Black Knight re-entry head, sectioned, 1957

Black Knight re-entry head, sectioned, 1957.

This is part of the Black Knight research ballistic missile. This missile was made and launched with the ambition of testing for problems associated with re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. These contained instruments to measure performance during flight. Multiple experiments were carried out to see how different warheads would behave upon re-entry. Many different trial heads were made in different shapes and materials to find the optimal one. The final re-entry head they decided upon was a conical shape made with Durestos - a heat proof material. The first Black Knight launch was in 1958, from Australia, and there were 22 successful launches. Its last launch was in 1965.