Fifty years ago, America was in the middle of the space race to the Moon. The Surveyor program was planned to investigate potential landing sites for the Apollo missions that would follow before the end of the decade. ATK's Elkton Division (formerly Thiokol) was under contract to Hughes Aircraft to develop and qualify the main retro motor for the soft landing mission. The year 1964 would see the completion of the development of the Surveyor retro motor followed by qualification and flight deliveries. The development of the motor had many challenges such as a consumable igniter, an all-composite nozzle, a high energy propellant for the times, a high strength steel case, and a safe-and-arm device all contributing to a high propellant mass fraction assembly. A summary of the Surveyor program, the function of the propulsion elements in the soft landing mission, and the development and qualification of the retro motor is provided. The propulsion development for the Surveyor program will be highlighted; in particular, the challenges faced in scaling the Elkton high-performance nozzle assemblies. The paper further covers the legacy from the Surveyor motor into other high-performance STAR? motor designs and flight experience into the present day.
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