When R-4 was rolled out, it gave onlookers a bit of a surprise. The rocket was double the size of R-1, R-2 and R-3. It was soon revealed that the vehicle was no longer a single-stage rocket. After the first RT-10 booster ran out of fuel, the second booster would separate and continue upward. Boffins at KSC stated that the lighter the object, the easier and more efficient it is to get that object into space. So the rocket would be divided up into modules that, once out of fuel, would separate to reduce the mass.
'This is our next phase of testing,' Gene said. 'How effective does the rocket become if it ascends in stages?'
R-4 at lift off
Well, it becomes very effective as it turns out. At launch, R-4's initial acceleration into the air was less impressive than previous rockets due to the increase in weight. The first-stage was only able to lift the assembly 4km into the sky and reached a dismal speed of 150m/s, which was a little unremarkable considering the other demonstrations. Onlookers watched as the first RT-10 flamed out, separated from the assembly and fell back towards the ocean.
Then the second RT-10 booster kicked in. I was dumbfounded at the experience. R-4 accelerated towards the heavens at a staggering rate. We all watched as the rocket just disappeared into the sky. I glanced over at some of the staff who were working on the project, and their jaws had also fallen onto the concrete. It would be some time before we heard news from the tracking station.
As it turned out, the first stage had pushed R-4 through the thicker layer of the atmosphere so the second stage could enjoy much less resistance. Even so, systems apparently fluctuated due to atmospheric friction as the vehicle easily passed 1000m/s. But R-4 didn't stop there. The true figure is not known, but the Tracking Station estimated that R-4 reached a speed somewhere between 2500m/s and 2800m/s with an acceleration that was off the chart. G-Force figures are estimated to be around 25G's, which would kill a Kerbal instantly. What's more impressive is that R-4 became the first object to reach outer-space... and by accident at that. The Tracking Station clocked the rocket's highest point at 276.8km!
The last signals came from R-4 at T+9:48 before it's batteries died, despite power-saving measures. R-4 is assumed to have re-entered and broken up in the atmosphere at around T+13:30.
Gene Kerman officially classed the mission as a failure due to the initial requirement being that both boosters were recoverable. But at least it proved the effectiveness of staging.
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