mathematics

USNS Redstone

USNS Redstone is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand USNS Redstone rather than just read about it. In short: USNS Redstone, designated T‑AGM‑20, was a tracking ship assigned to Apollo space mission support under the control of the Eastern Range. For a brief time during conversion the ship was named Johnstown with the designation AGM‑20.

Key takeaways

USNS Redstone belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect USNS Redstone to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of USNS Redstone from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

USNS Redstone, designated T‑AGM‑20, was a tracking ship assigned to Apollo space mission support under the control of the Eastern Range. For a brief time during conversion the ship was named Johnstown with the designation AGM‑20. The ship was built as Mission De Pala, named for Mission San Antonio de Pala in eastern San Diego County, California, a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker, for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war the tanker was transferred to the United States Navy for operation by the Naval Transportation Service as Mission De Pala (AO-114) and later the successor Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission De Pala (T-AO-114). The tanker was a member of the Mission Buenaventura-class oiler.

Service history

World War II, 1944-1946

Mission De Pala was laid down on 26 November 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract by Marinship Corporation, Sausalito, California. The T2-SE-A2 tanker was launched on 28 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Francis D. Malone. The ship, official number 245359, was delivered to the War Shipping Administration for operation by Pacific Tankers Inc. under a general agency agreement on 22 April 1944. The tanker spent the remainder of the war carrying oil and fuel to allied forces overseas, in the Pacific (during which time she was three times awarded the Navy Battle "E" Ribbon as well as the National Defense Service Medal). Returned to the Maritime Commission on 28 May 1946, she was laid up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Mobile, Alabama.

Navy tanker 1947—1958 The Maritime Commission transferred custody of the ship to the Navy on 22 October 1947 upon which the Navy applied the designation AO-114 for service with Naval Transportation Service (NTS). NTS was merged into the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) and on 1 October 1949 the ship was designated USNS Mission De Pala (T-AO-114). Her service with MSTS was brief and on 23 December 1949 the ship was laid up in the Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas. The Navy reactivated Mission De Pala on 21 July 1950 for service with MSTS when the Korean War created an urgent need for logistics support vessels, especially tankers. The tanker spent most of the war shuttling between Korea, Pearl Harbor, and the west coast of the United States carrying fuel overseas. The Navy declared the ship surplus on 15 November 1954 returning it to Maritime Commission custody for up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 22 June 1955. The Navy reactivated the ship, taking custody on 6 July 1956, for service with MSTS to be operated, under charter, by Marine Transport Lines, Incorporated. On 13 March 1958 the Maritime Administration took permanent custody of the ship for lay up in the Maritime Reserve Fleet at Orange. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on the same date.

Apollo tracking/communications ship 1964-1993 On 19 October 1964 the Maritime Commission returned permanent custody of Mission De Pala to the Navy for conversion into a missile‑range instrumentation ship. Converted at General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts she was "jumboized" by having a 72‑foot section added amidships, an extensive array of electronic equipment was installed and a nest of antennas added topside. Essentially the ship was virtually rebuilt in order to prepare her for her new role. While under conversion, she was renamed and redesignated Johnstown (AGM-20) on 8 April 1965, but she was renamed Redstone on 1 September 1965. Upon completion of conversion, she was accepted on 30 June 1966 by MSTS, for service as USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20).

Designed for use as a seagoing tracking and communications station for the Apollo program test series and moon shot, into 1969, she continued these duties and played her part in helping fulfill the late President John F. Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon before 1970.

Deactivation and disposal The ship was removed from service on 6 August 1993. She was struck from the Naval Register on 7 December 1993. On 6 August 1993 the ship was placed in the James River reserve fleet until withdrawn briefly 23 June through 31 August 1994 for stripping before sale and scrapping. After being sold for scrapping the ship finally left the fleet on 30 January 1995.

Footnotes

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with USNS Redstone

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what USNS Redstone claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to USNS Redstone before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about USNS Redstone ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of USNS Redstone

In research: USNS Redstone appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses USNS Redstone in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: USNS Redstone is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1944 ships, IMO numbers, Maritime vessels related to spaceflight, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for USNS Redstone outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study USNS Redstone in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what USNS Redstone means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain USNS Redstone out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is USNS Redstone in simple terms?

Why does USNS Redstone matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study USNS Redstone?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on USNS Redstone.