This is a pre-production version of an Aerobee-Hi flying rocket model built by Model Missiles in 1957. It is based on a sounding rocket of the same name used by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1950s. The model has a pasteboard body, balsa fins and nose, and a plastic parachute. A solid propellant rocket motor propels the model, and then at the end of the vertical flight it forces the release of a parachute. The model is then retrieved and can be used again. The model is launched from a launch pad, with a hand-held launch controller being used to ignite the motor.

The model was donated in 1973 by G. Harry Stine, one of the American pioneers in the field of flying rocket and missile models.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

MODELS-Missiles & Rockets

Manufacturer

Model Missiles, Inc.

Dimensions

Other: 1 x 14in. (2.5 x 35.6cm)

Materials

Wood, Cardboard, Paint, Cotton, Rubber, Steel, Plastic, Adhesive

Inventory Number

A19930818000

Credit Line

Gift of G. Harry Stine

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
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