Perhaps the most un-glamorized booster ever produced by von Braun’s team at Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) was the Juno II. Only ten of these vehicles were launched in a two and one half year period, and only four of those were able to be called successful. By the end of 1958 the von Braun team, on behalf of the newly created NASA, assembled and launched the first Juno II from Pad 5 at Cape Canaveral. NASA was itching to go from space planning to space flying and the Juno II, although developed by the ABMA, would give the public appearance of being a NASA vehicle and NASA project. The first launch of a Juno II was on December 6, 1958 and lofted the Pioneer III probe. Thereafter, the vehicle’s track record gets fairly dismal with only 3 of the next nine flights officially being able to be considered successful. In the end the Juno II was simply a vehicle that was quickly passed by as spaceflight technology experienced an explosive growth. It now holds the record as being NASA’s least successful US launch vehicle. So, if you get more than four fully successful flights out of your Juno II… you’ll be doing better with your Juno II than either NASA or ABMA did with theirs.

This rocket designed to a semi-scale and stands 16.5 inches tall when flown successfully, somewhat smaller when crashed. It is stabilized with Dr. Zooch’s FlameFins and has a span of 2.8 inches. Basic empty weight of the rocket is 1.59oz. The rocket DOES NOT include ANY engines- and flies on a standard 18mm such as a B or a C. Altitudes of more than 1,200 feet can be gained when flown upward and no other direction is recommended.

Commonly asked questions:

Q: Is this kit a kit? (honest folks- we ACTUALLY get that question)
A: Regular people get it as a kit, but for people such as yourself, we deliver the holographic version which, although arriving in a built condition, can only be used on the holo-deck of the starship Enterprise. Please return to your basement and contact us when you’ve constructed you personal holo-deck.

Q: How tall is it?
B: Read above.

Q: How high will it go?
A: Read above.

Q: How much does it weigh?
A: Read above.

Q: What side engines does it use?
A: Read above… seriously, don’t some of you ever read the stuff in the description text?  

Q: I find these question answers offensive and unless you change them I won’t buy one of your kits, which I’m telling you I was seriously considering before I decided that your Q&A was offensive to me.
A: Uhhhh… was there a question in there somewhere?