Episodes Tagged with "Rocket"

Dec 28

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

Posted on December 28, 2016

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....

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Deke, Gordon Cooper, Gus, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Mercury, Nasa, Rocket

Dec 15

An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #30 – Godspeed John Glenn – Mercury-Atlas 6 – Friendship 7 – Part 1

Posted on December 15, 2016

“I am in a big mass of some very small particles, they’re brilliantly lit up like they’re luminescent. I never saw anything like it! They round a little: they’re coming by the capsule and they look like little stars. A whole shower of them coming by....

Tagged:Africa, Alan Shepard, Apollo, Atlas, Australia, Canton Island, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, Fireflies, Friendship 7, Godspeed John Glenn, Hawaii, History, Indian Ocean, John Glenn, Kano, Lyndon Johnson, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mexico, Muchea, Nasa, Nigeria, Nikita Khrushchev, Perth, Rocket, Russia, Segment 51, Sensor, Soviet, Space, Titov, Wally Schirra, Walter Schirra

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

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, a...

May 2

Space Rocket History #10 – The Space Race

Posted on May 2, 2013

On October 4th 1957, the Soviet Union demonstrated that it had to be taken seriously. Only a few years prior they had lagged the US badly in both bombers and Nuclear weapons. Now, there was deep concern that the Soviet’s could launch a nuclear attack...

r7-sputnik

newspapers

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Tagged:Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, History, Icbm, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Von Braun, Werner

Feb 12

Space Rocket History #100 – Apollo: Preliminary Design

Posted on February 12, 2015

In January 1960, President Eisenhower directed NASA Administrator Glennan to accelerate the Super Booster Program that had recently been assigned to NASA. This order ensured the transfer of the von Braun group from the Army Ballistic Missile Agency t...

Using a model at upper left, William Rector of General Dynamics Corp. describes the design his company proposed for the Apollo lunar mission

Spacecraft modules in this drawing were identified in the Space Task Group’s request for proposals from contractors for developing and producing the command module

Saturn 1 test

Saturn 1 test 2

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At lower left, E. E. Clark and Carlos de Moraes of the Martin Company display three of a dozen command module configurations considered before the choice of the one to the right

ASA’s second Administrator, James E. Webb (at center above), and George M. Low (right above) of NASA Headquarters receive a model of General Electric’s proposed vehicle

Tagged:A Plan For Manned Lunar Landing, Abbott, Alan Shepard, Apollo, Avco, C 2 Saturn, Cape Kennedy, Charles Houbolt, Circumlunar, Congress, Convair, Docking, Dolan, Donlan, Eisenhower, Eldon Hall, Exploration, Faget, Feasibility Studies, Gagarin, Gemini Project, General Electric, George Low, Gilruth, Glennan, Goett, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, J R Clark, James Killian, James Webb, Jerome Wiesner, Jfk, John Disher, John Lee, Jpl, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Langley, Lbj, Lovelace Foundation, Low, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lyndon Johnson, Manned Lunar Landing Task Group, Manned Spacecraft Center, Markley, Marshall Space Flight Center, Martin, Mercury, Moon, Nasa, Nova, Oran Nicks, Ostrandersiepert, Pickering, Piland, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Richard S Johnston, Robert Chilton, Rocket, Saturn, Seamans, Silverstein, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Sputnik, Stanley White, Strass, Von Braun, Vought Astronautics, Webb, William Petynia

Feb 19

Space Rocket History #101 – Apollo: Preliminary Design Part 2 – Mode, Command Module, and Astronavigation.

Posted on February 19, 2015

In May 1961, NASA was not really prepared to direct an enormous Apollo program designed to fly its spacecraft to the moon. New and special facilities would be needed and the aerospace industry would have to be marshaled to develop vehicles not easily...

David G. Hoag, technical design director at the laboratory, examines the inertial measuring unit that would measure changes in Apollo spacecraft velocity when propulsion systems were fired

MIT Instrumentation Laboratory Director C. Stark Draper inspects a mockup of the Apollo guidance and control system in the September 1963

astronaut positions

Tagged:Apollo, Avco, C 2 Saturn, Cape Kennedy, Charles Houbolt, Circumlunar, Congress, Convair, Docking, Dolan, Donlan, Eisenhower, Eldon Hall, Exploration, Faget, Feasibility Studies, General Electric, George Low, Gilruth, Glennan, Goett, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, J R Clark, James Killian, James Webb, Jerome Wiesner, Jfk, John Disher, John Lee, Jpl, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Langley, Lbj, Lovelace Foundation, Low, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lyndon Johnson, Manned Lunar Landing Task Group, Manned Spacecraft Center, Markley, Marshall Space Flight Center, Martin, Mercury, Moon, Nasa, Nova, Oran Nicks, Ostrandersiepert, Pickering, Piland, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Richard S Johnston, Robert Chilton, Rocket, Saturn, Seamans, Silverstein, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Sputnik, Stanley White, Strass, Von Braun, Webb

Feb 26

Space Rocket History #102 – Apollo: Preliminary Design Part 3 – Command Module Contract, Mode, and Launch Vehicles

Posted on February 26, 2015

Max Faget thought the first stage of the moon rocket should use four solid-fueled engines, 6.6 meters in diameter. He reasoned these could certainly accomplish whatever mission was required of either the Saturn or Nova, and it would be more cost eff...

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Earth Orbit Rendezvous

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Tagged:Albert Clagett, Apollo, C 2 Saturn, C 4, Cape Kennedy, Charles Houbolt, Charles Mattews, Circumlunar, Congress, Dave Lang, Docking, Eor, Exploration, F 100, F 86, Faget, Feasibility Studies, Fleming, General Electric, George Low, Gilruth, Glennan, Goett, Golovin, Heinrich Weigand, History, Hjornevik, Hound Dog, Hugh Dryden, James Chamberlin, James Webb, Jerome Wiesner, Jfk, John Rubel, Jpl, Kavanau, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Kleinknecht, Koppenhaver, Langley, Lbj, Lor, Lovelace Foundation, Low, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lundin, Lyndon Johnson, Marshall Space Flight Center, Martin, Martin Company, Matthew Collins, Mcdonnell, Moon, Nasa, Navajo, North American Aviation, Nova, Oswald Lange, Piland, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Robert Mcnamara, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn, Saturn C 3, Seamans, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Sputnik, Von Braun, X 15

Mar 5

Space Rocket History #103 – Saturn Development 1957 – 1960

Posted on March 5, 2015

Many historians agree, the U.S. took its first step toward the moon in the spring of 1957, four years before President Kennedy declared the national goal of landing a man on the Moon, and returning him safely to the Earth. While still preparing for t...

12-Second stage (S-IV)

11-Booster stage (S-I)

10-Proposed C-2

9-C-1 and earlier vehicles

8-Model of blockhouse at Launch Complex 34

7-Vehicles using Titan and Atlas stages

6-Saturn C

5-Saturn B

4-Preliminary concept of Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral

3-Early H-1 Engine

2-Thor-Jupiter engine

1-Proposed configuration of a clustered booster

Tagged:Abma, Air Force, Alabama, Apollo, Army Ballistic Missile Agency, Army Ordnance Missile Command, Arpa, Atlantic Missile Range, C 2 Saturn, C 4, Cape Kennedy, Centaur, Charles Wilson, Circumlunar, Congress, Dx, Eisenhower, Exploration, Explorer 1, F 1, F 86, Gilruth, Glennan, Golovin, H 1, Herbert York, History, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, James Webb, Jfk, Jpl, Jupiter, Kennedy, Kerosene, Kieth Glennan, Kurt Debus, Launch Complex 34, Lox, Lr 119, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lyndon Johnson, Marshall Space Flight Center, Medaris, Missile Firing Laboratory, Moon, Nasa, North American Aviation, Nova, Prat Whitney, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Rocket, Rocketdyne, Roy Johnson, Rp 1, S 3d, S I, S Iv, S V, Saturn, Saturn C 3, Saturn I, Saturn Ib, Saturn V, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Tennessee River, Thor, Titan C, Von Braun

Mar 12

Space Rocket History #104 – Saturn’s First Flight – SA-1 – Part 1

Posted on March 12, 2015

Just as launch complex 34 dwarfed its predecessors, Saturn’s checkout represented a new magnitude in launch operations. The Saturn C-1 stood three times higher, required six times more fuel, and produced ten times more thrust than the Jupiter. Its si...

Lifting the first stage from the transporter

Hoisting the stage in vertical attitude

Erecting the upper stages

Early design concepts of C-1 and C-5 versions of the Saturn launch vehicles

16-Unloading Compromise in Florida

15-S-I and S-IV stages aboard the Compromise

14-Booster movement around Wheeler Dam

11-Launch Complex 34

10-Configurations of Saturn flight vehicles

9-Saturn Barge route

7-Six-engine configuration of the S-IV stage

6-Redesigned tail of the Saturn booster

5- The barge Palaemon

3-First horizontal mating of the Saturn vehicle

2-Movement of dummy S-IV stage to checkout

Tagged:Alabama, Albert Zeiler, Apollo, Arpa, Atlantic Missile Range, Block I, Block Ii, Braunschweig, C 2 Saturn, C 4, Cape Kennedy, Centaur, Circumlunar, Compromise, Corps Of Engineers, Crunk, Dyna Soar, Exploration, Explorer 1, F 1, Fort Bliss, Grady Williams, Green Cove Springs, H 1, Hans Gruene, History, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, Intracoastal Waterway, J 2, Jupiter, Karl Sendler, Kennedy, Kerosene, Kurt Debus, Launch Complex 34, Lox, Lr 119, Lunar, Lunar Module, M 26, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mercury Redstone, Milton Rosen, Missile Firing Laboratory, Missle Firing Labatory, Moon, Nasa, Nova, Palaemon, Peenemunde, Pershing, Project Apollo, Ranger, Rendezvous, Robert Gorman, Robert Moser, Rocket, Rp 1, S I, S Iv, S V, Sa 1, Saturn, Saturn C 3, Saturn I, Saturn Ib, Saturn V, Sendler, Soviet, Space, Tennessee River, Titan C, Von Braun, Wheeler Dam, White Sands

Mar 18

Space Rocket History #105 – Saturn’s First Flight – SA-1 – Part 2

Posted on March 18, 2015

No previous maiden launch had gone flawlessly, and the Saturn C-1 was considerably more complicated than any rocket launched thus far. Launch Operations Directorate officials gave the rocket a 75% chance of getting off the ground, and a 30% chance of...

To assemble the large Saturns, NASA needed a plant, preferably one already built. The Michoud facility (above), close to New Orleans, suited the requirements

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Modules of the Apollo spacecraft were tested in Florida in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building. Above, NASA officials Walt Williams, Merritt Preston, Kurt Debus, Brainerd Holmes, and Wernher von Braun

Maiden launch of the Apollo program- Saturn SA-1 from Cape Canaveral, 27 October 1961

First Saturn Launch

Liftoff of Saturn I. Note the long cable mast falling away on the right

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Abe Silverstein, NASA’s Director of Space Flight Development, is shown touring a rocket engine facility

1-Launch Complex 34, blockhouse interior

Tagged:Alabama, Albert Zeiler, Ames Research Center, Andrew Pickett, Apollo, Atlantic Missile Range, Block I, Block Ii, C 2 Saturn, C 4, Cape Kennedy, Centaur, Circumlunar, Compromise, Congressman Albert W Thomas, Corps Of Engineers, Crunk, Daniel Mcmath, Dyna Soar, Exploration, Explorer 1, F 1, Fort Bliss, Gainsville, General W K Wilson, H 1, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, Intracoastal Waterway, J 2, Jim White, John Parsons, Jupiter, Karl Sendler, Kennedy, Kerosene, Kurt Debus, Launch Complex 34, Launch Operations Directorate, Lc 37, Lox, Lr 119, Lunar, Lunar Module, M 26, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mercury Redstone, Merritt Island, Michoud, Milton Rosen, Missile Firing Laboratory, Missile Systems Group, Missle Firing Labatory, Moon, Multiplexer, Nasa, Nova, Palaemon, Paul Dembling, Pearl River, Peenemunde, Pershing, Project Apollo, Ralph Ulmer, Ranger, Redstone Arsenal, Rendezvous, Robert Gorman, Robert Moser, Rocket, Rp 1, S 1, S I, S Iv, S V, Sa 1, Saturn, Saturn C 3, Saturn I, Saturn Ib, Saturn V, Sendler, Soviet, Space, Tennessee River, Titan C, Vice President Johnson, Von Braun, Xo 4b, Xo 6b

Mar 26

Space Rocket History #106 – Apollo: The Mode Decision – Part 1

Posted on March 26, 2015

The mode that Apollo would use to land on the moon was the most studied, analyzed, and debated decision made for the lunar landing program. There were four main choices Direct-ascent, Earth-Orbit Rendezvous, Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous, and Lunar Surface...

two landing techniques proposed for the direct ascent mode

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RendezvousMethods

proposed lunar-surface-rendezvous procedure, a propellant-transfer vehicle takes fuel from the tanker to a manned space vehicle. After loading the fuel, the two astronauts would fire the engine of their spacecraft to return to the earth

Major configuration changes in the Apollo spacecraft from May 1960 to July 1962

Early design concepts of C-1 and C-5 versions of the Saturn launch vehicles

A ferry that would leave a command ship in orbit around the moon, visit the lunar surface, and then return to the command ship for the voyage back to the earth

Tagged:Abe Silverstein, Abma, Apollo, Arthur Bogeley, Astraco, Bell Aerosystems, C 2 Saturn, Cape Kennedy, Charles Houbolt, Charles Mattews, Clinton Brown, Congress, Direct Ascent, Docking, Dolan, Donald Heaton, E J Daniels, Earth0orbit, Eldon Hall, Eor, Exploration, Faget, Fleming, Gilruth, Glennan, Golovin, History, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, Institute Of Aerospace Sciences, J R Clark, James Webb, Jfk, John Bird, John Cord, John Rubel, Jpl, Juno V, Kavanau, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Koppenhaver, Kurbjun, Kurt Strass, Langley, Leonard Seale, Lor, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit, Lundin, Lunex, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mode, Moon, Nasa, Nova, Owen Maynard, Paul Purser, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Robert Oneal, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn, Saturn C 3, Seamans, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Von Braun, William Fleming, William Michael, William Pickering

Apr 2

Space Rocket History #107 – Apollo: The Mode Decision – Part 2

Posted on April 2, 2015

Langley’s brochure for the Golovin Committee described Lunar landers of varied sizes and payload capabilities. There were illustrations and data on a very small lander that was able to carry one man for 2 to 4 hours on the moon. There was an “econo...

Early design concepts of C-1 and C-5 versions of the Saturn launch vehicles

NASA announced selection of the lunar-orbit-rendezvous landing technique at an 11 July 1962 press conference. left to right James E. Webb, Robert C. Seamans, Jr., D. Brainerd Holmes, and Joseph F. Shea

Harry C. Shoaf (Space Task Group Engineering Division 15 November 1961 of a proposed lunar lander to be used with an advanced version of the Mercury spacecraft

concept of a small lunar lander during descent to the surface of the moon, as proposed by Langley Research Center employees in October 1961

Tagged:Abe Silverstein, Abma, Alfred Eggers, Ames Research Center, Apollo, Brainerd Holmes, Caldwell Johnson, Charles Frick, Charles Houbolt, Charles Mattews, Charlie Fricks Road Show, Clinton Brown, Congress, Direct Ascent, Docking, Dolan, Eldon Hall, Eor, Exploration, Faget, Fleming, General Dynamics Convair, George Low, Gilruth, Golovin, Harold Hornby, History, Holmes, Houbolt, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, James Chamberlin, James Webb, Jfk, John Eggleston, Joseph Shea, Jpl, Kennedy, Kurt Strass, Langley, Lewis Research Center, Lina, Lindsay, Lor, Lunar, Lunar Crasher, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Lunar Orbit, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mode, Moon, Nasa, Nova, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn, Saturn C 5, Seamans, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Spacecraft Research Division, Vogeley, Von Braun, Vought, William Rector

Apr 9

Space Rocket History #108 – Apollo: The Mode Decision – Part 3

Posted on April 9, 2015

“I would like to reiterate once more that it is absolutely mandatory that we arrive at a definite mode decision within the next few weeks. . . . If we do not make a clear-cut decision on the mode very soon, our chances of accomplishing the first luna...

Shea uses models to demonstrate how the lunar module would dock with the command module

Rocket Comparison

Lunar orbit insertion

Tagged:Abe Silverstein, Abma, Alfred Eggers, Ames Research Center, Apollo, Brainerd Holmes, Caldwell Johnson, Charles Frick, Charles Houbolt, Charles Mattews, Charlie Fricks Road Show, Clinton Brown, Congress, Csm, Direct Ascent, Docking, Dolan, Douglas, Dryden, Eldon Hall, Eor, Exploration, Faget, Fleming, General Dynamics Convair, George Low, Gilruth, Golovin, Grumman, Harold Hornby, History, Holmes, Houbolt, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, James Chamberlin, James Webb, Jerome Wiesner, Jfk, John Eggleston, Joseph Shea, Jpl, Kennedy, Kurt Strass, Langley, Lem, Lewis Research Center, Lina, Lindsay, Lor, Lunar, Lunar Crasher, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Lunar Orbit, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mode, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, Nicholas Golovin, Nova, Presidents Science Advisory Committee, Project Apollo, Psac, Rca, Rendezvous, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn, Saturn C 5, Saturn C 8, Saturn C Ib, Seamans, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Spacecraft Research Division, Vogeley, Von Braun, Vought, William Rector

Apr 16

Space Rocket History #109 – Apollo: The PSAC Strikes Back and Saturn SA-2

Posted on April 16, 2015

After viewing the Apollo spaceport being built in Florida, President Kennedy flew on to Huntsville, Alabama. There, during a tour of Marshall and a briefing on the Saturn V and the lunar-rendezvous mission by von Braun, Jerome Wiesner interrupted Von...

REF: 2-903-6 SA-2 LAUNCH AT CAPE. IGNITION OF ROCKET (SATURN 1 VEHICLE)

SA-2 erected on launch pedestal

Wernher_von_Braun_confers_with_Brainerd_Holmes_and_Nicholas_Golovin

Tagged:Apollo, Brainerd Holmes, Bruce Lundin, Csm, Direct Ascent, Docking, Downey, Dryden, Eor, Exploration, Fleming, Franklin A Long, General Dynamics Convair, George Low, Gilruth, Golovin, Grumman, High Water, Highwater, History, Holmes, Houbolt, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, James Webb, Jerome Wiesner, Jfk, Joseph Shea, Jpl, Kennedy, Kurt Debus, Langley, Lc34, Lem, Lester Lees, Lewis Research Center, Lina, Lor, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Lunar Orbit, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mercury, Mode, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, Nicholas Golovin, Nova, Presidents Science Advisory Committee, Project Apollo, Psac, Rendezvous, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn, Saturn C 5, Seamans, Soviet, Space, Space Vehicle Panel, Von Braun

May 9

Space Rocket History #11 – Sputnik 2 – Laika: The Space Dog

Posted on May 9, 2013

Sputnik 2 was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit and was the first to launch a living creature. The satellite was a 4 meter high cone-shaped capsule with a base diameter of 2 meters. It contained several compartments for radio transmitte...

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Laika

Laika Stamp

Tagged:History, Icbm, Laika, R 7, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Sputnik 2

Apr 23

Space Rocket History #110 – Early Apollo Command Module Design

Posted on April 23, 2015

The Apollo contract specified a shirt-sleeve environment. For this reason, North American was told not to include in its design a hatch that opened by explosives, like Mercury’s. An accidentally blown hatch in space would cause an instant vacuum and ...

The impact facility at North American was used to drop-test the CM

Selection of Little Joe II completed the Apollo family of launch vehicles.

Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, and Walter Schirra in 1963 inspect a full-scale mock up of the Apollo CM

North American Aviation Stormy,

Interior of a partial full-scale mockup of the Apollo command module

major parts of the command module structure

Tagged:Ablator, Ac Spark Plug, Aerojet General, Airesearch Manufacturing, Ames, Apollo, Apollo Spacecraft Project Office, Avco, B 25, B 45, Block I, Brainerd Holmes, California, California Institute Of Technology, Cambridge, Carpenter, Charles Frick, Charles H Feltz, Collins Radio Company, Direct Ascent, Downey, Dryden, Exploration, F 86, F100, Gemini, George Low, Gilruth, Glenn, Harrison Storms, History, Holmes, Honeycomb, Honeywell Regulator Company, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Impact Facility, John Paup, Langley, Lewis Research Center, Little Joe Ii, Lockheed, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Man In Space Soonest, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marquardt Corporation, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mit, Mode, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, Norman J Ryker, North American Aviation, Northrop, P 51, Phase A, Project Apollo, Radioplane, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Rocketdyne, S Ii, Saturn, Schirra, Seamans, Service Module, Shirt Sleve Environment, Smedal, Space, Stormy, Thiokol, White Sands, X 15, Xb 70

Apr 30

Space Rocket History #111 – Apollo: Early Lunar Module Design and Saturn SA-3”

Posted on April 30, 2015

During 1962, NASA faced three major tasks: first the mode selection and its defense (covered in episodes 106-109), second keeping North American moving on the command and service modules (covered in episode 110) and third finding a contractor to deve...

Tagged:Ames, Apollo, Apollo Spacecraft Project Office, Bell Aerosystems, Bethpage, Block I, Block Ii, Brainerd Holmes, C William Rathke, Charles Frick, Charles H Feltz, Clean Room, Cuban Missile Crisis, Dryden, E Clinton Towl, Ellington Air Force Base, Exploration, Gemini, George Low, Gilruth, Grumman, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, H 1, Highwater, History, Holmes, Houston, Hugh Dryden, James Webb, John Snedeker, Joseph G Gavin, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Langley, Lc 34, Lem, Leroy R Grumman, Little Joe Ii, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, M 31 Heat Shield, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mode, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Project Apollo, Promise, Ranger, Robert S Mullaney, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Sa 2, Sa 3, Saturn, Saturn 103, Saturn C Ib, Saturn Apollo 3, Seamans, Service Module, Space, Surveyor 1, Thomas J Kelly, Thomas Markley, Von Braun, White Sands, William Rector

May 7

Space Rocket History #112 – Apollo: Headquarters

Posted on May 7, 2015

“The contractor role in Houston was not very firm. Frankly, they didn’t want us. There were two things against us down there. Number one, it was a Headquarters contract, and it was decreed that the Space Centers shall use GE for certain things; and n...

General Electric employees monitor activities of a spacecraft test in the automatic-checkout-equipment spacecraft control room in 1965

comparison of spacecraft and launch vehicle configuration

Apollo tracking network in 1966. Radar stations with large antennas for continuous tracking and communications were at Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia

Tagged:Ames, Apollo, Apollo Spacecraft Project Office, Bellcomm, Block I, Block Ii, Brainerd Holmes, Charles Frick, Edward S Miller, Ellington Air Force Base, Exploration, F 1, Frederick R Kappel, Gemini, General Electric, George Low, Gilruth, Grumman, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, H 1, Highwater, History, Holmes, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, J 2, James Webb, John P Mayer, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Langley, Lewis Research Center, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mode, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Project Apollo, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Rocketdyne, Saturn, Seamans, Service Module, Space, William Rector

May 14

Space Rocket History #113 – Apollo: Command Module Design and Development 1963-1964

Posted on May 14, 2015

…From the information they gathered on the existing technical problems, Disher and Tischler concluded that prospects were only one in ten that Apollo would land on the moon before the end of the decade….

Full-scale model of the command module, above- the strake aerodynamic devices may be seen at either side of the spacecraft just above the aft heatshield

Removing LM from S=IVB stage

On 16 November 1963 in Cape Canaveral’s Blockhouse 37, NASA’s new manned space flight chief George Mueller

Communications with the moon as the earth turned. Astronauts on the moon’s surface also could talk to one another

Tagged:Apollo, Apollo Spacecraft Project Office, Apollo Soyuz, Bellcomm, Block I, Block Ii, Boilerplate, Brainerd Holmes, Canards, Charles Frick, Disher, Downey, Exploration, F 1, Gemini, General Electric, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Grumman, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Harrison Storms, History, Holmes, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, J 2, James Webb, John P Mayer, John Paup, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Langley, Lewis Research Center, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mockup, Mode, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Project Apollo, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Rocketdyne, Ruben Mettler, Samuel C Phillips, Saturn, Saturn I, Saturn Ib, Saturn V, Seamans, Service Module, Skylab, Space, Space Technology Laboratories, Strakes, Thomas Markley, Tischler, Tower Flaps, Tulsa, William Rector

May 21

Space Rocket History #114 – Apollo: Command Module Design and Development 1963-1964 Part 2

Posted on May 21, 2015

Max Faget’s position was that considering the difficulty of the job, if each mission was successful half the time, it would be well worth the effort. But Gilruth thought that was too low. He want a 90% mission success ratio and a 99% ratio for Ast...

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The cabin section (or primary structure) of the CM is assembled at North American in 1965

The CM probe would slip into the LM’s dish-shaped drogue, and 12 latches on the docking ring would engage, to lock the spacecraft together, airtight

Full-scale model of the service module, resting on a mockup of a spacecraft-lunar module adapter, with panels off to reveal part of the internal arrangement

Jettison of the launch escape system (right) after successful launch, also pulls away the boost protective cover that protects the windows from flame and soot

On the drawing of the launch escape system at upper right, the canard aerodynamic devices are near the top of the escape tower

May 28

Space Rocket History #115 – Saturn I: SA-4, SA-5, SA-6, and SA-7

Posted on May 28, 2015

Saturn 1, SA-6 was the first orbital launch of an Apollo Spacecraft by a Saturn Launch Vehicle and also the first flight utilizing an active ST-124 Stabilized Platform.

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SA-6 spacecraft and launch vehicle ready to go

SA-6 on pad

SA-5Section cuts

SA-5

SA-5 S-IV stage

SA-5 on pad

SA-5 Demensions

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apollo_sa4

Tagged:Apollo, As 101, As 102, Block I, Block Ii, Exploration, H 1, History, Holmes, Houston, Langley, Lc 34, Little Joe Ii, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Msc, Msfc, Mueller, Nasa, Project Apollo, Rees, Rocket, S Iv, Sa 2, Sa 3, Sa 4, Sa 5, Sa 6, Sa 7, Sa 8, Saturn, Saturn 103, Saturn I, Saturn Apollo 3, Seamans, Service Module, Space, Von Braun

Jun 4

Space Rocket History #116 – Apollo: Little Joe II

Posted on June 4, 2015

A few seconds after liftoff, a fin-vane at the base of the booster stuck and started the 13-meter-tall spacecraft-booster combination spinning like a bullet. Twenty-six seconds into the flight the vehicle started coming apart. The abort-sensing syste...

a-002

A-001_launch_1964_05_13

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Little Joe II- On Pad, Complex 36 (December 7, 1964)

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A pad abort test at White Sands, left, helped determine that the launch escape system could propel the Apollo command module away from danger if a Saturn launch vehicle explosion should threaten

A desert area at White Sands Test Facility, New Mexico, was used for testing the spacecraft propulsion system module

Tagged:A 001, A 002, A 003, A 004, Alan Kehlet, Algol, Apex Cover, Apollo, Canard, Command Module, Convair, Exploration, General Dynamics, Gordon Cooper, History, Houston, John Glenn, Langley, Launch Escape System, Les, Little Joe Ii, Manned Space Flight, Max Q, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, Project Apollo, Q Ball, Qtv, Recruit Te 29, Rocket, Saturn, Saturn I, Scott Carpenter, Service Module, Space, Wally Schirra, White Sands Missile Range

Jun 11

Space Rocket History #117 – Apollo: Lunar Module Design

Posted on June 11, 2015

Since the lunar module would fly only in space (earth orbit and lunar vicinity), the designers could ignore the aerodynamic streamlining demanded by earth’s atmosphere and build the first true manned spacecraft, designed solely for operating in the s...

6-NASA engineers in 1964 decided that astronauts could stand in the lunar module cabin during the trip to the lunar surface. Note triangular windows

7-Proposed sleeping positions for astronauts on the moon

5-Mockup of lunar module cabin with seats

4-The drawing of the stage indicates positions of components

3-underside of the lunar module descent stage shows fuel tank installation

2-Administrator James Webb examines models of the lunar and command modules in docked position

1-Lunar module generations from 1962 (above left; the vehicle originally proposed by Grumman) to 1969

Tagged:8 Ball, Ac Electronics, Apollo, Ascent Stage, Bethpage, Block I, Block Ii, Cline W Frasier, Cruciform, Decent Stage, Donn Eislee, Downey, Electroluminescence, Exploration, Father Of The Lem, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Grumman, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Hamilton Standard, History, Holmes, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, J 2, J T Markley, James Webb, John P Mayer, John Paup, Joseph Shea, Langley, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mit, Mockup, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Owen Maynard, Pete Conrad, Project Apollo, Rca, Rendezvous Radar, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn V, Scott Carpenter, Seamans, Service Module, Space, Space Technology Laboratories, Spacecraft Technology Division, Thomas J Kelly, William Rector

Jun 17

Space Rocket History #118 – Apollo: Lunar Module Design – Part 2

Posted on June 17, 2015

The Lunar Lander originally had two docking hatches, one at the top center of the cabin and another in the forward position, or nose, of the vehicle, with a tunnel in each location to permit astronauts to crawl from one pressurized vehicle to the oth...

3-improved lunar module features – ladder, porch, hatch, and rendezvous window

2-he addition of a ladder on a landing gear leg made the task much easier

1- Astronauts found a knotted rope from the lunar module difficult to climb down (or up)

Tagged:Apollo, Ascent Stage, Bethpage, Block I, Block Ii, Cruciform, Decent Stage, Exploration, Father Of The Lem, George Mueller, Gilruth, Grumman, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Hamilton Standard, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, James Webb, Joseph Shea, Langley, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mit, Mockup, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Project Apollo, Rca, Rendezvous Radar, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Saturn V, Seamans, Space, Space Technology Laboratories, Spacecraft Technology Division, Thomas J Kelly, William Rector

Jul 2

Space Rocket History #119 – Apollo: Lunar Module Design – Part 3

Posted on July 2, 2015

At various stages of lunar module design, mockup reviews were conducted to demonstrate progress and identify weaknesses. These inspections were formal occasions, with a board composed of NASA and contractor officials and presided over by a chairman f...

5-Removing the LEM

4-ApolloSpacecraftLMAdapterDiagram

3-Apollo_Spacecraft_diagram

2-Tm-1 mockup of the Lunar Module

1-lm-6-rendezvous-radar-antenna-assy-sm

May 16

Space Rocket History #12 – Vanguard TV3 – Flopnik

Posted on May 16, 2013

“It seemed as if the gates of hell had opened up. Brilliant stiletto flames shot out from the side of the rocket near the engine. The vehicle agonizingly hesitated for a moment, quivered again, and in front of our unbelieving eyes, began to topple. ...

Vang5

Vang4

Vang2

Vang3

Vang1

Tagged:Abma, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, History, Icbm, Korolev, R 7, R7, Rocket, Soviet, Sputnik, Tv3, Vanguard, Von Braun

Jul 9

Space Rocket History #120 – Apollo: Stages S-IV and S-IVB

Posted on July 9, 2015

The key to high-energy stages was to use liquid hydrogen as the fuel. Liquid hydrogen fuel appealed to rocket designers because of its high specific impulse, which is a basic measure of rocket performance. Specific Impulse is the impulse delivered p...

4-SIV-SIVB

3-Saturn 1b-V

2-Cutaways

1- SIV_rocket_stage

Tagged:Apollo, Block I, Block Ii, Convair, Cryogenic, Csm, Earth Orbit Rendezvouz, Exploration, Gemini, George Mueller, Gilruth, Hamilton Standard, Harold Felix, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Huntsville, J 2, J B Gayle, James Webb, Joseph Shea, Kerosene, Liquid Hydrogen, Lm, Lox, Lunar, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mercury, Mockup, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Project Apollo, Retro Rocket, Rl 10, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Rp 1, S Iv, S Ivb, Sa 5, Sacramento Test Operations, Sacto, Saturn I, Saturn Ib, Saturn V, Seamans, Space, Thor, Translunar, Transposition Maneuver, Ullage, W R Lucas

Jul 16

Space Rocket History #121 – Pegasus Wings inside SA-8 (AS-104), SA-9 (AS-103), & SA-10 (AS-105) and a Command Module update for 1965

Posted on July 16, 2015

The Pegasus satellite was named for the winged horse of Greek mythology. Like its namesake, the Pegasus was notable for its “wings”, a pair of 29 meter long, 4.3 meter wide arrays of 104 panels fitted with sensors to detect punctures by micrometeoro...

4- Saturn_SA10_launch

Saturn_SA8_launch

2- The SA-9

8- Pegasus_Deployment_sequence

7- Cutaway views show the interior of the command module (for clarity, the center couch is not shown)

6- Pegasus Deployed

5- Pegasus Stowed

4- Saturn_SA10_launch

Tagged:Apollo, As 101, As 102, As 103, As 104, As 105, Block I, Block Ii, Exploration, H 1, History, Holmes, Houston, Langley, Lc 34, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Msc, Msfc, Mueller, Nasa, Project Apollo, Rees, Rocket, S Iv, Sa 10, Sa 2, Sa 3, Sa 4, Sa 5, Sa 6, Sa 7, Sa 8, Sa 9, Saturn, Saturn 103, Saturn I, Saturn Apollo 3, Seamans, Service Module, Space, Von Braun

Jul 23

Space Rocket History #122 – Apollo: Serious Problems with the Lunar Module and Grumman

Posted on July 23, 2015

Toward the end of January 1967, it was revealed that Lunar Module 1 would not reach the Cape in February, as expected. This meant, the moon landing might be delayed because the lander was not ready. But the mission planners could not wait for the Apo...

3- 1230_Lunar_module_LTA-2_R

2-Disher_John_

1-Lunar_Module_diagram

Tagged:Apollo, Ascent Stage, Bell, Bethpage, Block I, Block Ii, Decent Stage, Deke Slayton, Donald Sullivan, Exploration, Gemini, George Mueller, George Titterton, Gerorge Skurla, Gilruth, Ground Support Equipment, Grumman, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Gse, Hamilton Standard, History, Hjornevik, Houston, Hugh Dryden, Hughes Aircraft, Huntsville, James Webb, John Rubel, Joseph Shea, Langley, Llewellyn Evans, Lm 1, Lm 2, Lm 3, Lm 4, Lm 5, Lm 6, Lm7, Lta, Lunar, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mockup, Moon, Msc, Msfc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Optical Tracker, Pintle, Project Apollo, R Wayne Young, Rca, Rendezvous Radar, Richard E Mayo, Robert Brader, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Russell Schwickart, Saturn V, Seamans, Space, Space Technology Laboratories, Spacecraft Technology Division, Thomas J Kelly, Trw, William Lee, William Rector

Jul 30

Space Rocket History #123 – Apollo: Astronaut Selection and Training – Part 1

Posted on July 30, 2015

Selection of Group Two virtually depleted the pool of qualified candidates from the small corps of test pilots in the country, and it was the last group for which test-pilot certification would be a requirement. The new trainees reported to Houston i...

2-NASA_Group_1_and_2_Astronauts_Photo_With_Autopens

2-Back row- See, McDivitt, Lovell, White, & Stafford. Front row- Conrad, Borman, Armstrong, & Young

1- Project_Mercury_AstronautsBack row- Shepard, Grissom, Cooper; front row- Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Carpenter.

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Apollo, Deke Slaton, Deke Slayton, Ed White, Exploration, Frank Borman, Gemini, George Mueller, Gilruth, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Glen, John Young, Joseph Shea, Lunar, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mockup, Moon, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Pete C, Project Apollo, Richard E Mayo, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Scott Carpenter, Seamans, Space, Space Task Group, Tom Stafford, Wally Schirra

Aug 5

Space Rocket History #124 – Apollo: Astronaut Selection and Training – Part 2

Posted on August 5, 2015

With Group 4, for the first time, the selection criteria did not include a requirement for test pilot proficiency. Selectees who were not qualified pilots would be assigned to the Air Force for a year of flight training. The primary scientific requir...

Group4Astronaut

4-Group 4 L-R- Garriott, Gibson. Front row, L-R- Michel, Schmitt, Kerwin.

3-Astronaut_Group_Three_-_GPN-2000-001476

Tagged:Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Apollo, Charles Bassett, Clifton Williams, Curtis Michel, David Scott, Deke Slaton, Deke Slayton, Donn Eisele, Duane M Graveline, Ed White, Edward G Gibson, Edwin Buzz Aldrin, Eugene Cernan, Exploration, Frank Borman, Gemini, George Mueller, Gilruth, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Harrison Jack Schmitt, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Glen, John Young, Joseph P Kerwin, Joseph Shea, Lunar, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mike Collins, Mockup, Moon, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Owen K Garriott, Pete C, Project Apollo, Richard E Mayo, Richard Gordon, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Rodger Chaffee, Russell Schweickart, Scott Carpenter, Seamans, Space, Space Task Group, Theodore Freeman, Tom Stafford, Wally Schirra, Walter Cunningham, William Anders

Aug 13

Space Rocket History #125 – Apollo: Astronaut Selection and Training – Part 3

Posted on August 13, 2015

“Some of those guys came in figuring, “I’ll write my textbooks and my thesis and teach [university courses] and I’ll come by twice a week and be an astronaut.” Well, that didn’t work …. We were devoting our lives to this whole thing, and you couldn’t...

5-Back row, from L-R- Swigert, Pogue, Evans, Weitz, Irwin, Carr, Roosa, Worden, Mattingly, Lousma. Front row, from L-R- Givens, Mitchell, Duke, Lind, Haise, Engle, Brand, Bull, McCandless

Tagged:Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Alfred Worden, Apollo, Bruce Mccandless Ii, Charles Bassett, Charles M Duke, Clifton Williams, Curtis Michel, David Scott, Deke Slaton, Deke Slayton, Don L Lind, Donn Eisele, Duane M Graveline, Ed White, Edgar D Mitchell, Edward G Gibson, Edward G Givens, Edwin Buzz Aldrin, Eugene Cernan, Exploration, Frank Borman, Fred W Haise, Gemini, George Mueller, Gerald P Carr, Gilruth, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Harrison Jack Schmitt, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, James A Mcdivitt, James B Irwin, James Webb, Jim Lovell, Joe H Engle, John Glen, John L Swigert, John R Lousma, John S Bull, John Young, Joseph P Kerwin, Joseph Shea, Lunar, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mike Collins, Mockup, Moon, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Office Of Manned Space Flight, Owen K Garriott, Paul J Weitz, Pete C, Project Apollo, Richard E Mayo, Richard Gordon, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Rodger Chaffee, Ronald E Evans, Russell Schweickart, Scott Carpenter, Seamans, Space, Space Task Group, Stuart A Roosa, Theodore Freeman, Thomas K Mattingly Ii, Tom Stafford, Vance D Brand, Wally Schirra, Walter Cunningham, William Anders, William R Pogue

Aug 20

Space Rocket History #126 – Apollo-Saturn IB: AS-201, AS-202, and AS-203

Posted on August 20, 2015

Apollo Saturn 201 employed the Saturn IB launch vehicle, which was the up-rated version of the Saturn I rocket flown in ten earlier Saturn-Apollo missions. It featured an upgrade of the first stage engines to increase thrust from 1,500,000 lb-ft of ...

AS-203_launch

AS-202_launch

AS-201_launch

Apollo-Saturn 201 mission – launch, recovery

Tagged:Aerojet General, Apollo, As 201, As 202, As 203, Block I, Block Ii, Cape Canaveral, Chrysler, Csm 009, Csm 011, Dan David, Exploration, H 1, History, Holmes, Houston, Ibm Federal Systems Division, Instrument Unit, J 2, Langley, Launch Complex 34, Little Joe Ii, Manned Space Flight, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Msc, Msfc, Mueller, Nasa, North American, Pad 34, Pad 37b, Pad 39a, Project Apollo, Promise, Rca 110a, Robert E Field, Rocket, Rocketdyne, S Ivb, Saturn, Saturn I, Saturn Ib, Saturn V, Saturn Apollo 3, Service Module, Space, Trinidad Tracking Station, Uss Boxer, Von Braun

May 23

Space Rocket History #13 – Explorer 1 – Juno 1

Posted on May 23, 2013

At approximately 12:48 a.m. EST, the first listening stations began reporting that they had received radio signals from the “Explorer” satellite. The first station to confirm the signals was the San Gabriel Valley Amateur Radio Club near Pasadena, Ca...

ex1

exlaunch

exlaunch1958

206601main_explorer-stand-516

206607main_launch-516

207199main_conference-516

206619main_pic-516

206623main_pickering-273

206689main_van-allen-516

206615main_medaris-516 (1)

Tagged:Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, Explorer 1, History, Irbm, Jpl, Juno, Pickering, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Sargent, Soviet, Space, Van Allen, Von Braun, Werner

May 30

Space Rocket History #14 – US Space 1958 – Explorer, Vanguard, Pioneer, and NASA

Posted on May 30, 2013

In late March, 1958, President Eisenhower publicly announced the United States’ intention to launch a spacecraft to the Moon. He assured the nation that this was not science fiction. It was an achievable goal presented by leading scientists. The ...

Vanguard_1

Vanguard_rocket

Pioneer_I_on_the_Launch_Pad_-_GPN-2002-000204

Pioneer_1

Pioneer Satellite Replica

753px-Pioneer_3

Tagged:Abma, Arpa, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Eisenhower, Exploration, Explorer 2, Explorer 3, Explorer 4, Geophysical, History, Icbm, Jpl, Juno, Juno I, Juno Ii, Lbj, Lunar, Lyndon Johnson, Moon, Naca, Nasa, Pioneer, Pioneer 0, Pioneer 1, Pioneer 2, Pioneer 3, Pioneer 4, Project Argus, R 7, R7, Radiation, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Sputnik, Thor, Thor Abel, Van Allen, Von Braun, Werner

Dec 23

Space Rocket History #142 – Venera 4

Posted on December 23, 2015

“It seemed that the nearby and mysterious planet was resorting to tricks to hide the secrets kept beneath its cover of clouds. As the probe drew nearer, Venus’ gravitational field increased its speed. The Doppler effect altered the wavelength of the ...

3-Venera-4_capsule_in_museum

2-Venera-4 bus

1-Venera_4 hub

Tagged:4v 1, 8k78, Babakin, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Chertok, Exploration, Heliocentric, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Keldysh, Kosmos 167, Lavochkin, Magnetometer, Mars, Molniya, Nip 16, Rocket, Sapwood, Space, Sputnik, The Magic Roundabout, Ultraviolet Spectrometer, Venera, Venus

Jan 14

Space Rocket History #144 – Lunar Orbiter 2 – 5 and Wresat

Posted on January 14, 2016

A total of five Lunar Orbiter missions were launched by the US in 1966 through 1967. The purpose of the lunar orbiter series was to photograph the moon’s surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missio...

8-wresat

7-Wresat

6-Wresat

5-Lunar Orbiter 5 photo of the entire Tycho impact crater in the southern highlands

4-LO 4 Davy crater chain chain stretches from Davy Y at left to the large bright Davy G diameter 15 km Note the even spacing of the craters

3Lunar Orbiter 3 Image 3121_M – Tsiolkovskiy Crater center

2-Lunar Orbiter 2 on November 20, 1966, 29 miles (47 km) above the lunar surface, over the Sea of Tranquility

1-Lunar Orbiter 3 spacecraft

Tagged:Agena D, Apollo, Astrogeology Research Program, Atlas, Australia, Canberra, Canopus, Cape Canaveral, Cislunar Trajectory, Copernicus Crater, European Lanucher Development Organization, History, Lc 13, London Trade Fair In 1968, Lunar Orbiter 1, Lunar Orbiter 2, Lunar Orbiter 3, Lunar Orbiter 4, Lunar Orbiter 5, Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project, Marius Hills, Marquardt, Nasa, Parliament House, Project Sparta, Redstone, Regional Planetary Information Facilities, Rocket, Simpson Desert, Space, Sulpicius Gallus Rille, Surveyor 1, Surveyor 2, Surveyor 3, University Of Adelaide, Weapons Research Establishment Satellite, Woomera, Woomera Heritage Centre, Wresat

Jan 21

Space Rocket History #145 – Surveyors 2 – 7 with a Little Apollo 12

Posted on January 21, 2016

The primary objectives of the Surveyor program, were to support the Apollo landings by: (1) developing and validating the technology for landing softly on the Moon; (2) providing data on the compatibility of the Apollo design with conditions encounte...

6-Astronauts Pay a Visit to Surveyor 3

5-Photomosaic of a panorama taken by Surveyor 7 of its landing site

4-Surveyor 6 on the Plains of Sinus Medii

3-Wide-angle picture of the northwest wall of the Surveyor 5 crater

2-Surveyor_4_launch

1-Photograph of the Surveyor 3 spacecraft resting on the surface of the Moon, taken by Apollo 12 astronauts

Tagged:Alan Bean, Alpha Scattering, Apollo, Apollo 12, Atlas, Atlas Lv 3c, Atlas Centaur, Ats 1, Canopus, Cape Canaveral, Centaur D, Centuar, Cislunar Trajectory, Copernicus Crater, History, Huges Space And Communications Group, Hughes Aircraft Company, Hughes Space Systems Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jpl, Lc 36a, Lc 36b, Lunar Night, Nasa, Pete Conrad, Radar Reflectivity, Rocket, Scintillating, Selenographic, Sinus Medii, Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum, Space, Surveyor 1, Surveyor 2, Surveyor 3, Surveyor 4, Surveyor 5, Surveyor 6, Surveyor 7, Syncom, Vernier, William Pickering

Jan 28

Space Rocket History #146 – Saturn: S-II Stage Part 1: Common Bulkheads, Gores, & Honeycomb Sandwiches

Posted on January 28, 2016

The structural efficiency of the S-II stage, in terms of the weight and pressures taken by its extra-thin walls, was comparable only to the capacity of one of nature’s most refined examples of structural efficiency, the egg.

1=5s-ii-cut-away

1*9s-ii-exploded-view-sm

1-8s-ii-breakdown-sm

Tagged:2014 T6, Autoclave, California, Common Bulkhead, Cryogenic, Dual Plane, El Toro Marine Base, Gores, History, Honeycomb, Isocyanate, J 2, J Section, Lh2, Liquid Hydrogen, Liquid Oxygen, Lox, Naa, Nasa, Navy, North American Avaiation, Oxider, Phenolic, Rocket, S Ii, Saturn, Saturn V, Seal Beach, Slosh Baffles, Space, Trichloroethylene, Weld

Feb 4

Space Rocket History #147 – Saturn: S-II Stage Part 2: Trials and Tribulations

Posted on February 4, 2016

“The S-II stage was a nightmare the minute it was conceived, and it only got worse from there. During the course of its creation, it would grind up people and careers the way the transcontinental railway devoured laborers. Though the methods and mat...

5-Test firing of a Saturn V second stage rocket S-II

6-s-ii-subassemblies

4-S-II_Inboard_1963

3-The S-II stage during stacking operations of Apollo 6 in the VAB

2-S-2 assembly building in Seal Beach, CA

1=7s-ii-cut-away-w-callouts

1=6s-ii-subassemblies-sm

1-Saturn_V_second_stage

Tagged:2014 T6, 1929, 1930, 1931, Apollo 1, Apollo 4, Arthur Rudolph, As 501, Bill Bergen, Black Saturdays, California, Cape Kennedy, Colonel Sam Yarchin, Common Bulkhead, Cryogenic, Debus, Eberhard Rees, General Edmund F L Oconnor, General Oconnor, General Samuel C Phillips, George Loss, George Mueller, Gores, Harrison Storms, History, Honeycomb, Huntsville, J 2, Jerome Weisner, Joe Shea, Lee Atwood, Lh2, Liquid Hydrogen, Liquid Oxygen, Lox, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mississippi Test Facility, Msfc, Mtf, Naa, Nasa, Navy, North American Avaiation, Oxider, Paul Vogt, Phillips Report, Presidents Scientific Advisory Committee, Psac, Ralph H Ruud, Robert Gilruth, Robert Greer, Rocket, S Ic, S Ii, S Ii 1, S Ii D, S Ii F, S Ii S, S Ii T, S Ivb, Saturn, Saturn V, Seal Beach, Space, Stormy, Tiger Team, Weld, Wernher Von Braun

Jun 6

Space Rocket History #15 – Sputnik 3 & Luna 1

Posted on June 6, 2013

The launch vehicle for the Luna E-1 series was a modified R7 named Vostok. The Vostok had three stages. The first and second stage were the standard R-7 which we covered in Episode 9. A 5.1 meter long by 2.4 meter diameter third stage was added to...

Vostok – 8K72K

R-7_(7A)_misil.svg

Luna_1_1

800px-Спутник-3

Tagged:3ka, Baikonur, Cosmic Rays, Dalek, Dr Who, Exploration, Explorer 1, History, Icbm, Khruschchev, Korolev, Luna 1, Luna E1 1, Luna E1 2, Luna E1 3, Luna E1 4, Lyndon Johnson, Object D, Pioneer 0, Pioneer 1, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Sputnik 3, Time Magazine, Van Allen, Vanguard 1, Vernov, Vostok, Zenit

Jun 20

Space Rocket History #17 – The Mercury 7

Posted on June 20, 2013

m7-capsule

Mercury 7

Tagged:Air Force Flight Test Center, Alan Shepard, Charles J Donlan, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Deke, Donald Slayton, Edwards Air Force, Glennan, Gordo, Gordon Cooper, Gus, Gus Grissom, History, John Glenn, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury Seven, Nasa, Patuxent, Project Mercury, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Scott Carpenter, Stanley White, Virgil Grissom, Walter Schirra, Warren North

Dec 14

Space Rocket History #189 – John Glenn Remembered

Posted on December 14, 2016

With the passing of John Glenn last week, I thought it would be appropriate to pause my coverage of Apollo 10 for a week and create an episode that celebrates the life of the American Icon, John Glenn. I covered John Glenn’s Mercury flight in episod...

174537main_glenn_john_hr_1

2-sen-john-glenn

1-jgma6

Tagged:Air Force Flight Test Center, Alan Shepard, Charles J Donlan, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Deke, Donald Slayton, Edwards Air Force, Glennan, Godspeed John Glenn, Gordo, Gordon Cooper, Gus, Gus Grissom, History, John Glenn, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury Seven, Nasa, Patuxent, Project Mercury, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Scott Carpenter, Senator John Glenn, Stanley White, Virgil Grissom, Walter Schirra, Warren North

Jul 18

Space Rocket History #21 – Cry Havoc and Launch the Dogs of Vostok!

Posted on July 18, 2013

For the Soviet Union, 1960 was a mixed bag of success and failure as it struggled for new achievements in space exploration. The main driving force was to be the first nation to launch a man into space. An achievement their adversary, the United St...

strelwpups

KS1

Vostokdogscapsule

vostok-1k__1

Vostok_spacecraft_diagram

vostok_flight_plan

vostok on test stand at factory

tvofdogsx

sacard

Korabl_Sputnik_2

Ejection container used by Belka and Strelka

796px-Vostok_spacecraft with 3rd stage attached

400px-Vostok

3d02162v

Tagged:8k72l, Belka, Bondarenko, Cape Kennedy, Chernushka, Exploration, Gagarin, History, Ivan, Ivanovich, Jaqueline Kennedy, John F Kennedy, Kazakhstan, Khrushchev, Kometa, Korabl Spunitk 1, Korabl Sputnik 2, Korabl Sputnik 4, Korabl Sputnik 5, Korolev, Lost Cosmonauts, Mushka, Nedelin, Orsk, Pchyolka, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Shutka, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Sputnik 4, Sputnik 5, Strelka, Vostok, Vostok 1k 1, Vostok 3ka, Zvezdochka

Jul 26

Space Rocket History #22 – The Vanguard Six

Posted on July 26, 2013

When the 20 Cosmonaut candidates were asked to anonymously vote for which candidate they would like to see fly first, all but three chose Gagarin. The consensus was, Gagarin was very focused, and demanding of himself and others when necessary.

160px-Ppopovic-2

Valeri_bykovsky

Valentina_Tereshkova_and_Andrian_Nikolaev

Valentina_Tereshkova

WaleriBykowski

Pavel_Popovich

Gagarin_in_Sweden

Andrian_Nikolaev

436px-German_Titov

Tagged:Bykovskiy, Gagarin, History, Korolev, Leonov, Mercury 7, Nelyubov, Popovich, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Star City, Tereshkova, Titov, Vanguard, Vanguard Six, Vostok

Aug 1

Space Rocket History #23 – Vostok 1 with Yuri Gagarin

Posted on August 1, 2013

“Dear friends, you who are close to me, and you whom I do not know, fellow Russians, and people of all countries and all continents: in a few minutes a powerful space vehicle will carry me into the distant realm of space. What can I tell you in these...

Hint2

800px-Vostok_1_orbit

space rocket

Yuri

YURI GAGARIN HEADLINE

vostok 1 being prepared_500x409

ImageGen

Tagged:Baikonur, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Buzz Aldrin, Cosmodrome, Cosmonaunt, Engels, Gagarin, John Glenn, Kamchatka, Kennedy, Khabarovsk, Korolev, Niel Armstrong, Nikolai Kamanin, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Saratov, Sergei Korolev, Soviet, Space, Titov, Vostok, Vostok 3ka, Vostok 8k72k, Vzor, Zarya

Aug 8

Space Rocket History #24 – Mercury Redstone Test Flights – Ham in a Can

Posted on August 8, 2013

The objectives of the Mercury Project, were as follows: 1. Place a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth. 2. Investigate man’s performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space. 3. Recover the man and ...

mr-1-patch

HamPostMission

WhiteRoom

SurvivalEquipment

Parachute Canister

mercurycontrolPanel

mercury10

mercury9

mercury8

mercury7

mercury6

mercury5

mercury3

mercury1

MerCapInt

MerCapEscSys

Ham

CapandEsc

Assembly

3AxisHandController

Tagged:Blunt Body, Booster Development, Cape Canaveral, Exploration, Ham, Heat Shield, History, Huntsville, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mercury, Mr 1, Mr 1a, Mr 2, Mr Bd, Posigrade, Redstone, Rene 41, Retro, Rocket, Space, The 4 Inch Flight, Vostok

Aug 22

Space Rocket History #26 – Why the Moon?

Posted on August 22, 2013

“We have been plunged into a race for the conquest of outer space. As a reason for this undertaking some look to the new and exciting scientific discoveries which are certain to be made. Others feel the challenge to transport man beyond frontiers he ...

mime-attachment2

1658

413px-John_F._Kennedy_speaks_at_Rice_University

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Apollo, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Chemical, Eisenhower, Exploration, History, Houston, Icbm, Jfk, Lbj, Liquid, Lloyd Berkner, Lyndon Johnson, Mercury, Moon, Nasa, Nuclear, Rice, Rocket, Saturn, Solid Fuel, Soviet, Space, Space Race, Von Braun, Webb, Werner, Wiesner, Yuri Gagarin

Aug 29

Space Rocket History #27 – Mercury-Redstone 4 – Liberty Bell 7 with Gus Grissom

Posted on August 29, 2013

Mercury-Redstone 4 was the fourth mission in the Mercury-Redstone series and the second U.S. manned suborbital spaceflight. The mission was essentially a repeat of Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 flight. So why was it necessary to launch another sub-orbit...

Liberty_Bell_7_The_Kansas_Cosmosphere_and_Space_Center

513px-Grissom_lifted_from_water_61-MR4-82

Mercury_4_Hatch

1137px-Grissom_prepares_to_enter_Liberty_Bell_7_61-MR4-76

GusSuitup

460px-Mercury-Redstone_4_Launch_MSFC-6414824

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Apollo, Apollo 11, Cape Canaveral, Corning Glass Works, Dr Who, Ed White, Exploration, Explosive Hatch, Freedom 7, Gilruth, Gus Grissom, History, Hunt Club 1, Icbm, John Glenn, Liberty Bell 7, Man In Space, Mercury, Mercury 4, Mercury 7, Mercury Redstone 3, Mercury Redstone 4, Mr 3, Mr 4, Nasa, Pitch, Posigrade, Redstone, Retro, Rocket, Roger Chaffee, Roll, Sigma 7, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Virgil Grissom, Vostok, Vostok 1, Vycor, Wally Schirra, Yaw

Sep 5

Space Rocket History #28 – Vostok 2 With Gherman Titov

Posted on September 5, 2013

After Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom’s suborbital flights and less than four months after Gagarin’s became the first man in space, the soviet union stunned the world with yet another manned mission.

space rocket history pic15

Gherman_Titov_2

vostok-2_launch

Titov

PreLaunch

Tagged:3ka, 8k72k, Alan Shepard, Capsule, Crimea, Exploration, Gagarin, Gherman, Gus Grissom, History, Instrument Module, Kamanin, Khrushchev, Korolev, Krolev, Mercury, Nasa, Nikolaev, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Saratov, Soviet, Space, Space Helmet Kiss, Titov, Tyurantam, Ussr, Vostok, Yazdovsky

Mar 13

Space Rocket History #3 – Liquid-fueled Rockets

Posted on March 13, 2013

During the late 1920’s and throughout the 1930’s progress progress in rocket design was made in fits and starts with unclear goals. However, many technological advances in liquid fueled rockets were made. The United States Germany, Russia, France,...

Repulsor Werhner von Braun

Mirak II

Goddard Rocket Crash

Goddard 1935

GIRD-09

GIRD-07

liquid_fuel_rocket_diagram

Tagged:Exploration, Goddard, History, Oberth, Rocket, Space, Von Braun

Sep 19

Space Rocket History #30 – Godspeed John Glenn – Mercury-Atlas 6 – Friendship 7 – Part 1

Posted on September 19, 2013

space rocket history pic21

Mercury-Atlas_6_Earth_photo

Launch_of_Friendship_7_-_GPN-2000-000686

Houston_control_center_during_Mercury_Atlas_6_mission_1962

Glenn62

800px-Glenn_Enters_his_Mercury_Capsule_-_GPN-2000-001029

415px-Mercury_6,_John_H_Glenn_Jr

Tagged:Africa, Alan Shepard, Atlas, Australia, Canary Islands, Canton Island, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Donalk Slayton, Enos, Exploration, Fireflies, Friendship 7, Goddard, Godspeed, Gordon Cooper, Guaymas, Gus Grissom, Hawaii, History, Icbm, Indian Ocean, John Glenn, Kano Nigeria, Kauai, Luminescent, Lyndon Johnson, Max Q, Mercury, Mercury 6, Mercury 7, Mercury Control, Mercury Atlas 6, Mexico, Muchea, Nasa, Pacific, Perth, Posigrade, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Rockingham, Russia, Scott Carpenter, Segment 51, Soviet, Space, Vostok, Walter Schirra, Zanzibar

Sep 26

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

Posted on September 26, 2013

mercury-flight-27[3]

mercury-flight-26[3]

mercury-flight-25[3]

mercury-flight-24[3]

mercury-flight-24[3] (1)

Ma6Smith

MA6-dye released

MA6 on tv

Tagged:Africa, Alan Shepard, Apollo, Atlas, Australia, Canton Island, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, Fireflies, Friendship 7, Hawaii, History, Indian Ocean, John Glenn, Kano, Lyndon Johnson, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mexico, Muchea, Nasa, Nigeria, Nikita Khrushchev, Perth, Rocket, Russia, Segment 51, Sensor, Soviet, Space, Titov, Wally Schirra, Walter Schirra

Oct 3

Space Rocket History #32 – Ranger-4, Ariel-1, and Telstar-1

Posted on October 3, 2013

As part of the pre-Apollo preparations, NASA created the Ranger series of missions to take high-quality pictures of the Moon and transmit them back to Earth in real time…

640_goonhilly

640_telstar-engineers

Telstar1

space rocket history pic22

Ariel-1

Thor_Delta_with_Ariel_1_(Apr._26,_1962)

Ranger4

Ranger4JPL

Ranger-4-Atlas-Agena-B

Tagged:17a, Able, Apollo, Ariel, Ariel 1, Att, Atlas, Atlas Agena, Bell Labs, Cape Canaveral, Echo 1, Exploration, Goddard, Goonhilly, History, Launch Complex, Lyman Alpha, Moon, Nasa, Rocket, Russia, Solar Cells, Solar Panels, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Starfish, Telstar, Telstar 1, Thor Delta, Van Allen

Oct 10

Space Rocket History #33 – Science Overload – Mercury-Atlas 7, Aurora 7 with Scott Carpenter

Posted on October 10, 2013

After the successful completion of the Mercury-Atlas 6 flight that carried John Glenn into orbit, it was Scott Carpenter’s turn to pilot Mercury-Atlas 7, which he named Aurora 7. The mission was essentially a repeat of John Glenn’s 3 orbit mission, ...

Carpenter-Inspectes-Spacecraft-0512a

NASA-Scott-Carpenter-0512a

Carpenter-Aboard-Raft-0512a

aurora7nasa

458px-Aurora_7_launch

Scott_Carpennter_thumbnail

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Ascs, Atlas, Aurora 7, Cape Canaveral, Deke Slayton, Exploration, Fireflies, Friendship 7, Frost, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Guymas, Hawaii, History, John Glenn, Launch Complex, Mercury, Mercury 7, Muchea, Rocket, Scott Carptenter, Space, Space Particles, Venus, Walter Schirra

Oct 17

Space Rocket History #34 – Group Flight – Vostok 3 and 4

Posted on October 17, 2013

In February of 1962, the United States put John Glenn into orbit. This prompted Soviet leadership to suddenly asked Chief Designer Korolev to launch the next space spectacular promptly. To make this mission truly spectacular the Soviets decided to la...

me10

space rocket history pic29

800px-Vostok_3_4_Mission_Patch.svg

w3crew

vostok-4_popovich

vostok-4_pad

vostkalu

space rocket history pic29

SlavaVostok3Vostok4PC

Popovich

nikolaev_backup_2

Tagged:3ka, 8k72k, Balkhash, Bykovsky, Chertok, Exploration, Gagarin, Groza, History, John Glenn, Kamanin, Kazakhstan, Keldysh, Korolev, Mercury, Nelyubov, Nikolaev, Nikolai Kamanin, Popovich, R 7, R7, Rocket, Rudenko, Russia, Scott Carpenter, Smirnov, Soviet, Space, Tass, Titov, Vostok, Vostok 3, Vostok 4, Zenit

Oct 24

Space Rocket History #35 – Textbook Spaceflight – Mercury-Atlas 8, Sigmac 7 with Wally Schirra

Posted on October 24, 2013

After Scott Carpenter’s science heavy Mercury-Atlas 7 flight, Nasa’s next mission would concentrate on the technical and engineering aspects of space travel. Mercury Atlas 8 became the third manned orbital flight of the Mercury program. The pilot se...

Recovery_of_Sigma_7_spcae_capsule_by_USS_Kearsarge_October_1962

MA-8_landing_under_parachute

MA-8_liftoff

163085main_sigma7-sm

760px-Mercury_Astronaut_Wally_Schirra_-_GPN-2000-001351

479px-Mercury_8_in_Hanger_-_GPN-2000-001441

018

163085main_sigma7-sm

Tagged:Apollo, Atlas, Australia, Brisbane, Canary Islands, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Christopher Kraft, Deke Slayton, Echo 1, Ecuador, Fireflies, Gyroscopes, History, Hypergolic Fuel Igniter, Indian Ocean, John Glenn, Kennedy, Liberty Bell 7, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury Atlas 7, Mesico, Muchea, Nasa, Naval Academy At Annapolis, Philippines, Port Elizabeth, Quito, Retrorocket, Rocket, Seventh Fleet, Sigma 7, South America, Spacecraft, Spaceflight, Telstar, Turtle Club, Uss Kearsarg, Wally, Walter Schirra, Weightlessness

Nov 7

Space Rocket History #37 – Flight of Faith 7, Mercury-Atlas 9 with Gordon Cooper

Posted on November 7, 2013

Mercury-Atlas 9 was the fourth and final manned orbital flight of the Mercury program. The flight objectives were to: (1) evaluate the effects on the astronaut of approximately one day in orbital flight; (2) verify that man can function for an exte...

space rocket history pic36

S63-07856

Mercury9_tibet

Gordon_Cooper_Jr._-_cropped

773px-Mercury_On_Deck_-_GPN-2000-001403

479px-Cooper_-_GPN-2000-000997

Tagged:0 05g, Airglow, Apollo, Atlas, Beco, Boy Scouts Of America, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Coastal Sentry Quebec, Exploration, Faith 7, Gordo, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Himalayas, History, John Glenn, Kearsarge, Kentucky, Kyushu Japan, Leroy G Cooper, Life Scout, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury 9, Mercury Control, Mercury Atlas 8, Mercury Atlas 9, Murray, Nasa, Oklahoma, Prayer, President Kennedy, Retro, Rocket, Scott Carpenter, Seco, Shawnee, Space, Tibetan, University Of Ohio, Virgil Grissom, Visual Acquisition And Perception, Walter Schirra, Xenon Strobe Lights, Zanzibar, Zodiacal Light

Nov 14

Space Rocket History #38 – Syncom 1,2,3, and TIROS 8

Posted on November 14, 2013

Geosynchronous satellites have the advantage of remaining permanently in the same area of the sky, as viewed from a particular location on Earth. Geostationary satellites have the special property of remaining permanently fixed in the exact same posi...

270px-Delta_D_Intelsat1

TIROS

Syncom_2_side

space rocket history pic41

150px-Thor_Delta_B_with_TIROS_8_(Dec._21_1963)

Tagged:Altair, Apt, Automatic Picture Tranmission, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Delta B, Delta D, Direct Tv, Dish Network, Exploration, Fairchild Stratos, Geostationary, Geosynchronous, History, Hughes Space And Communications, Nasa, Rca, Rocket, Syncom 1, Syncom 2, Syncom 3, Thiokol Castor 1, Thor Delta, Tiros 8, Us Weather Bureau, Usns Kingsport

Nov 21

Space Rocket History #39 – The First Woman in Space, Vostok 5 & 6 with Bykovsky and Tereshkova – Part 1

Posted on November 21, 2013

In June of 1963, the Soviet Union performed an encore of the Vostok 3 and 4 missions with two manned spaceships orbiting the Earth simultaneously. However, Vostok 5 and 6 was more than a simple repetition. Vostok 5’s objective was to beat the flight...

Valeri_bykovsky

594px-RIAN_archive_612748_Valentina_Tereshkova

321px-Vostok_5-6_mission_patch.svg

Tagged:8k72, Bykovsky, Central Committee, Exploration, Gagarin, History, Kamanin, Keldysh, Korolev, Nikolai Kamanin, Ponomareva, R 7, Rocket, Russia, Solovyova, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Tereshkova, Tyuratam, Vostok, Vostok 5, Vostok 6

Mar 20

Space Rocket History #4 – Vengeance Weapons

Posted on March 20, 2013

“We are the first to have given a rocket a speed of 3,300 mph. We have thus proved that it is quite possible to build piloted missiles or aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds. We did it with automatic control. Our rocket today reached a height of n...

v2_cutaway

Tagged:Exploration, Goddard, History, Oberth, Rocket, Space, V 1, V 2, V1, V2, Vengeance, Von Braun, Weapons

Nov 28

Space Rocket History #40 – The First Woman in Space, Vostok 5 & 6 with Bykovsky and Tereshkova – Part 2

Posted on November 28, 2013

Vostok 5’s orbit turned out to be lower than the expected 181 by 235 km. The actual orbit was 175 by 222 km. Initial calculations indicated the orbit of Vostok 5 would not decay for 10 or 11 days, however more conservative estimates, taking into acc...

Tereskova-281×300

Tereshkova

800px-Vostok-6_Tereshkova_promo

Tagged:3ka, 8k72, Bykovsky, Exploration, Gagarin, History, Kamanin, Khrushchev, Korolev, Leningrad, Leonid Brezhnev, Moscow, Nikolaev, Popovich, R 7, R7, Rocket, Solovyova, Soviet, Space, Stook, Tereshkova, Titov, Tyratam, Vostok, Vostok 5, Vostok 6, Vzor

Dec 5

Space Rocket History #41 – The First Woman in Space, Vostok 5 & 6 with Bykovsky and Tereshkova – Part 3

Posted on December 5, 2013

During re-entry plasma enveloped Vostok-6. Tereshkova saw pieces of burning material fly past her window and she also smelled smoke entering the cabin…

Wedding

Tereshkova landing

TerArmstrong

newspapder

50Years_tereshkova

Tagged:3ka, Bykovsky, Chertok, Exploration, Gagarin, History, Kamanin, Karaganda, Karen Nyberg, Kazakhstan, Khrushchev, Korolev, Kuibyshev, Kustanai, Nikolaev, R 7, R7, Red Square, Rocket, Rudenko, Russia, Savitskaya, Seleznev, Soviet, Space, Tereshkova, Titov, Valentina, Volga, Vostok, Vostok 6

Dec 12

Space Rocket History #42 – Satellite Killer – Polyot-1

Posted on December 12, 2013

The Space Age had barely begun when Soviet engineers started planning ways to destroy enemy satellites. Some Western analysts have speculated that a design for an anti-satellite weapon system was started at Korolev’s OKB-1 bureau as early as 1956…

space rocket history pic45

satkiller-02-de

poletdh2

polyot1

poletdh1

Tagged:Baikonur, Boris Yeltsi, Exploration, History, Icbm, Is Mu, Istrebitel Sputnikov, Khrushchev, Korolev, Lc31, Leonid Brezhnev, Myasishev, Okb 1, Polyachenko, Polyot, R 36, R 7, R7, Rca, Rocket, Saint, Satellite Interceptor, Satellite Killer, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Spy Plane, U 2, Ur 200, Vladimir Chelome, Weapons, Yuri Andropov

Dec 19

Space Rocket History #43 – Ranger-7, Nimbus-1, European Space Organizations, and Christmas From the Moon

Posted on December 19, 2013

You may recall from episode 32 Ranger- 4 was the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body. However, Ranger-4 failed it primary mission of returning pictures from the moon…

space rocket history pic46

Esro-logo

nimbus_meteorological_satellite

64-041A

220px-NASA_FACTS_Volume_2_number_6_PROJECT_RANGER_image_04

610px-Ranger7_PIA02975

Tagged:540, Agena, Apollo, Apollo 16, Apollo 8, Atlas, Blue Streak, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Eldo, Erso, European Launcher Development Organization, European Space Research Organization, Exploration, Harrie Massey, History, Moon, Nasa, Nimbus, Nimbus 1, Ocean Of Storms, Pierre Auger, Ranger, Ranger 7, Rocket, Russia, Sea Of Clouds, Solar Cells, Sounding Rocket

Jan 2

Space Rocket History #44 – Voskhod-1with Kamarov, Yegorov, and Feoktistov – Part 1

Posted on January 2, 2014

Premiere Khrushchev was not willing to wait until Soyuz for another space first. Khrushchev believed, There could be no final victories in the race for space propaganda. He knew the US was working on project Gemini which would carry two astronauts ...

461px-Voskhod_1_and_2

255px-Voskhod-1_mission_patch.svg

komarov_vladimir

Boris Y

feoktistov_konstantin_7

By Dave

Tagged:11a57, 3ka, Cosmonaunt, Feoktistov, Gagarin, Gemini, Germany, History, Icbm, Kamanin, Kamarov, Katys, Khrushchev, Korolev, Nazi, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Ss, Volynov, Voronezh, Voskhod, Vostok, Yegorov

Jan 9

Space Rocket History #45 – Voskhod-1with Kamarov, Yegorov, and Feoktistov – Part 2

Posted on January 9, 2014

From the Control center Yuri Gagarin’s kept the crew informed on everything taking place on the now deserted launching site. Finally the command was given: “Stand by!” Now, It would be a matter or minutes before the launch. Commands followed in quick...

200px-Soviet_Union-1964-stamp-Woschod_1-001

voskhod-1_production_2

voskhod-1_production_1

voskhod-1_launch

voskhod-1_backup

voskhod-1

ready

Tagged:3ka, Aurora Australis, Baikonur, Brezhnev, Caucasus, Central Committee, Eurovision, Exploration, Feoktistov, Gagarin, John Glenn, Kamanin, Khrushchev, Komarov, Korolev, Kosmos 47, Kustanay, Mikoyan, Nasa, R 7, R7, Red Square, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, State Commission, Telemetry, Voskhod, Vostok, Yegorov

Jan 16

Space Rocket History #46 – Mariner 4

Posted on January 16, 2014

Mariner 4’s primary objective was to conduct closeup scientific observations of Mars and to transmit these observations to Earth. Additional goals included performing field and particle measurements in interplanetary space, and providing experience a...

Cratered Hilands Mars

mariner04

Pickering-Johnson

Mariner_4_launch_2

Mariner Crater

20121209_Mars_Mariner_4_f840 Nasa

Tagged:Agena, Atlas, Canals, Canopus, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Comet, Cosmic Dust Detector, Cosmic Rays, Crater, Dswift, Earth, Exobiology, Exploration, Flagstaff, Geiger Counter, H G Wells, Helium Magnetometer, History, Ionization Chamber, Jpl, Looney Tunes, Lyndon Johnson, Mariner 3, Mariner 4, Mars, Marvin The Martian, Mercury, Micrometeoroid, Monopropellant Hydrazine, Moon, Nasa, Percival Lowell, Rocket, Solar Cells, Solar Plasma Probe, Space, The Twilight Zone, Trapped Radiation Detector, War Of The Worlds

Jan 23

Space Rocket History #47 – Gemini Concepts

Posted on January 23, 2014

This brings us to Project Gemini. Gemini started after Apollo had begun, in part to answer a crucial question for Apollo. Was rendezvous and docking in orbit a feasible basis for a manned lunar landing mission?

fig6 (1)McDonnell-proposed two-man Mercury spacecraft. Shown is the interior arrangement of spacecraft equipment

fig4

fig3

Tagged:Ames, Apollo, Demarquis D Wyatt, Exploration, Gemini, Goddard, History, Houbolt, Jpl, Kehlet, Kondratyuk, Langley, Lewis, Luna, Lunar, Mark Ii, Marshall, Mercury, Moon, Nasa, National Space Vehicle Program, Noordung, Nova, Oberth, Pirquet, Post Mercury, Rca, Rendezvous, Rocket, Seamans, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Station, Stg, Strass, Tsander, Tsiolkovskii, Von Braun, Werner, William Michael

Jan 30

Space Rocket History #48 – Gemini Design – 1961

Posted on January 30, 2014

“The main trouble with the Mercury capsule was that most system components were in the pilot’s cabin; and often, to pack them in this very confined space, they had to be stacked like a layer cake and components of one system had to be scattered about...

The operating principle of the fuel cell designed by General Electric, adopted for use in the Gemini spacecraft

modified Titan II booster

Gemini spacecraft to be released publicly

Adapter Section of Mark II

Four stages in a rendezvous mission as conceived early in 1962

An artist’s version of the use of ejection seats to escape from the Gemini spacecraft

fig8 proposed lunar lander to be used with an advanced version of the Mercury spacecraft

Tagged:Adapter Ring, Agena, Apollo, Atlas Agena B, Cape Kennedy, Ejection Seat, Escape Tower, Eva, Exploration, Extravehicular Activity, Gemini, Goddard, History, Hypergolic, James Chamberlin, James Decker, Lunar, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mark Ii, Martin Company, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Modularization, Nasa, Paraglider, President Kennedy, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Saturn C 3, Space, Space Task Group, Stg, Titan, Titan Ii

Feb 6

Space Rocket History #49 – Gemini Systems Design – 1962

Posted on February 6, 2014

On January 3 1962, “Gemini” became the official designation of the Mercury Mark II program. The name had been suggested by Alex Nagy of NASA Headquarters because the twin stars Castor and Pollux in constellation Gemini (the Twins) seemed to him to s...

The general arrangement of liquid rocket systems (OAMS and RCS) in the Gemini spacecraft

Gemini landing gear part of the land landing system along with the paraglider

fig41The B. F. Goodrich partial-wear full-pressure suit being developed for the Gemini program

fig33Figure 33. The emergency parachute recovery system for the half-scale paraglider flight test vehicle for Phase II-A of the development program – Copy

fig27Gemini spacecraft nomenclature – Copy

Agena B

Tagged:Agena, Airesearch, Ames A Mcdivitt, Apollo, B F Goodrich, Cape Canaveral, Charles Conrad, Dcs, Edward H White Ii, Ejection Seat, Electrocardiogram, Electroenecephalogram, Elliot M See, Exploration, Frank Borman, Gemini, Gemini Procurement Office, Gemini Project Office, Gilruth, Goddard, Gpo, History, Houston, Ibm, Icbm, James A Lovell, James Chamberlin, John W Young, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mercury 7, Msc, Nasa, Neil A Armstrong, Oams, Paraglider, Phoncardiogram, Rcs, Rocket, Rocketdyne, Space, Thiokol, Thomas P Stafford, Titan, Titan Ii, Us Army Quartermaster, Us Naval Ordance, Webb, Weber Aircraft, Whirlpool

Mar 27

Space Rocket History #5 – Escaping the Reich

Posted on March 27, 2013

“In 1937, I was officially demanded to join the National Socialist Party. At this time I was already Technical Director at the Army Rocket Center at Peenemünde. The technical work carried out there had, in the meantime, attracted more and more attent...

Peenemünde, Dornberger, Olbricht, Leeb, v. Braun

Tagged:Exploration, Himmler, History, Hitler, Nazi, Oberth, Peenemunde, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, V2, Vengeance, Von Braun, Weapons, Werner

Feb 12

Space Rocket History #50 – Blue Gemini – 1963

Posted on February 12, 2014

“Blue Gemini” was the tag name for an Air Force manned space flight program to develop rendezvous, docking, and transfer for military purposes, using Gemini-type spacecraft. The concept became firmer in June, when the Air Force Space Systems Division...

fig58 Astronauts after a training session in desert near Stead Air Force Base, Nevada

Goal

fig54 Instrumented mannequin being lowered into a boilerplate Gemini spacecraft in preparation for a dynamic sled test of the Gemini ejection system

fig52 Gemini launch vehicle 1 undergoing tests in the vertical test facility at Martin’s Baltimore plant

fig51 POGO suppression equipment proved out in the Titan II development program

fig48 Proposed deployment sequence for the ballute stabilization device

fig47 Titan II flight N-15 was launched from Cape Canaveral on January 10, 1963

Tagged:Agena, Air Force, Atlas Agena, Blue Gemini, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Chamberlin, Charles Matthews, Curtis Lemay, Department Of Defense, Dod, Dyna Soar, Exploration, Gemini, Gemini Program, Gilruth, History, Holmes, Icbm, Jpl, Kennedy, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mercury, Mods, Moon, Msc, Nasa, Pogo, Project Gemini, Robert Mcnamara, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Webb

Feb 27

Space Rocket History #52 – Gemini 1 – Test Flight – Part 2

Posted on February 27, 2014

One second after 11 o’clock Wednesday morning, April 8th 1964, the Titan II booster’s first-stage engine ignited. Four seconds later, the 156 ton vehicle lifted from the pad on that curiously lambent flame so distinctive of Titan II’s hypergolic prop...

Tang

space rocket history pic69

Gemini1-1

Gemini Launch

Gemini 1 Left Instrument Pallet

Gemini 1 Experiment Pallets

Tagged:Actuators, Aerojet, Agena, Apollo, Atmospheric Inversion, Blockhouse, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, Gemini, Gemini Titan, Glv, Goddard, History, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mcdonnell, Nasa, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Seamans, Space, Von Braun, Walter Williams, Werner

Mar 6

Space Rocket History #53 – Gemini 2 – Part 1

Posted on March 6, 2014

The bright outlook that was prevalent in April turned dark in the late summer of 1964 when a series of natural disasters struck the Cape. First lightning, then hurricanes, damaged the Gemini 2 launch vehicle to delay its flight long past the schedule...

Retro Adapter

Mercury and Gemini

Ejection

Retro Adapter

GT2_S-64-40154

Figure 74. Special instrumentation pallets to be installed in Gemini spacecraft No. 2 in the same positions that astronauts would occupy in later flights

Figure 75. The first stage of Gemini launch vehicle 2 being unloaded from an Air Force C-133 at Cape Kennedy

Tagged:Agena, Air Force, C 133b, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Cleo, Communications, Complex 19, Csat, Dei, Delta, Design Engineering Inspection, Electrical Power, Environmental System, Escape, Exploration, Gemini, Gemini Titan 2, Glv 2, Guidance, History, Hurricane, Landing, Lyndon Johnson, Martin, Martin Marietta, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Msc, Nasa, Pirotechnics, Propulsion, Rocket, Russia, Sequential, Soviet, Space, Titan Iiia, Walter Matthews

Mar 13

Space Rocket History #54 – Gemini 2 – Part 2

Posted on March 13, 2014

Gemini Launch Vehicle Two’s misfortunes during August and September 1964 forced NASA to forego its goal of a manned Gemini 3 flight before the end of the year, Gemini-Titan 2 was now scheduled for mid-November 1964, and Gemini 3 for the end of Januar...

800px-Gemini2xrear

Gemini B spacecraft on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

View of the earth and space from the unmanned Gemini 2 cabin window during reentry

Tagged:Act Of God, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles Matthews, Chris Kraft, Christopher Kraft, Dry Ice, Fuel Cell, Gatv 5001, Gemini Agena, Gemini Titan 2, Gene Krantz, Glv 2, Goddard, Gt 2, Gus Grissom, History, John Glenn, Lc 40, Leroy E Day, Lyndon Johnson, Martin, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mercury 7, Moog Servocontrols, Moon, Nasa, P2b, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Space, Ten Point Plan For Cc Equipment, Titan Ii, Titan Iiia, United States Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory, Uss Lake Champlain, Virgil Grissom, Voskhod, Walter Schirra

Mar 20

Space Rocket History #55 – First Space Walk – Voskhod 2 with Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev – Part 1

Posted on March 20, 2014

Voskhod 2 was a high risk mission. It was the final space race victory for the Soviet Union before NASA claimed the lead and ultimately won with the lunar landing of 1969. Voskhod 2 was the peak of the Soviet Space Program. It nearly killed its two...

ivokhod2

IMAGE-of-berkut-spacesuit

Pavel_Belyayev

alexei-leonov

450px-Voskhod-2_airlock_and_spacesuit

Voskhod_spacecraft_diagram

Tagged:11a57, 3kd, Airbooms, Airlock, Alexey, Babushkinsky, Baikonur, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Berkut, Chelishchevo, Cosmonaut, Eva, Exploration, Gagarin, Gemini, Golden Eagle, History, Icbm, Inflatable Airlock, Komarov, Korolev, Leonov, Mercury, Nasa, Npp Zvezda, Oblast, Pavel Belyayev, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Stalin, Vologda, Voskhod, Vostok

Mar 27

Space Rocket History #56 – First Space Walk – Voskhod 2 with Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev – Part 2

Posted on March 27, 2014

Leonov opened the airlocks outer hatch He was positioned on his “back” and this orientation revealed the beauty of earth in its entirety. His heart began to race as he pushed his upper body outside and saw the deep blue vista of the Mediterranean Se...

images

voskhod-2_leonov

Descent module of Voskhod-2 from which Alexey Leonov pioneered extravehicular activity

Leonov and Belyayev in Voskhod-2, 1965

qvok2eva

GPN-2002-000176

cosomonauts

Tagged:3kd, Baikonur, Berkut, Bonn, Breszhnev, Caucasus Mountains, Crimea, Decent Module, Ed White, Exploration, Gagarin, Gemini, Gemini 4, Golden Eagle, Greece, History, Icbm, Italy, Kamanin, Keldysh, Korolev, Leninsk, Leonov, Orbital Module, Pavel Belyayev, Perm, Politburo, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Siberia, Solikamsk, Soviet, Space, Spacesuit, Tass, Upper Kama Upland, Volga River, Voskhod, Vostok

Apr 4

Space Rocket History #6 – The Competition

Posted on April 4, 2013

“The Americans have unified their forces into a single thrust, and make no secret of their plans to dominate outer space. But we keep our plans secret even to ourselves…” Sergei Korolev the Founder of the Soviet Space Program.

r7cut

Korolev

Tagged:Exploration, Gird, Goddard, History, Icbm, Korolev, Mittelwerke, Nazi, Nizhyn, Peenemunde, R 7, R7, Rnii, Rocket, Rp 318, Russia, Soviet, Space, Tupolev, Von Braun, Weapons

May 1

Space Rocket History #61 – Gemini IV with James McDivitt and Edward White – America’s First Spacewalk – Part 2

Posted on May 1, 2014

For the first time Television coverage of the launch had an international audience, as the scene was broadcast to 12 European nations via Intelsat 1 aka the Early Bird satellite of episode 59. Heightened by the prospect of an EVA and the first use of...

Spacewalk

Manned Maneuvering Unit

Gt4Patch

gemini-4

gemini-4_landing

Gemini_4_Outside_National_Air_and_Space_Museum

Gemini 4 recovery

Gemini 4 launch

Gemini 4 inside national air and space

Gemini -24 scale model

Ed white

G4 button

Tagged:Agena, Andre Meyer, Atlas, C 131, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Early Bird, Edward H White, Edward H White Ii, Edward Higgins White, Eva, Exploration, Flight Mechanics, Frank Borman, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini Vi, Gemini Titan Iv, George Low, Glv 3, Glv 4, Gordon Cooper, Gpo, Gus Grissom, Hand Held Maneuvering Unit, History, Houston, Intelsat, James A Mcdivitt, James Lovell, James Webb, John Glenn, John Young, Liberty Bell 7, Manned Space Center, Mcdonnell, Mercury Redstone 4, Msc, Nasa, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Soviet, Space, Thermal Glove, Titan, West Point, Zip Gun

May 8

Space Rocket History #62 – Gemini IV with James McDivitt and Edward White – The Duration – Part 3

Posted on May 8, 2014

On orbit 48, after 75 hours of flight a problem arose. During a pass over the continental US the flight computer was updated. McDivitt was told to switch off the computer. He flipped the switch but the computer did not turn off. On the ground at miss...

Food packages of beef and gravy fully reconstituted and ready to eat. The water gun is used to reconstitute dehydrated food and the scissors are used to open the packages to eat

This package of spacefood, like the ones carried aboard Gemini missions, contains a complete meal combination, which consists of entree, vegetables and dessert. Additionally, it has a package of drink crystals

This meal includes a beef sandwich, strawberry cereal cubes, peaches, and beef and gravy. Astronauts used a water gun to reconstitute the food and scissors to open the package

Tagged:Agena, Apollo 8, Atlas, Blue Bag, Bungee Exerciser, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Chis Kraft, Computer, Dehydrated, Edward H White, Edward H White Ii, Edward Higgins White, Exploration, First Freeze Dried Space Food, Fuel Cells, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini Titan Iv, Gene Kranz, Germicidal, Glv 4, Gordon Cooper, Gpo, History, Houston, James A Mcdivitt, John Hodge, Lyndon Johnson, Manned Space Center, Mcdonnell, Mercury Redstone 4, Msc, Nasa, Proton Electron Spectrometer, Rehydrated, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Soviet, Space, Synoptic Terrain, Synoptic Weather, Thermal Glove, Uss Wasp

May 15

Space Rocket History #63 – Gemini V with Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad – 8 Days or Bust -Part 1

Posted on May 15, 2014

By this time the Astronauts were thinking about a nickname for their spacecraft, but NASA Headquarters now officially refused to allow nicknames for Gemini spacecraft. However, Gordo Cooper was not so easily put off. Pete Conrad’s father-in-law had w...

gordo recovery

Gemini5insignia

gemini5-surrounded-by-mcdonnell-works-during-checkout-240×310

Gemini5-splashdown

Gemini5-cockpit-pre-launch

gemini-v-crew

gemini-5-cape-kennedy-240×242

gemini-5-baja-california

Gemini-5_Gordon_Cooper_recovery

Gemini_5_Radar_Evaluation_Pod

Gemini_5_on_the_pad_19

Gemini_5_Fuel Cell

Dave Hint

Tagged:8 Days Or Bust, Agena, Atlas, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Cherry Picker, Chis Kraft, Computer, Covered Wagon, Darrow, Dyslexia, Edward H White, Elliot See, Evaluation Pod, Exploration, Fail Safe, Franceses Conrad, Fuel Cells, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini Titan Iv, Gene Kranz, Gordo, Gordon Cooper, Gpo, Gunter Wendt, Haverford, History, Houston, Ink Blot, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Lady Bird, Langley Research Center, Launch Pad Erector, Liberty Bell 7, Manned Space Center, Mcdonnell, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Naval Air Station Patuxent, Naval Aviator, Neil Armstrong, Pete Conrad, Princeton, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Rotc, Seamans, Space, The Little Rascal, William Schneider

May 22

Space Rocket History #64 – Gemini V with Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad – 8 Days or Bust -Part 2

Posted on May 22, 2014

This was Flight Director Chris Kraft’s first major problem at the new Mission Control Center in Houston. He knew the spacecraft had enough battery power for reentry even if the fuel cells failed completely, but he needed to know if there would be ti...

Tagged:8 Days Or Bust, Agena, Atlas, Aurora 7, Buzz Aldrin, Bykovsky, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Chis Kraft, Computer, Covered Wagon, Darrow, Deke Slayton, Ed White, Edward H White, Edwin Aldrin, Evaluation Pod, Exploration, Fail Safe, Faith 7, Franceses Conrad, Fuel Cells, Gagarin, Gemini, Gemini 1, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Titan Iv, Gene Kranz, Gordo, Gordon Cooper, Haverford, History, Hodge, Holloman Air Force Base, Houston, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Kranz, Leonov, Manned Orbiting Laboratory, Manned Space Center, Mcdonnell, Minuteman Missile, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nancy Conrad, Nasa, Oams, Orbital Attitude And Maneuvering System, Pete Conrad, Phantom Rendezvous, Princeton, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Scott Carpenter, Space, Sputnik, Tereshkova, Voskhod 1

May 29

Space Rocket History #65 – Gemini VI & VII with Wally Schirra, Tom Stafford, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell – Rendezvous – Part 1

Posted on May 29, 2014

“We have had a conversation with the Carnarvon tracking station and their report keeps coming back – No joy – No joy.” NASA Public Affairs Officer Paul Haney.

G6Patch

Gemini-Agena

gemini-agena

Gemini_6_prime_crew

Atlas-Agena_6_Launch

gemini_atv_6

Tagged:Aerodynamics Handbook For Performance Flight Testing, Agena, Agena 5002, Alan Shepard, Atlas, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Chis Kraft, Deke Slayton, Edwin Aldrin, Exploration, F 86d, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gemini Titan Iv, Gene Kranz, George Mueller, Gus Grissom, History, Hodge, Houston, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Yardley, John Young, Kranz, Manned Space Center, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Mcdonnell, Mercury Atlas 8, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, No Joy, Paul Haney, Pilots Handbook For Performance Flight Testing, Rendezvous, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Sigma 7, Sikorsky S 64 Skycrane, Space, Thomas J Omalley, Tom Stafford, U S Naval Academy, Wally Schirra, Walter Burke

Jun 5

Space Rocket History #66 – Gemini VI & VII with Wally Schirra, Tom Stafford, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell – Rendezvous – Part 2

Posted on June 5, 2014

From the previous episode, it was decided that the name of Gemini VI would be changed to Gemini VI-a to distinguish it from the originally planned mission whose objective was to rendezvous with the Agena target vehicle. Gemini VII would be launched f...

GT7 Launch

gemini7patch

Lovell before the launch, in the special G5C space suit, which had a zippered hood with a visor instead of a solid helmet

Gemini_7_Crew_(Lovell_und_Borman)

Moon and clouds over the Western Pacific as seen from Gemini 7

Borman and lovell boarding

Tagged:Agena, Ben Funk, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Chis Kraft, Crew Systems Division, David Clark Company, Debus, Deke Slayton, Ed White, Edwin Aldrin, Exploration, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gene Kranz, George Mueller, Glv 7, History, Houston, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Young, Kenneth Kleinknecht, Kranz, Manned Space Center, Mcdonnel, Mcdonnell, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Paul Haney, Rendezvous, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Space, Tom Stafford, Von Braun, Wally Schirra, Walter Burke

Jun 12

Space Rocket History #67 – Gemini VI & VII with Wally Schirra, Tom Stafford, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell – Rendezvous – Part 3

Posted on June 12, 2014

From the previous episode, we have Gemini VII waiting in orbit for Gemini VI-A to launch and rendezvous. Remember, Gemini VII could only remain in orbit for 14 days, the maximum duration of its flight. The goal was to launch Gemini VI-A on or befor...

Gemini_VI_Launch_-_GPN-2000-000612

Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035

Gemini_6_Views_Gemini_7

Gemini 6 harmonica

1200px-Gemini_6_launch_abort

Hint for G6

Gemini_VI_Stafford_capsule

Gemini 7 as seen by Gemini 6

Tagged:Aerojet, Aerojet General, Agena, Ben Funk, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Chis Kraft, Crew Systems Division, David Clark Company, Debus, Exploration, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gene Kranz, George Mueller, Glv 7, Gunter Wendt, History, Houston, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Albert, John Young, Kenneth Hecht, Kranz, M Equals 4, Manned Space Center, Martin, Martin Baker, Mcdonnel, Mcdonnell, Merritt Preston, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Rendezvous, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Seamans, Space, Tom Stafford, Von Braun, W B Evans, Wally Schirra, Walter Burke

Jun 18

Space Rocket History #68 – Gemini VI & VII with Wally Schirra, Tom Stafford, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell – Rendezvous – Part 4

Posted on June 18, 2014

The Gemini Program was conceived after it became evident to NASA officials that an intermediate step was required between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program. The major objectives assigned to Gemini were: 1-To subject two men and supporting equip...

G7 crew

GT on Wasp

Gemini 7 spacecraft on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Recovery of G7

Hellicopter over G6

GT7 on Wasp

G6&7 on Wasp

G7 Before Splashdown

G7 Arrive on Wasp

Tagged:Aerojet, Aerojet General, Agena, Canton Island, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles A Berry, Chis Kraft, Crew Systems Division, Drums Along The Mohawk, Exploration, Formation, Frances Slaughter, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gemini Vii, Gene Kranz, George Mueller, Glv 7, Gunter Wendt, Harmonica, History, Houston, James A Mcdivitt, James Webb, Jim Lovell, Jingle Bells, John Albert, John Young, Jose Jimenez In Orbit, Kenneth Hecht, Kranz, Manned Space Center, Mark Twain, Martin, Mcdonnell, Merritt Preston, Michael Knapp, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Rendezvous, Retrorockets, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Roughing It, Seamans, Space, Stationkeeping, Tom Stafford, Uss Wasp, Von Braun, Voskok 4, Vostok 3, Wally Schirra, Walter Edmonds

Jul 3

Space Rocket History #69 – Zond 3, Venera 3, and Asterix

Posted on July 3, 2014

The Zond program was one of two lunar exploration programs conducted by the Soviet Union to investigate the Moon and its vicinity. The program began in 1964 and ended in 1979. The early Zond’s 1-3 were originally designed for planetary exploration, w...

space rocket history pic82

Diament

390px-Asterix_Musee_du_Bourget_P1020341

venera_3

800px-Zond_3.25

zond_3

Tagged:8k78, A 1, Alouette 1, Ariel 1, Asterix, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Diamant, Exploration, Explorer 1, French, Heliocentric, Kenneth Hecht, Mars, Molniya, Moon, More Mechty, Rocket, San Marco 1, Sapwood, Space, Sputnik, Ss 6, The Magic Roundabout, Venera, Venus, Von Braun, Zebby, Zebulon, Zond

Apr 11

Space Rocket History #7 – Inter-service Rivalries

Posted on April 11, 2013

It’s important to understand that in the late 1940s within the United States there were three concurrent programs for military rocket development. This was due to continuing inter-service rivalry between the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

WAC_Corporal

Viking

v2Wac Corporal

First U.S.-designed Ballistic Missile

Aerobee

270px-Hermes_A-1_Test_Rockets_-_GPN-2000-000063

Tagged:A 1, Aerobee, Bumber Wac, Buzz Bomb, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, Goddard, Hermes, Icbm, Jb 1, Jb 2, Jb 4, Jb10, Mx 774, Nazi, Oberth, Operation Pushover, Operation Sandy, Overcast, Paperclip, Peenemunde, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Toftoy, V 2, V1, V2, Vengeance, Viking, Von Braun, Wac, Wac Corporal, Wasserfall, Weapons, Werner, White Sands

Jul 17

Space Rocket History #71 – Agena vs. the Augmented Target Docking Adapter, with Some EVA Equipment on the Side

Posted on July 17, 2014

Many doubted that Agena could be ready in time to meet Gemini’s tight launch schedules. The end of 1965 saw Agena’s usefulness in manned space flight once again called into question, but this time time a substitute target had already been approved fo...

gemini_atv_8

Gemini Augmented Target Docking Adapter during pre-flight checkout

gemagena

agenhgre

800px-S66-25781_PR

facebook hint

Tagged:Abbott, Aerojet, Agena, Amu, Apollo, Atda, Augmented Target Docking Adapter, Bell Aerosystems, Canton Island, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Chis Kraft, Crew Systems Division, Ed White, Elss, Esp, Exploration, Extravehicular Life Support System, Extravehicular Support Package, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gemini Vii, Gemini Viii, Gene Kranz, General Ben Funk, General Bernard Schriever, George Mueller, History, Horace Whitacre, Houston, Hudson, James Webb, Jerome Hammack, Jingle Bells, Lawrence Smith, Manned Space Center, Martin, Mcdonnell, Mercury, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Noeggerath, Rendezvous, Ritland, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Roughing It, Seamans, Space, Super Tiger, Yardley

Jul 10

Space Rocket History #70 – Luna 5-9 – Never Give Up

Posted on July 10, 2014

During 1965 through January 1966, several significant Soviet unmanned scientific missions were launched. Five of the missions will be covered in this episode. We will begin with the Soviet Luna program.

Moon_map_Smart_1_Ranger_9_Luna_5_Surveyor_7_Apollo_14

Moon_map_Luna_17_Luna_2_Apollo_15_Surveyor_6_Surveyor_4_Luna_7_Luna_8_Luna_11

Luna-9

Luna 4-9

Luna 4-9 lander

Tagged:8k78, 8k78m, Airbag, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Earth, Exploration, Far Side, Heliocentric, History, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Kepler, Lander, Lavochkin, Leo, Luna 4, Luna 5, Luna 6, Luna 7, Luna 8, Luna 9, Lunik, Molniya, Moon, Orbiter, Retro Rocket, Rocket, Sapwood, Sea Of Storms, Soviet, Space, Ss 6, Surveyor 1, Zond

Jul 24

Space Rocket History #72 – Gemini VIII with Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott – Part 1

Posted on July 24, 2014

On September 20th 1965, NASA named the crew for Gemini VIII. The command pilot selected was Neil Armstrong, a civilian test pilot with much experience in the X-15 rocket research aircraft program. David Scott was selected as pilot. Scott was the fir...

Niel and David

Neil_Armstrong_in_Gemini_G-2C_training_suit

neil_armstrong_david_scott

Neil_Armstrong_1956_portrait

gemini8 at air and space museum Wapkoneta ohio

Gemini-VIII-flight-crew-SCOTT-David-R.-and-ARMSTRONG-Neil-A.

GEMINI-TITAN-8_-_PRELAUNCH_ACTIVITY

gemini_atv_8

gemini_8

Gemini 8 water egress test

F9F-2_Panthers_VF-51_over_Korea_1951 with Armstrong piloting

David Scott

Gemini-VIII-flight-crew-SCOTT-David-R.-and-ARMSTRONG-Neil-A.

Tagged:Aerojet, Agena, Aileron, Apollo, Auglaize, B 29, B 47, Bell X 1b, Bill Dana, Boy Scouts, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Chis Kraft, Chuck Yeager, Crew Systems Division, D 588 2, Eagle Scout, Eva, Exploration, F 101, F 106, F104, F9f, Ford Trimotor, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gemini Vii, Gene Kranz, George Mueller, German, History, Holloway Plan, Houston, Irish, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Hodge, Kc 135, Kranz, Life Scout, Man In Space Soonest, Manned Space Center, Martin, Mcdonnell, Merritt Preston, Michael Knapp, Milt Thompson, Mission Control Center, Mit, Msc, Nasa, Purdue, Rendezvous, Retrorockets, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Scottish, Seamans, Soesterberg, Space, Stationkeeping, T 33, Tin Goose, University Of Michigan, Uss Cabot, Uss Essex, Wapakoneta, Webb Air Force Base, West Point, X 15, X 20 Dyna Soar, X 5

Jul 30

Space Rocket History #73 – Gemini VIII with Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott – Part 2

Posted on July 30, 2014

This was the most complex mission attempted to date. The primary mission objectives were to perform rendezvous and four docking tests with the Gemini Agena Target Vehicle (GATV) and to execute an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA)…

gatv_diagram_labelled

Agena view from G8

640px-Gemini_8_during_rescue

Gemini_8_launch

Gemini_8_docking with agena

Gemini_8_Atlas-Agena_launch

Tagged:Agena, Apollo, Baha, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Chis Kraft, Dave Scott, Edwards Air Force, Eva, Exploration, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6a, Gemini 7, Gemini 8, Gemini Iv, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Via, Gemini Vii, Gemini Viii, Gene Kranz, Guenter Wendt, Hawaii, History, Houston, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Hodge, Karnai, Kranz, Martin, Maui, Mcdonnell, Mission Control Center, Molokai, Msc, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Oahu, Pete Conrad, Rendezvous, Retrorockets, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Seamans, Space, Stationkeeping, T 33, Tananarive, Tom Stafford, Walter Schirra, Westinghouse, X 15

Aug 7

Space Rocket History #74 – Gemini VIII with Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott – Part 3

Posted on August 7, 2014

Armstrong eased Gemini VIII toward the target at a barely perceptible speed of 8 centimeters per second. Then Armstrong gleefully reported, “Flight, we are docked!” For a brief moment, the flight controllers in Houston did not realize they had really...

G8 Ohio A&

gemini8 at air and space museum Wapkoneta ohio

Tagged:Agena, Apollo, Capcom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Chis Kraft, Coastal Sentry Quebec, Csq, Dave Scott, Docking, Eva, Exploration, Gatv, Gemini 8, Gemini Project, Gene Kranz, Goddard, Gulfstream, Harold W Nolan, Hawaii, Hc 54, History, Houston, Hubert H Humphrey, James Webb, Jim Lovell, John Hodge, Kranz, Leonard F Mason, Martin, Mcdonnell, Melvin F Brooks, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Naha, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Nuclear Emulsions, Oams, Okinawa, Rendezvous, Rescuemasters, Retrorockets, Robert Gilruth, Rocket, Rose Knot Victor, Seamans, Space, Spectrophotography, Stationkeeping, Synoptic Terrain Photography, Tachikawa, Tananarive, Thruster, Tom Stafford, Walter Schirra, Westinghouse, Zodiacal Light Photography

Aug 14

Space Rocket History #75 – Luna 10, Surveyor 1, and Lunar Orbiter 1 – Scouting the Moon

Posted on August 14, 2014

In the 1960s, during the cold war, the US and Soviet Union turned their attention to the moon. The question was, who could place a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth first? Obtaining the necessary data on the moon to risk sending a pe...

First_View_of_Earth_from_Moon

lunar_orbiter1

Surveyor_1_shadow_lunarsurface

Surveyor_1_Foot_Pad on the moon

Surveyor_1_launch with Atlas Centar

surveyor 1 mockup_beach

luna10

Tagged:Apollo, Atlas, Canopus, Centaur, Gemini, History, Luna 1, Lunar Orbiter 1, Lunar Orbiter 2, Lunar Orbiter 3, Lunar Orbiter 4, Lunar Orbiter 5, Lunik 1, Mercury Atlas, Mercury Redstone, Orion, Rocket, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Surveyor 1, Surveyor 2, Surveyor 3, U S, Vernier, Vostok

Aug 28

Space Rocket History #77 – Gemini IX-A with Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan – Part 1

Posted on August 28, 2014

After the untimely deaths of Elliot See and Charles Basset, NASA assigned the Gemini IX prime crew positions to Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan. This was the first time in NASA’s manned space flight history that a backup crew had taken over a mission. ...

Gemini_9Acrew

g9patch

AtlasAgenaG9a

Tagged:A 4 Skyhawk, Agena, Amu, Apollo, Aspo, Atlas, Buzz Aldrin, Charles Bassett, Charles Mathews, Clifford Charlesworth, Colonel Daniel Mckee, Dave Scott, Docking, Edwin Aldrin, Elliot See, Equiperiod, Eva, Exploration, Fj 4 Fury, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gene Cernan, Gene Kranz, George Mueller, Glynn S Lunney, History, Houston, Ivar, Jim Lovell, Mcdonnell, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Naval Aviator, Naval Reserve, Phi Gamma Delta, Purdue, Rendezvous, Rocket, Space, Tether, Thruster, Tom Stafford, Vfr, Wally Schirra, Warren J North

Aug 21

Space Rocket History #76 – Tragic Prelude to Gemini IX with Elliot See, Charles Bassett, Tom Stafford, and Gene Cernan

Posted on August 21, 2014

In October 1965, Elliot M. See and Charles A. Bassett II were selected to fly Gemini IX. Chief Astronaut Deke Slayton also told them that their backups would be Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan. At that time Stafford was copilot for Gemini VI…

Elliot_See

gemini9

Charles_Bassett

Elliot_McKay_See

Tagged:Agena, Alan Shepard, Amu, Apollo, Apollo 11, Arlington National Cemetery, Building 101, Buzz Aldrin, Charles Bassett, Cj805, Columbia, Dallas, Dave Scott, Deke Slayton, Docking, Donald Slayton, Edwin Aldrin, Ellington, Elliot See, Eva, Exploration, F 104, F 86, F11f 1f, F4h, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini X, Gene Cernan, Gene Kranz, General Electric, History, Houston, Ifr, J 47, J 73, J 79, Jim Lovell, Lambert Airfield, Life Scout, Mcdonnell, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Phi Kappa Psi, Rb 66, Rick Husband, Rocket, Space, Sts 107, T 38, Texas Tech, Thruster, Tom Stafford, Two Sides Of The Moon, Ucla, Vfr, William Anders, Xf4d

Sep 4

Space Rocket History #78 – Gemini IX-A with Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan – Part 2 – Rendevouz

Posted on September 4, 2014

As contractors worried about technical problems with the Atlas, Once again NASA, faced the necessity for a quick recovery plan when a target vehicle failed to reach orbit. You may recall the first time was with Gemini 6. But this time Nasa had somet...

AugmentTargetDockingAdapter

tom Stafford in orbit

hint for facebook

Tagged:Agena, Amu, Angry Alligator, Apollo, Atlas, Augment Target Docking Adapter, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Charles Mathews, Clifford Charlesworth, Colonel Daniel Mckee, Dave Scott, Docking, Elliot See, Equiperiod, Eva, Exploration, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gene Cernan, Gene Kranz, General Dynamics, George Mueller, George Towner, Gpo, History, Houston, Ivar, Jim Lovell, John Hudson, Mcdonnell, Melbourne, Merritt Preston, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Rendezvous, Richard Keehn, Rocket, Sahara Desert, Scott Simpkinson, Space, Tananarive, Thruster, Tom Stafford, Warren J North, Westinghouse, William Schneider

Sep 11

Space Rocket History #79 – Gemini IX-A with Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan – Part 3 – EVA

Posted on September 11, 2014

We left off last week with Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan completing three rendezvous with the ATDA but, no docking because the shroud was still in place on the Docking Adapter. On June 5, 1966 at 5:30 a.m., nearly 45 hours and 30 minutes into the miss...

Gemini 9 splashes down at 9-00 A.M., June 6, 1966. The day of the EVA was also their last in space

gemini9_crew_a

Gem9down-S66-34118

eugene_cernan

cernan_gt9_eva

Tagged:Amu, Angry Alligator, Apollo, Augment Target Docking Adapter, Cape Kennedy, Docking, Eva, Exploration, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gene Cernan, Gene Kranz, Gpo, History, Houston, Ivar, Jim Lovell, Mcdonnell, Mission Control Center, Msc, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, Rendezvous, Rocket, Space, Tom Stafford

Apr 18

Space Rocket History #8 – Redstone

Posted on April 18, 2013

By the late 1940’s, it became obvious that Army ballistic missile research activities required more room than what was available at Fort Bliss, Texas. After a long and through search the decision was made to move to the Redstone arsenal at Huntsville...

Jupiter_c_pad

Viking

Loki-dart_display

First_Redstone_Rocket_Firing

105655main_10a

Tagged:Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Exploration, Goddard, Hermes, History, Huntsville, Icbm, Korolev, Loki, Peenemunde, Redstone, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Viking, Von Braun, White Sands

Sep 18

Space Rocket History #80 – Gemini X with John Young and Mike Collins – Part 1

Posted on September 18, 2014

Deputy Administrator Seamans wanted a mission review board created to study: (1) Corrective measures for the Atlas-Agena failure (2) The guidance update problem that delayed the launch two days (3) The shroud incident (4) The suit environmental c...

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Gemini 9 astronauts Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford brief Gemini 10 astronauts John Young and Mike Collins. And….how about that nice ATDA model in full gator

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Tagged:Agena, Alan Bean, Alexandria, Amu, Angry Alligator, Apollo, Brooks Air Force Base, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Kennedy, Charles Bassett, Chaumont, Clifton Williams, Colorado Springs, Columbus Air Force Base, David Scott, Deke Slayton, Docking, Ed White, Edward Givens, Edwards Air Force Base, Elliot See, Episcopalian, Eva, Exploration, F 104, F 86, Frank Borman, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, George Air Force Base, Governors Island, Gpo, History, Houston, Hungarian Revolution, James Lawton Collins, Jim Irwin, Jim Lovell, Joe Engle, Joesph Collins, John Glenn, John Young, Kate Collins, Lunney, Mcdonnell, Mercury Atlas 6, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Nato, Nellis, New York, Norad, Patricia Finnegan, Protestantism, Puerto Rico, Rendezvous, Rocket, Roman Catholic, Rome, San Antonio, Seamans, Space, St Albans, T 6, Tom Stafford, Usaf Aerospace Research, Washington D C, West Germany, West Point

Sep 25

Space Rocket History #81 – Gemini X with John Young and Mike Collins – Part 2 – Riding the Agena

Posted on September 25, 2014

“At first, the sensation I got was that there was a pop, then there was a big explosion and a clang. We were thrown forward in the seats. We had our shoulder harnesses fastened. Fire and sparks started coming out of the back end of that rascal. The l...

John Young in Gemini 10

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Collins shortly after launch

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 10, Agena 8, Airglow, Amu, Angry Alligator, Apollo, Beta Crucis, Beta Spectrometer, Bremsstrahlung Spectrometer, Capcom, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Charlesworth, Colorado Springs, Docking, Ed White, Eva, Exploration, Eyeballs Out, Gamma Velorum, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gpo, Hawaii, History, Houston, Ilon, Ion Wake, Jim Irwin, John Young, Kollsman, Lunney, Mcdonnell, Mike Collins, Milky Way, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Norad, Red Sea, Rendezvous, Rocket, Rome, South Atlantic Anomaly, Space, Tri Axis Magnetometer

Oct 2

Space Rocket History #82 – Gemini X with John Young and Mike Collins – Part 3

Posted on October 2, 2014

Collins emerged from the spacecraft at dawn. Like Gene Cernan on Gemini IX-A, he found that all tasks took longer than he expected. But he was able to retrieve the package from the exterior of his spacecraft…

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 10, Agena 8, Apollo, Capcom, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Charles Mattews, Charlesworth, Docking, Eva, Exploration, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gpo, Hasselblad, Hawaii, History, Houston, John Young, Lunney, Mcdonnell, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Paul Haney, Rendezvous, Rocket, Shuttle, South Atlantic Anomaly, Space, Space Station, Sunday School, Umbillical

Oct 9

Space Rocket History #83 – Gemini XI With Charles (Pete) Conrad and Richard Gordon – Part 1

Posted on October 9, 2014

Some significant goals had been set for the last two Gemini flights. For example, the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office wanted a rendezvous in the first spacecraft orbit, which would simulate lunar orbit rendezvous. There was also interest in linking ...

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Tagged:A 4d, Agena, Agena 10, Agena 11, Agena 8, Amu, Apollo, Artificial Gravity, Autopilot, Bendix Trophy Race, Capcom, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Charles Mattews, Docking, Eva, Exploration, F 11f, F 4h, F 8u, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gemini Xii, Gordon Cooper, Gpo, Hasselblad, Hawaii, History, Houston, John Young, Lunney, Mcdonnell, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Niel Armstrong, Pete Conrad, Poulsbo, Rendezvous, Richard Gordon, Robert Seamans, Rocket, Seattle, Space, Space Station, Sunday School, Umbillical, Uss Ranger, Vf 121, Vf 96, William Anders

Oct 16

Space Rocket History #84 – Gemini XI With Charles (Pete) Conrad and Richard Gordon – Part 2

Posted on October 16, 2014

Conrad shouted to Gordon “Ride ’em, cowboy!” Gordon was Riding bareback, with his feet and legs wedged between the docked vehicles. In practice sessions in zero-g aircraft flights, Gordon had been able to push himself forward, straddle the reentry a...

Gordon Astride Agena

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 11, Apollo, Artificial Gravity, Capcom, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Charles Mattews, Charlesworth, Docking, Eva, Exploration, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gemini Xii, Gpo, Guenter Wendt, Hawaii, History, Houston, Ivar, James Elms, John Young, Lunney, M Equals 1, Mcdonnell, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Pete Conrad, Rendezvous, Richard Gordon, Rocket, Rose Knot Victor, Space, Tananarive, Tether, Umbillical, Vf 121, William Anders, William Schneider

Oct 23

Space Rocket History #85 – Gemini XI With Charles (Pete) Conrad and Richard Gordon – Part 3

Posted on October 23, 2014

The rotation rate checked out at 55 degrees per minute, and the crew could now test for a minute amount of artificial gravity. When they put a camera against the instrument panel and then let it go, it moved in a straight line to the rear of the cock...

Recovery of G11

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 11, Apollo, Artificial Gravity, Bean, Canary Islands, Capcom, Cape Kennedy, Carnarvon, Cernan, Charles Mattews, Charlesworth, Coincident Orbit, Computer Controlled Reentry, Docking, Eva, Exploration, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gemini Xii, Gpo, Gravity Gradient, Hawaii, History, Houston, John Young, Lunney, M Equals 1, Mcdonnell, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Pete Conrad, Pps, Rendezvous, Richard Gordon, Rocket, Rose Knot Victor, Space, Stafford, Tananarive, Tether, Umbillical, Uss Guam, Velcro, William Schneider

Oct 30

Space Rocket History #86 – Gemini XII With Jim Lovell and and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin – Part 1

Posted on October 30, 2014

When the Gemini IX-A Agena fell into the Atlantic Ocean, Gemini XII was threatened with a major hardware shortage of an Agena and an Atlas to launch it. Replacing the Agena was no real problem. Lockheed’s first production model, 5001, used for devel...

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 12, Agena 5001, Amu, Apollo, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Kennedy, Cernan, Charles Mattews, Charlesworth, Colonel John Albert, Computer Controlled Reentry, Docking, Edwin Aldrin, Eva, Exploration, Francis Carey, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 12, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Mission Review Board, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gemini Xii, Gpo, Gravity Gradient, Hawaii, History, Houston, John Young, Keplerian Trajectory, Langley Research Center, Lunney, M Equals 1, Major General Ben Funk, Maryland, Mcdonnell, Mcdonogh, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Pete Conrad, Rendezvous, Richard Gordon, Rocket, Space, Stafford, Tether, Umbillical, William Schneider

Nov 6

Space Rocket History #87 – Gemini XII With Jim Lovell and and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin – Part 2

Posted on November 6, 2014

In space, Jim and Buzz began to wonder if everything had been shut down too soon. For 25 minutes, with one brief exception, they heard nothing from the ground. The Ascension Island tracking station had the wrong acquisition time, so its communicators...

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 12, Apollo, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Kennedy, Charles Mattews, Charlesworth, Coastal Sentry Qebec, Computer Controlled Reentry, Conrad, Csq, Docking, Edwin Aldrin, Eva, Exploration, Fuel Cell, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 12, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Mission Review Board, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gemini Xii, Gpo, Gravity Gradient, Hawaii, History, Houston, James Bates, John Young, Keplerian Trajectory, Langley Research Center, Lima Peru, Lunney, Mcdonnell, Mcdonogh, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Mit, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, Pps, Rendezvous, Richard Gordon, Rocket, Space, T 2, Tether, Umbillical, William Schneider

Nov 13

Space Rocket History #88 – Gemini XII With Jim Lovell and and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin – Part 3

Posted on November 13, 2014

We left off last week after Buzz Aldrin’s third and final EVA. The hard work for the Gemini 12 mission was now complete. Even with the problems with the radar, the Agena main engines, and the fuel cells, Gemini XII as a whole had gone very well…

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Tagged:Agena, Agena 12, Apollo, Apollo 13, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Kennedy, Charles Mattews, Charlesworth, Christopher Kraft, Coastal Sentry Qebec, Computer Controlled Reentry, Conrad, Csq, Docking, Edwin Aldrin, Eva, Exploration, Fuel Cell, Gatv, Gemini 10, Gemini 12, Gemini 4, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Gemini 8, Gemini 9, Gemini 9a, Gemini Ix, Gemini Ix A, Gemini Ixa, Gemini Mission Review Board, Gemini Project, Gemini Project Office, Gemini V, Gemini Vi, Gemini Viii, Gemini X, Gemini Xii, Gpo, Gravity Gradient, Grumman, Hawaii, History, Homer Newell, Houston, Howard Tindall, Ibm 7094, James Bates, Jfk, John Glen, John Young, Joseph Loftus, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Lbj, Leonov, Lima Peru, Lunar Module, Lunney, Lyndon Johnson, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mcdonnell, Mcdonogh, Mercury, Mike Collins, Mission Control Center, Mit, Moon, Msc, Mueller, Nasa, North American, Paraglider, Pps, Rendezvous, Richard Gordon, Rocket, Rolf Lanzkron, Soviet, Space, T 2, Tether, Umbillical, Uss Wasp, William Schneider, Wright Brothers

Nov 20

Space Rocket History #89 – The Death of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev – Part 1

Posted on November 20, 2014

His power, influence, and responsibilities during the 1950s and 60s were all encompassing. Not only was he in charge of all space-related issues, he was also in charge of some of the design of rockets for military purposes as well. He oversaw the des...

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Tagged:Gird, Glusko, Goddard, History, Icbm, Korolev, Mittelwerke, Nazi, Nizhyn, Peenemunde, R 7, R7, Rnii, Rocket, Rp 318, Russia, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, Soviet, Space, This Entry Was Posted In Podcast And Tagged Exploration, Tupolev, Von Braun, Weapons

Apr 25

Space Rocket History #9 – Sputnik 1

Posted on April 25, 2013

“We had absolute confidence in Comrade Korolev. We believed him when he told us that his rocket would not only fly, but that is would travel 7000 kilometers. When he expounded or defended his ideas, you could see passion burning in his eyes, and hi...

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Tagged:History, Icbm, Korolev, Peenemunde, R 7, R7, Rocket, Russia, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, Von Braun

Nov 26

Space Rocket History #90 – The Death of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev – Part 2

Posted on November 26, 2014

Sergei Korolev’s life paralleled in many ways the life of Wernher Von Braun. Like Von Braun, as a young man, Sergei Korolev was inspired to dedicate his life to the technology for space exploration after becoming acquainted with the work of a great s...

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Dec 4

Space Rocket History #91 – The Death of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev – Part 3

Posted on December 4, 2014

Around noon on January 14th, Boris Chertok was alone in his office studying a folder of classified mail that had accumulated during the past few days. He had asked not to be disturbed. Suddenly his subordinate ran in and shouted, “Sergey Pavlovich di...

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Tagged:Boris Vasiliyevich Petrovskiy, Brezhnev, Central Committee, Chertok, Chief Designer, Gagarin, Gird, Glusko, Goddard, History, Icbm, Korolev, Kremlin, Leonid Smirnov, Leonov, Mittelwerke, Nazi, Nina Ivanovna, Nizhyn, Peenemunde, R 7, R7, Rnii, Rocket, Rp 318, Russia, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, Soviet, Space, Stalin, This Entry Was Posted In Podcast And Tagged Exploration, Tupolev, Vasily Mishin, Von Braun, Weapons

Jan 29

Space Rocket History #98 – Apollo Beginnings

Posted on January 29, 2015

President Kennedy proposed the manned lunar landing as the focus of the US space program but, at the time of his address, only one American, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. had been into space, on a suborbital lob shot lasting 15 minutes. No rocket launch vehic...

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Tagged:Abe Silverstein, Abraham Hyatt, Air Force, Ames, Apollo, Army, Caldwell Johnson, Cape Kennedy, Circumlunar, Csq, Docking, Eisenhower, Eldon Hall, Exploration, F 1, Gatv, Gemini, Gemini Project, George Sutton, Glennon, Goddard, Goett, History, Homer Newell, Houston, Jfk, John Hodge, Jpl, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Lbj, Lewis, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lyndon Johnson, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Max Faget, Mercury, Mit, Moon, Naca, Nasa, Nova, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Robert Piland, Rocket, Rocketdyne, Saturn, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Sputnik, Strass, Thomas Muse, Von Braun, William Schneider, X 15

Feb 5

Space Rocket History #99 – Apollo: The Opposition

Posted on February 5, 2015

The goal of the nation’s space program should be the scientific exploration of the moon and the planets but also to recognize that nontechnical factors are vital to public acceptance of a space program. Human exploration of the moon and planets would...