Blue Streak or Thor?
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Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Swindon, Wilts,UK
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Blue Streak or Thor?
I don't know if this is the right place for this question but here goes.
I work at a supposedly well known research lab. We have a cabin that we use to store junk which lab mythology holds was a Blue Streak control cabin. I'm sceptical of that as Blue Streak was never intended to be a mobile system. However I've seen pictures of Thor launchers which seem to have very similar cabins. I believe that the cabin was used for high altitude balloon tests before it came to it's current resting place.
On the front of the cabin near the entrance hatch is a data plate which states that it's a
Douglas Aircraft Co Inc Santa monica Calif USA.
Missile Launching Countdown Group Trailer Mounted
A/M24 A-1A.
part No 5681711.505
serial No 000076
date 02.2.62
Contract No AF04.647.114
WT 14240
Any ex RAF or USAF steely eyed rocketeers ever spend time in one of these?
I work at a supposedly well known research lab. We have a cabin that we use to store junk which lab mythology holds was a Blue Streak control cabin. I'm sceptical of that as Blue Streak was never intended to be a mobile system. However I've seen pictures of Thor launchers which seem to have very similar cabins. I believe that the cabin was used for high altitude balloon tests before it came to it's current resting place.
On the front of the cabin near the entrance hatch is a data plate which states that it's a
Douglas Aircraft Co Inc Santa monica Calif USA.
Missile Launching Countdown Group Trailer Mounted
A/M24 A-1A.
part No 5681711.505
serial No 000076
date 02.2.62
Contract No AF04.647.114
WT 14240
Any ex RAF or USAF steely eyed rocketeers ever spend time in one of these?
Last edited by Windy Militant; 7th Oct 2003 at 23:51.
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Nopt a steely eyed rocketeer but a quick search of the Redstone Arsenal, Army MAterial Command and USAFM holdings do not show a M24 associated with the Thor (it is however the 20mm cannon system son a B-36). Maybe it is Blue Streak. One way to find out is the National Stock Number that looks like this 1234-12-1234 and may have some letters or numbers leading or trailing. That is like a catalog number for everything military and that ties names and inventory managers and systems and stuff.
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Thanks Guy's I've put all of numbers from the data plate onto my original post. I didn't bother originally as I didn't think I'd get much response. I'll try a search on the national stock number see what pops up!
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With all the information you have shouldn't be too hard....not.
I've used a number of Part Number /NSN crossreferences and found zero. The contract number doesn't match anything. Now down to contacting the archive/history offices at a couple Air Force places.
It appears that it is most likely Thor. There were 6 or 8 squadrons based in the UK from 1958 to 1963 or so, so a certain amount of material left behind is reasonable. The history types seem more into squadron/unit histories and aircraft/missiles. I guess nobody looks at the tow tractors/test equipment/yellow gear/etc...just the sexy flyingstuff.
I've used a number of Part Number /NSN crossreferences and found zero. The contract number doesn't match anything. Now down to contacting the archive/history offices at a couple Air Force places.
It appears that it is most likely Thor. There were 6 or 8 squadrons based in the UK from 1958 to 1963 or so, so a certain amount of material left behind is reasonable. The history types seem more into squadron/unit histories and aircraft/missiles. I guess nobody looks at the tow tractors/test equipment/yellow gear/etc...just the sexy flyingstuff.
