short distance away. The 60 foot long reentry vehicle is the Green River missile base less than 24 hours - before used by the Space and Missile Systems Organization to liM off. The missile is undergoing constant surveillance test ballistic missile reentry systems, and final tests from mission control to a block house a |