The sign accompanying the Navaho rocket engine. It reads
Navaho Rocket Engine
This two-chambered, liquid-fuel rocket engine served as the booster for the
Navaho missile, which was powered by two ramjets. The huge, vertically
launched intercontinental cruise missile was designed to strike a target up to
8,850 kilometers (5,500 miles) away. However, the Navaho never became
operational. Its unsuccessful testing program and enormous development cost,
which had reached almost a billion dollars, caused the program to be cancelled
in 1957.
The Navaho was an important stage in the evolution of American large-scale
liquid-fuel engines, including those for the Redstone, Jupiter, Thor, and Atlas missiles, Saturn V Apollo launch
vehicle, and the Space
Shuttle.
Gift of the Rocketdyne Division, North American Rockwell
Corporation
Length: | 2.7 m (8 ft. 9 in.) |
Thrust: | 1,070,000 N (240,000 lb) |
Propellants: | liquid oxygen, kerosene |
Manufacturer: | North American Aviation |
| A19700250000
|
Although this sign indicates that the engines used RP-1, most sources
list the fuel as alcohol. Launch photos also show rocket exhaust more typical
of alcohol than RP-1.