|Earlier rockets were largely unpainted, as this photo shows. Only the nosecone displayed the trademark fluorescent orange of all later rockets. |
The nosecone for this rocket was fabricated from fibreglass reinforced plastic. The fuselage was constructed from aluminum tubing, and the motor was of steel construction. The bell of the motor nozzle, which was machined from a single piece of steel, is visible at the aft end of the rocket.
This rocket veered significantly from the vertical shortly after liftoff. The parachute did not deploy, and the rocket impacted several hundred metres from the pad. Despite exhaustive searching, it was never found.