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Overall view of the auxiliary hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) tank.

Picture 1 of 3.

Recall that, for Project Mercury, the Redstone's tanks were stretched (as compared to the ballistic missile version of the Redstone) to hold additional propellants, providing for an engine burn time of 143.5 seconds, 20 seconds longer than the original Redstone missile. As the A-7 used a steam generator powered by a dedicated hydrogen peroxide supply (rather than a gas generator burning the same fuels as the main booster) to drive its turbopumps, it was necessary to install an auxiliary H₂O₂ tank (holding an additional 13 gallons of peroxide) to sustain turbopump operation for the extended burn time.