Larger Blue Streak at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

The larger Blue Streak, about 70 feet tall and about 10 feet in diameter, was supposed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but its development also was canceled. Subsequently, the Blue Streak was revived for the European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO) project. For launching satellites, ELDO planned to use a modified British Blue Streak as the first stage, the bottom stage of the French Diamant as the second stage, and a specially designed German third stage.

In view of mounting costs, and because of the operational limitations of liquid fuel missiles, the Blue Streak program was canceled in 1960 and its place taken, at least in part, by an air-to-ground short-range nuclear missile to be delivered from the V-bomber platform. This weapon—Sky-bolt—was developed in collaboration with the United States and then canceled, in effect by a unilateral U. S. decision, at the end of 1962.

The hardness is 6-6.5, specific gravity 5-5.2, and the streak is greenish black. The luster is bright metallic, and the color pale brass to golden yellow, which accounts for the common name, "fool's gold." The mineral marcasite also has composition FeSs, and is called white iron pyrites. It has the same hardness and streak as pyrite, but the orthorhombic crystals are quite different and the color a much paler yellow. Pyrite weathers readily to goethite, and pseudo-morphs of goethite after pyrite are common.