THOR-ABLE I FACT SHEET

By Cliff Lethbridge

Thor-Able I On Launch Pad, Photo Courtesy U.S. Air Force

Classification: Space Launch Vehicle

Length: 90 feet

Diameter: 8 feet

Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: August 17, 1958

Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: November 8, 1958

Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: 3

Thor-Able I was the name given to a close relative of the Thor-Able 0. In fact, the first three stages of the Thor-Able I were identical to those of the Thor-Able 0. Essentially a Thor-Able 0 with an added fourth stage, the Thor-Able I was designed specifically to carry Pioneer spacecraft toward the Moon. The solid-propellant fourth stage motor remained attached to the payload. In this application, the third stage was spin-stabilized at 120 r.p.m. The Thor-Able I could carry a maximum 84-pound payload to a lunar trajectory.