Jan 04

Space Rocket History #191 – Apollo 10 – The Climb to Orbit

Posted on January 4, 2017 by spac9750

At first stage cutoff the astronauts expected to encounter a single pulse of negative G and the crew would be thrown forward in their straps before the Second stage ignited and recommenced the acceleration. However, they actually encountered a form of pogo which continued for 4 cycles, during which they were “slammed forward, back, forward, back, forward, back, and forward, back. At this point the instrument panel was so blurred the astronauts could not read it.

Apollo 10 clears the tower

Houston on launch day

Apollo 10 ground track

Dec 28

An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #17 – The Mercury 7

Posted on December 28, 2016 by spac9750

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

On April 1, 1959, Robert Gilruth, the head of the Space Task Group, Charles Donlan, Warren North, and Stanley White selected the first American astronauts. The “Mercury Seven” were Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Donald K. “Deke” Slayton.

The Mercury 7

Mercury Capsule and Astronauts

Dec 21

Space Rocket History #190 – Apollo 10 – The Launch

Posted on December 21, 2016 by spac9750

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

On May 18th 1969, a king, some congressmen, other distinguished guests, and a hundred thousand other watchers waited at scattered vantage points around the Cape area. At 49 minutes past noon, Rocco Petrone’s launch team sent Apollo 10 on its way to the United States’s second manned rendezvous with the moon.

Apollo 10 crew on the way to Pad 39B

Launch of Apollo 10

Apollo 10

Dec 16

An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #31 – Godspeed John Glenn – Mercury-Atlas 6 – Friendship 7 – Part 2

Posted on December 16, 2016 by spac9750

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

Mercury Control was still undecided on the course of action to take with the heat shield problem. Some controllers thought the retrorocket pack should be jettisoned after retrofire, while other controllers thought the retro pack should be retained, as added assurance that the heat shield would stay in place…