Hello All,

Below are links to information on, and illustrations of, several air-launched sounding rockets:

The ALSOR (Air-Launched SOunding Rocket) was launched from a JF-104, a modified F-104 Starfighter equipped with attitude control thrusters for effective control at altitudes of around 100,000 feet. The ALSOR vehicle used a Viper-1 rocket motor, and five of the rockets were launched in 1959 - 1960. Peter Alway wrote an article on ALSOR (complete with color-keyed dimensioned drawings) for the Fall 1993 issue of "Quest: The History of Spaceflight Magazine," and he also included it in his "Rockets of the World: 2003 Supplement" (available from ARA Press [see: http://www.arapress.com/rotw_sup2003.php ] and NARTS [see:
https://blastzone.org/nar/narts/sto...d=1080035015601 ]). Below are three links to material on ALSOR:

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/alsor.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/...104/E-5071.html
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/alsor.htm

The Sparoair was a two-stage, air-launched sounding rocket, both of whose stages were Sparrow missile rocket motors. It was produced in three versions, which were flown from 1961 to 1965. Keith J. Scala's article "A History of Air-Launched Space Vehicles," in the Spring 1994 issue of "Quest: The History of Spaceflight Magazine," covers the Sparoair series. Also, the following web sites contain documentation on the Sparoair I, II, and III vehicles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparoair (article contains additional links)
http://astronautix.com/lvs/sparoair.htm
ftp://124.42.15.59/ck/2011-04/165/0...%20rockets..pdf
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/sparoair.htm

The USAF Jaguar sounding rocket was a three-stage vehicle, launched from a Martin B-57 bomber, which could boost a 35 pound payload to an altitude of about 500 miles. It was only flown twice, in 1960 and 1961. Here are links to information on the Jaguar:

http://www.designation-systems.net/...pp4/jaguar.html
http://www.spacearium.com/filemgmt_...ets_History.pdf
http://www.rocketryonline.com/jimba...en/eighteen.htm

The Rockair utilized a 2.75" diameter FFAR (Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket). When fired upward from a U.S. Navy F2H-2 Banshee fighter jet, it could reach altitudes of up to 180,000 feet. It was flown several times in 1955. The USAF's competing Rockaire used a larger rocket motor. Here are links to Rockair and Rockaire information:

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/rockair.htm
http://www.designation-systems.net/...4/rockaire.html
http://www.designation-systems.net/...in-rockets.html
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9786136242514
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rockair-Lam...e/dp/6136242516

I hope this information will be helpful.

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