Harp Technology (Part 10)

Harp Technology

(Part 10)

In the argument for the few extra months of funding Gerry Bull Which personally guaranteed that in the end of June 1967 the Harp would be economically self-sufficient and they no longer require Canadian government assistance. But Bull's guarantee was a long shot but it did solve many problems in all quarters. Foremost this action took the responsibility for the potential failure of the program off the shoulders of the Canadian Government and placed it squarely on Gerry Bull.

And for this small absolution the Canadian government could claim to have saved face. But for the project it meant that big changes had to be made. And sub-orbital research flights did not provide enough income to finance for continuing this project. And It is necessary to orbit a satellite, any satellite no matter how many small, and to prove that it could be done and boost further investment in the orbital programs.

 But the Canadian decisions have an immediate and unexpected effect on the US support of Harp as well. And with the war in Vietnam raging and the Army's loss of the space operations to the US Air Force, and the Canadian bailout were used as an explain by the Pentagon to order the US Army that to pull out of Harp. So sudden and unexpected was this decision that a series of test launches has being conducted at Yuma was paused in the middle of the operation. So there was no opportunity to even analyse the data that had been already collected!

And harp was in a unwarranted situation. And without his financial support the operations of this project was quickly smashed. And all active research projects were come to a squealing halt. So the gun sites at the Barbados and High-water was effectively shut down. And all but a caretaker staff has to be laid off. They determined to save the principle of the program Gerry Bull and a small group of engineers and technicians they worked desperately to develop the one mechanism they believed that they would keep the dream alive – and a satellite launch vehicle.

This satellite launcher was greatly needed but the Marlette 4 program was hopelessly behind this schedule. And it would have been unreasonable to try to complete the Marlette 4 development in which the months left. So plan 'B' was to use the GLO-1A (Gun-launched Orbiter, Version 1A). Based on the 2G-1 vehicle the GLO-1A was a minimal launch vehicle that is used a metallic air shell that containing three stages of rocketry and a small satellite payload. Which was felt that this was their best opportunity to prove the gun-launch satellite concept in the little time left?

1967

Starting the new year of 1967 which are brought little joy for the people of the Harp. And the loss of government funding can also essentially brought at end to support from other participating universities and industries. But these institutions could not be affording to subsidies the project to at any great extent.  And with the most of its facilities shut down there was little true research going on. So the few flights conducted during the year were basically intended to use up the few flight vehicles and propellant already in stock.

And lot of efforts was made to find a new US university that would be willing to take over this Harp administrative function. That would eliminate any Canadian government participation and they hopefully allow US Army funding to be reestablished. But two US universities were quite interests in this program and the prestige that was accompanied it. But they neither could find that the necessary funding to continue the original program.

But the GLO-1A program proceeded as advantageously as could be expected. So with external sources cut off, the manufacture of the GLO-1A vehicles was primarily carried out at the High-water workshops. But In the late spring the GLO-1A airframe test flights were successfully conducted at High-water. The plans were made to fly the first GLO-1A orbital mission in late June, only that days before all operations were to shut down. And the success of this launch would have maintained HARP's gun-launched satellite concept and the program in general. Coming only days before the Canadian Centennial celebrations, a successful test would be certainly have shamed the Canadian government into reconsidering their funding cancellation.

And as with any new development, as minor delays pushed back the GLO-1A's launch until it can no longer practical to make a last minute attempt before in the end of June. The Superhuman efforts of the HARP staff proved unproductive and the failure of the GLO-1A program was can be unavoidable. And in the view of the funding limitations forced upon them, that they had a simply started too late to build the GLO-1A flight vehicle before project was shutdown.

And HARP was dead.

POST-HARP

In starting of September of 1967 commissioners from the Canadian government, and the US Army, and the McGill University gathered to cut apart the remains of the HARP project. But the predators in the Canadian government who had been orchestrated HARP's decease were determined to have the HARP guns cut up for the scrap. And its facilities were to be destroyed in a manner suggestive of the slaughter of the Avro Arrow program. And on the other hand, certain elements in the US Army could be still see the advantages of a HARP-like program. But they could not participate through the existing administration.

But all was not in lost. And on the day of the meeting Bull played his trump card by having a dispossessor serve the university with papers stating simply that he expected the university to fulfill all clauses of the lease for the High-water test range. And The High-water test range had been leased by the university from the Guiltier Corporation that which is controlled by the Bull's family.
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(To Be Countinue....)