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RFD 2 [v]
RFD 2 (Reentry Flight Demonstration 2) was a suborbital experiment to test the survivability of the SNAP-19 RTG, which was to be flown on Nimbus satellites, during atmospheric reentry. In case these nuclear generators accidentally reentered the Earths atmosphere, they were designed to disassemble in the early stages of reentry and expose the fuel capsules to enough aerodynamic heating that any radioactive materials would not survive to the ground.
The vehicle consisted of an instrumented reentry body with a dummy SNAP-19 RTG in front of it. Instruments monitored the destruction of the RTG by measuring trace chemicals.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | Sandia Corp. |
| Contractors: | Sandia Corp. |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | Batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | suborbital |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFD 2 | N/A | 09.10.1964 | WI LA-3 | * | Scout-X3C |
Launch Sites:
- WI = Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
References:
- Michael A. Shoemaker: In rod we trust, in The Space Review
