The first ICBM to be developed and deployed by the United States, the Atlas had a range of 5500 nautical miles and could achieve a speed of 15,500 mph. Depending on configuration, it could be equipped with either a W-49 (1.45 megaton) or W-38 (4.5 megaton) thermonuclear warhead. The Atlas' development can be traced to a series of research and development studies performed in the wake of WWII by the Convair company. These led to the company winning a contract in 1951 for a long range missile. The three-engine XSM-65A design that eventually emerged featured a thin skin, inflated by internal fuel pressure like a balloon, and had "one and a half" stages. In this configuration, both the main booster and sustainer engines ignited at lift-off, with the boosters dropped in flight. (This unique feature was intended to make certain the sustainer engine could fire at high altitudes, something later determined to not be a problem). The missile burned kerosene and liquid oxygen fuel, and...

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