The Nike-Cajun Sounding Rocket

Abstract

The Nike-Cajun all solid propellant sounding rocket is a two-stage combination, using the Nike booster as first stage and the Cajun as the instrument-carrying second stage. When fired at 85 deg launching angle and with a 15sec coast between stages, it has carried 50 lb to 100 miles altitude. Successful flights at Wallops Island, White Sands, Fort Churchill, and aboard ship have demonstrated that it is a simple and reliable sounding vehicle. It will be used during the IGY at Fort Churchill and at Guam. About 50 Nike-Cajuns will be instrumented to measure water-vapor distribution, the earth's magnetic field, cloud structure, pressure, temperature, density, winds, cosmic rays, and auroral particles.