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[[File:Petrel rocket.png|thumb|400x400px|Petrel sounding rocket]]
[[File:Petrel rocket.png|thumb|400x400px|Petrel sounding rocket]]
The '''Petrel''' was a British [[sounding rocket]].<ref name="DivisionServices1972">{{cite book|author1=Great Britain. Central Office of Information. Reference Division|author2=British Information Services|title=British industry today; aerospace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-govAQAAIAAJ|year=1972|publisher=H.M. Stationery Off.|isbn=9780117006027 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Serra |first=Jean-Jacques |date=2005-02-07 |title=Skua and Petrel rockets |url=http://www.univ-perp.fr/fuseurop/skupe_e.htm |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=European Rockets|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050207182449/http://www.univ-perp.fr/fuseurop/skupe_e.htm |archive-date=2005-02-07 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Petrel |url=http://www.astronautix.com/p/petrel.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref> The Petrel 1 was launched, like the [[Skua (rocket)|Skua]] 1, with 3 [[Chick (rocket)|Chick]] booster rockets. The Chick motors were fitted into a Booster Carriage that also carried the two parachutes that brought it back to earth for re-use. The Petrel 1 was 3.34 m long, had a diameter of 19&nbsp;cm and reached a maximum altitude of 140 kilometres.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Petrel 1 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/p/petrel1.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref> It was fired from a barrel launcher approximately {{convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|long}}.
The '''Petrel''' was a British [[sounding rocket]].<ref name="DivisionServices1972">{{cite book|author1=Great Britain. Central Office of Information. Reference Division|author2=British Information Services|title=British industry today; aerospace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-govAQAAIAAJ|year=1972|publisher=H.M. Stationery Off.|isbn=9780117006027 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Serra |first=Jean-Jacques |date=2005-02-07 |title=Skua and Petrel rockets |url=http://www.univ-perp.fr/fuseurop/skupe_e.htm |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=European Rockets|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050207182449/http://www.univ-perp.fr/fuseurop/skupe_e.htm |archive-date=2005-02-07 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Petrel |url=http://www.astronautix.com/p/petrel.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref> The Petrel 1 was launched, like the [[Skua (rocket)|Skua]] 1, with 3 [[Chick (rocket)|Chick]] booster rockets. The Chick motors were fitted into a booster carriage that also carried the two parachutes that brought it back to earth for re-use. The Petrel 1 was 3.34 m long, had a diameter of 19&nbsp;cm and reached a maximum altitude of 140 kilometres.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Petrel 1 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/p/petrel1.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref> It was fired from a barrel launcher approximately {{convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|long}}.


The Petrel was first flown on 8 June 1967 in [[South Uist]].<ref name=":0" /> Since 1968, some 234 Petrels have been launched from sites in South Uist, [[Andøya Space|Andoya]], [[Kiruna]], [[Thumba]], [[Sonmiani]] and [[Greenland]]. Around 2/3 of the launches have taken place from South Uist.<ref name="MassieRobins1986">{{cite book|author1=Harrie Massie|author2=M. O. Robins|title=History of British Space Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bqQsjc3BwZkC&pg=PA190|date=27 February 1986|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-30783-3|pages=190–}}</ref>
The Petrel was first flown on 8 June 1967 in [[South Uist]].<ref name=":0" /> Since 1968, some 234 Petrels have been launched from sites in South Uist, [[Andøya Space|Andoya]], [[Kiruna]], [[Thumba]], [[Sonmiani]] and [[Greenland]]. Around 2/3 of the launches have taken place from South Uist.<ref name="MassieRobins1986">{{cite book|author1=Harrie Massie|author2=M. O. Robins|title=History of British Space Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bqQsjc3BwZkC&pg=PA190|date=27 February 1986|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-30783-3|pages=190–}}</ref>
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==See also==
==See also==
* [[Sounding rocket X-ray astronomy]]
* [[Sounding rocket]]
* [[X-ray astronomy]]
==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />

Revision as of 08:00, 12 June 2024

Petrel sounding rocket

The Petrel was a British sounding rocket.[1][2][3] The Petrel 1 was launched, like the Skua 1, with 3 Chick booster rockets. The Chick motors were fitted into a booster carriage that also carried the two parachutes that brought it back to earth for re-use. The Petrel 1 was 3.34 m long, had a diameter of 19 cm and reached a maximum altitude of 140 kilometres.[2][4] It was fired from a barrel launcher approximately 60 ft long (18 m).

The Petrel was first flown on 8 June 1967 in South Uist.[2] Since 1968, some 234 Petrels have been launched from sites in South Uist, Andoya, Kiruna, Thumba, Sonmiani and Greenland. Around 2/3 of the launches have taken place from South Uist.[5]

In 1977, an improved version, the Petrel 2, with a maximum altitude of 175 kilometres was used for the first time.[6] The Petrel was also fired from ESRANGE at Kiruna in Sweden in 1971, and from the range on Andoya, an island off the Norwegian coast in 1973. One launcher was installed at Kiruna, while two were installed on Andoya. Both could be loaded, but only one was elevated at a time. Two launchers allowed successive firings, one as an event came up and another as it decayed. The Petrel Iaunch programme ceased in August 1982.[7]

To facilitate one experiment, a Petrel payload released gas clouds at apogee. The wife of one of the firing team members reported that strange lights were being seen in the night sky from Scotland.

Versions

There were two versions of the Petrel rocket:[2][3][4][6]

Petrel rocket versions
Version First Stage Second Stage Payload (kg) Apogee (km) Thrust (kN) Weight (kg) Diameter (m) Length (m)
Petrel 1 3 x Chick Lapwing 18 140 20 130 0.19 3.34
Petrel 2 4 x Chick lengthened Lapwing 18 175 27 160 0.19 3.70

See also

References

  1. ^ Great Britain. Central Office of Information. Reference Division; British Information Services (1972). British industry today; aerospace. H.M. Stationery Off. ISBN 9780117006027.
  2. ^ a b c d Serra, Jean-Jacques (2005-02-07). "Skua and Petrel rockets". European Rockets. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  3. ^ a b "Petrel". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  4. ^ a b "Petrel 1". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  5. ^ Harrie Massie; M. O. Robins (27 February 1986). History of British Space Science. Cambridge University Press. pp. 190–. ISBN 978-0-521-30783-3.
  6. ^ a b "Petrel 2". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  7. ^ S. Böhme; W. Fricke; H. Hefele; I. Heinrich, W. Hofmann, D. Krahn, V. R. Matas, L. D. Schmadel, G. Zech (14 December 2013). Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts: Literature 1983. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 100–. ISBN 978-3-662-12340-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)