Able chap that Thor!

Photo caption “1958 July 10 - 02:30 GMT - Cape Canaveral LC17A. Thor Able 118 Able RTV re-entry vehicle test flight Agency: USAF 6555ATW. Apogee: 1,600 km (900 mi). Mouse 'Mia II' reached 1600 km altitude, flew 9600 km range, but re-entry vehicle not recovered.” Unknown source

Another blast of picture this time of the adapted ballistic missile Thor-able the unsung hero of the US space programme responsible for 10’s of launches for almost 20 years. This one had little Mouseanaut “Mia-II” on board who sadly was recovered when the missile re-entered. More Info here

No need to Hunt the "Snark" it's there at the back!

Photo information:USAF Graduation Ceremony circa 1960 Hawthrone (?) Airforce base. Back drop of SM-62 "Snark" Intercontinental Missile. unknown source.

I haven’t posted much for a while and released I had several vintage press shots to share. Here’s nice one of a passing out ceremony. The military do enjoy a bit of sort of a macho "camp "don’t they? Isn’t having a huge guided missile as set dressing for ceremony ever so slightly over the top and a bit dramatic. You can forget “la cage au foile” the lads with the gold braid and sharp creases love a statement.

A bit of reading shows the Northrop SM-62 “Snark” was a bit of pig and didn’t last long in service, although in this film of launch it doesn’t look too bad. Not sure I’d been keen on living near an airfield that regularly had un-launched nuclear warheads returning home and skidding along the tarmac!