Zero-length launcher

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING A MISSILE OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH EXTERIOR PERIPHERY ADJACENT THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND FIN MEANS ADJACENT THE AFT END THEREOF COMPRISING A LAUNCHING STAND HAVING MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING THE AFT END OF THE MISSILE AGAINST LATERAL MOVEMENT AND LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN AN AFT DIRECTION AND FOR PERMITTING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN A FORWARD DIRECTION, RESILIENTLY BIASED SPLIT COLLAR MEANS RESILIENTLY BIASED FOR MOVEMENT FROM A CLOSED POSITION IN SURROUNDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SMOOTH EXTERIOR PERIPHERY OF THE MISSILE INTO AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN SAID COLLAR MEANS MOVES LATERALLY AWAY FROM THE MISSILE BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LAUNCHING STAND IN LONGITUDINALLY SPACED RELATION FROM SAID AFT END ENGAGING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID COLLAR MEANS IN SAID CLOSED POSITION AGAINST THE RESILIENT BIAS THEREOF FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE MISSILE DURING THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER DURING LIFT-OFF AND OPERABLE TO EFFECT RELEASE OF SAID COLLAR MEANS AFTER A PREDETERMINED MOVEMENT THEREOF WITH THE MISSILE TO PERMIT BIASED MOVEMENT OF SAID COLLAR MEANS FROM SAID CLOSED POSITION TO SAID OPEN POSITION AND LATERALLY AWAY FROM THE MISSILE BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF SO THAT THE MISSILE IS FREE FROM ANY PERMANENT UNDERSIRABLE EXTERIOR APPENDAGES DURING FLIGHT.