Topaze

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. (Discuss)

Topaze is the designation of a French sounding rocket. The Topaze built by the manufacturer SEREB was the first guidable French elevator research rocket. The Topaze was started between 1962 and 1965 [14mal von Hammaguir]. There were two versions of the Topaze:

Topaze VE111C: weight 410 kg, range 80 km (50 mi), starting 120.0 kN & 2900 kg, length: 7.07 m (23.2 ft);

Topaze VE111L: weight 360 kg, range 110 km (68 mi), starting 147.0 kN & 3434 kg, length: 7.90 m (25.9 ft).

The Topaze was also used as the second stage of the Diamant rocket.

Topaze is also the name of a famous French play by Marcel Pagnol. Many film versions have been made of it, two of them directed by Pagnol himself. The 1969 Alfred Hitchcock film Topaz, based on a novel by Leon Uris, bears absolutely no relation to this play.