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...

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

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...

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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

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. ...

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

Aug 27

Space Rocket History #127 – Apollo Mission Control: Christopher Columbus Kraft – Part 1

Posted on August 27, 2015

Christopher Columbus Kraft Jr. was Born on February 28, 1924 in a town that no longer exist, Phoebus, Virginia. The town has now been engulfed by Hampton, Virginia. Kraft was named after his father, Christopher Columbus Kraft, who was born in New Yor...

3-Christopher_Kraft,_flight_director_during_Project_Mercury,_works_at_his_console_inside_the_Flight_Control_area_at_Mercury_Mission_Control

2-Wally Schirra (right) consults the flight plan for his Mercury-Atlas-8 (MA-8) mission with Flight Director Chris Kraft

1-Chris Kraft and Rober Gilruth

Tagged:Alan Shepard, American Legion, Apollo, Atlas, Bugle Corp, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Christopher Kraft, Chuck Mathews, Columbus, Corps Of Cadets, Eisenhower, Enos, Exploration, Flight Director, Gagarin, Gemini, Gus Grissom, Ham, Hampton, History, John Glenn, Manned Spacecraft Center, Mercury, Mercury Redstone 2, Mercury Atlas 4, Mercury Atlas 5, Midas, Msc, Naca, Nasa, New York City, Phoebus, Prop Wash, Redstone, Robert Gilruth, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Sputnik 1, University Of Kentucky, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wingtip Vortices, Yuri Gagarin

Sep 3

Space Rocket History #128 – Apollo Mission Control: Christopher Columbus Kraft – Part 2

Posted on September 3, 2015

At the beginning of the Apollo program, Kraft retired as a flight director to concentrate on management and mission planning. In 1972, he became director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, following the path of his mentor Robert Gilruth.

3-Robert F. Thompson (center) and Christopher C. Kraft Jr. (right) brief Rear Admiral W.C. Abhau

2-Kraft with his new flight directors before the Gemini 4 mission Clockwise from lower right Kraft, Gene Kranz, Glynn Lunney and John Hodge

1-Kraft Kranz Gemini Fuel Cell problem

Tagged:Alan Shepard, American Legion, Apollo, Apollo 11, Apollo 13, Apollo 8, Atlas, Betty Turnbull, Bugle Corp, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Christopher C Kraft Jr Mission Control Center, Christopher Kraft, Chuck Mathews, Columbus, Ed White, Eisenhower, Episcopalian, Exploration, Flight Director, Gagarin, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 7, Gene Kranz, George Low, Glynn S Lunney, Goddard Memorial Trophy, Gordon Kraft, Gus Grissom, Ham, Hampton, Heat Shield, History, John Glenn, John Hodge, John J Montgomery Award, John Mccain, Kristi Anne Kraft, Manned Spacecraft Center, Max Faget, Mercury, Mercury Atlas 6, Mercury Atlas 7, Midas, Msc, Naca, Nasa, Nasa Distinguished Service Medals, Nasa Outstanding Leadership Medal, New York City, Phoebus, Prop Wash, Redstone, Robert Gilruth, Rotary National Award For Space Achievement, Scott Carpenter, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Sputnik 1, Sy Liebergot, University Of Kentucky, Us Navy, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wally Schirra, Wingtip Vortices, Yuri Gagarin

Sep 10

Space Rocket History #129 – Apollo Mission Control: An Introduction to Eugene Frances Kranz

Posted on September 10, 2015

As Procedures Officer, Kranz was put in charge of integrating Mercury Control with the Launch Control Team at Cape Canaveral, Florida, writing the “Go/NoGo” procedures that allowed missions to continue as planned or be aborted, along with serving as ...

3-Kranz and his teacher Kraft

2-Kranz at his console on May 30, 1965, in the Mission Operations Control Room, Mission Control Center, Houston

1-Kranz-F86 Sabre Cat

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Apollo, Apollo 11, Apollo 13, Apollo 8, Atlas, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Christopher C Kraft Jr Mission Control Center, Christopher Kraft, Chuck Mathews, Exploration, Flight Director, Gagarin, Gemini, Gemini 4, Gemini 7, Gene Kranz, George Low, Glynn S Lunney, Gus Grissom, Hampton, History, John Glenn, John Hodge, Manned Spacecraft Center, Max Faget, Mercury, Mercury Atlas 6, Mercury Atlas 7, Msc, Nasa, Nasa Distinguished Service Medals, Redstone, Robert Gilruth, Rotary National Award For Space Achievement, Scott Carpenter, Soviet, Space, Space Task Group, Wally Schirra, Yuri Gagarin

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...

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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

Sep 17

Space Rocket History #130 – Apollo 1: Preparation

Posted on September 17, 2015

While flight-preparation crews were having problems, Grissom, White, and Chaffee were finding bottlenecks in training activities. The chief problem was keeping the Apollo mission simulator current with changes being made in spacecraft 012.

3-Astronauts Grissom, Chaffee, and White check the communications headgear in preparation for what was to have been the first manned Apollo flight – Apollo-Saturn 204, scheduled for 21 February 1967

2-CM-012 – Apollo One- arrives at Kennedy Space Center, 26 August 1966

1-Command module 012 and service module 012 in workstands at the North American Aviation plant, Downey, in 1965

Tagged:Apollo 1, As 204, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charlie Feltz, Charlie Frick, Downey, Ed White, Exploration, Gemini, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, Jim Lovell, John Paup, John Shinkle, Joseph Kotanchik, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Manned Spacecraft Center, Max Faget, Mercury, Msc, Nasa, New York Times, Norm Ryker, North American Aviation, Robert Gilruth, Roger Chaffe, Soviet, Space, Von Braun, William Bland

Oct 1

Space Rocket History #131 – Apollo 1: Astronauts – Part 1- Grissom & White

Posted on October 1, 2015

“So the reason I took those symbols was that I think this was the most important thing I had going for me, and I felt that while I couldn’t take one for every religion in the country, I could take the three I was most familiar with.” Ed. White

Chaffee, White, and Grissom

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the-Apollo-1-launch-pad-fire-that-killed-astronauts-Gus-Grissom-Roger-Chaffee-and-Ed-White-celebrities-who-died-young-31704639-1372-740

Tagged:Apollo 1, As 204, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charlie Feltz, Charlie Frick, Downey, Ed White, Exploration, Gemini, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, Jim Lovell, John Paup, John Shinkle, Joseph Kotanchik, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Manned Spacecraft Center, Max Faget, Mercury, Msc, Nasa, New York Times, Norm Ryker, North American Aviation, Robert Gilruth, Roger Chaffe, Soviet, Space, Von Braun, William Bland

Oct 8

Space Rocket History #132 – Apollo 1: Astronauts – Part 2 – Chaffee

Posted on October 8, 2015

“On my honor I will do my best, To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” The Boy Scout Oath.

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1-Chaffee at the consoles in Mission Control during the Gemini 3 mission

Tagged:Apollo 1, As 204, Buzz Aldrin, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charlie Feltz, Charlie Frick, Don Chaffee, Downey, Ed White, Exploration, Gemini, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Greenville, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, Jim Lovell, John Paup, John Shinkle, Joseph Kotanchik, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Manned Spacecraft Center, Martha Chaffee, Max Faget, Mercury, Michigan, Msc, Nasa, New York Times, Norm Ryker, North American Aviation, Purdue, Robert Gilruth, Roger Chaffe, Roger Chaffee, Soviet, Space, Von Braun, William Bland

Oct 15

Space Rocket History #133 – Apollo 1: Plugs Out – Part 1 – The Fire

Posted on October 15, 2015

The “Plugs Out” test scheduled for Jan 27, 1967 was not the first time that spacecraft 12 had been put through a simulated run with people on board…

1-1024px-AS-204_-_hatch

3-PrimeandBackupCrews

2-PrimeCrewAltitudeChamberTest

Tagged:Apollo 1, As 204, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charlie Feltz, Charlie Frick, Don Chaffee, Downey, Ed White, Exploration, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Manned Spacecraft Center, Martha Chaffee, Max Faget, Msc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Purdue, Robert Gilruth, Roger Chaffee, Soviet, Space, Von Braun, William Bland

Oct 22

Space Rocket History #134 – Apollo 1: Plugs Out – Part 2 – The Price of Progress

Posted on October 22, 2015

When Deke Slayton and Stu Roosa arrived at pad 34 they saw ambulances waiting in vain at the base of the launch tower. They boarded the small elevator and rode to level A-8, 218 feet up, and headed across the swing arm to the clean room…

3-apollo

2-c216a

1-Apollo_1’s_Command_Module_-_GPN-2003-00057

Tagged:Alan Bean, Apollo 1, Arlington National Cemetery, As 204, Babbitt, Betty Grissom, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charlie Feltz, Charlie Frick, Chris Kraft, Clemmons, Dave Scott, Deke Slayton, Don Chaffee, Downey, Ed White, Exploration, Gemini, George Low, George Mueller, Gilruth, Gleaves, Gus Grissom, Harrison Storms, Hawkins, History, Houston, Jo Schirra, John Glen, Joseph Shea, Kurt Debus, Manned Spacecraft Center, Martha Chaffee, Max Faget, Mercury, Mike Collins, Msc, Nasa, Neil Armstrong, North American Aviation, Pat White, Purdue, Reese, Robert Gilruth, Roger Chaffee, Rogers, Soviet, Space, Stu Roosa, Von Braun, West Point, William Bland

Oct 29

Space Rocket History #135 – Apollo 1: The Investigation

Posted on October 29, 2015

The tragedy of Apollo 1 was widely reported in the Soviet Union. The Soviets sent condolences and letters to the families of the men who had died. But, the Soviet Press criticized the US for an overzealous attempt to send men to the moon.

CM parts were studied and catalogued in the Pyrotechnics Installation Building at Kennedy Space Center.

The CM wiring harness goes through x-ray inspection.

apollo-1-disassembly

Tagged:Apollo 1, Apollo 204 Review Board, Apollo Review Board, As 204, Atwood, Bondarenko, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charlie Feltz, Charlie Frick, Chris Kraft, Clemmons, Clinton P Anderson, Don Chaffee, Downey, Ed White, Exploration, Feltz, Floyd Thompson, Frank Borman, Gene Kranz, General Phillips, George Low, George Mueller, George P Miller, Gilruth, Glynn S Lunney, Gus Grissom, Harrison Storms, History, Houston, James Webb, Joe Shea, Joseph Shea, Launch Complex 34, Lbj, Leonov, Manned Spacecraft Center, Max Faget, Mishin, Msc, Nasa, North American Aviation, Olin Teague, Pad 34, President Johnson, Robert Gilruth, Robert Seamans, Roger Chaffee, Soviet, Space, Spacecraft 12, Spacecraft 14, Thompson Board, Tiger Teague, Van Dolah, Walter Mondale, West Point

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

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

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 15

Space Rocket History #25 – Mercury Redstone 3 – Freedom 7 with Alan Shepard

Posted on August 15, 2013

Over 52 years ago, in the early hours of May 5th, 1961 the US prepared to launch its first man into space. Three weeks earlier, the Soviet Union had sent Yuri Gagarin on an orbital mission. This was a suborbital mission planed to last only 15 minutes...

WhiteRoom

tumblr_ma6ui4M49C1r6kbseo1_500

The_Celebration_for_Freedom_7_at_Huntsville,_Alabama_

SurvivalEquipment

shepard_freedom7_big

mercurycontrolPanel

mercury8

mercury7

mercury5

mercury3

kennedy-awarding-medal-to-astronaut-shepard

Kennedy,_Johnson,_and_others_watching_flight_of_Astronaut_Shepard_on_television,_05_May_1961

freedom7redstone

Freedom_7_Diagram

Freedom_7_Diagram – Copy

Untitled

Astronaut_Alan_Shepard_1961 – Copy

Alan_Shepard_pouso – Copy

Alan_Shepard_in_Mercury_flight_suit – Copy

800px-Mr3-flight-timeline – Copy

448px-Shepard_in_Space_Suit_MSFC-6417073 – Copy

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Atlas, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Deke Slayton, Distinguished Service Medal, Dryden, Electrocardiograph, Exploration, Explorer 1, Freedom 7, Gagarin, Gilruth, Goddard Space Flight Center, Gordon Cooper, Gus, Hangar S, History, Huntsville, Inverter, James Webb, Joe Schmitt, John Glenn, Liquid Oxygen, Lyndon, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury Redstone 3, Nasa, President Kennedy, Project Adam, Respirometer, Soviet, Space, Space Task Force, Umbilical Cable, Vice President Johnson, Virgil Grissom, Von Braun, Wally Schirra, Werner, Why Dont You Fix Your Little Problem And Light This Candle

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

is

Gherman_Titov_2

1

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

Sep 12

Space Rocket History #29 – Mercury-Atlas 5 With Enos

Posted on September 12, 2013

Following the successful suborbital missions of Allan Shepard and Gus Grissom, NASA believed the Mercury capsule was ready for an orbital mission. But, there was a problem, the Redstone booster did not have the power to place the Mercury capsule int...

Enos-MA-5a

t189

space rocket history pic18

Mercury-Atlas_5_display

Atlas_D_with_Mercury-Atlas_5_(Nov._29_1961)

163088main_unmanned-collage

Tagged:1 5 Stage, 34 Degree, Alan Shepard, Arguello, Atlas, Atlas D, Balloon Tank, Bermuda, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Christopher Kraft, Compton, Couch Suit, Enos, Exploration, Flight Director, Gagarin, Gimbaled, Gus Grissom, History, Holloman, Icbm, John Glenn, Korolev, Mercury, Mercury Atlas 4, Mercury Atlas 5, Midas, Muchea, Nasa, One Stage To Orbit, Psychomotor, Redstone, Samos, Soviet, Space, Stage And A Half, Stormes, Sustainer, Titov, University Of Kentucky, Wd 40, Woomera

Mar 6

Space Rocket History #292 – Space 1970 – Venera 7

Posted on March 6, 2019

The VENERA 7 lander was the hardiest of the Soviet Venus probes yet built. Its creators wanted the vessel to land on the planet’s surface in working order. Venera 7 in the testing and assembly areaReproduction of Venera 7 lander Molniya-M (R7 8K78M)

P3-Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M)

P2-Reproduction of the descent vehicle of the Venera 7

P1-Venera 7 in the testing and assembly area, 1970. SVF2 : GETTY

Tagged:Molniya, Russian, Soviet, Venera 7, Venus

Sep 19

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

Posted on September 19, 2013

“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....

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 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...

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 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 31

Space Rocket History #36 – Mariner 2 and Relay 1

Posted on October 31, 2013

During the summer of 1962 final preparations were underway for the first U.S. attempt to reach another planet. The planet was Venus, Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. This first flight would be accomplished by the JPL built Mariner 2 spacecraft…

space rocket history pic34

nasa_mariner2_float

Mariner_2_launch

Mariner_2_in_space

Diagram_of_Mariner_1_or_2_with_Atlas-Angena_launch_vehicle

413718main_g-64-1573

Tagged:1964 Summer Olympics, Agena, Ariel 1, Atlas, Atlas Agena, Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Kennedy, Cosmic Dust Detector, Cosmic Ray Detector, Earth, Echo 1, Exploration, Flyby, History, Japan, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jpl, Kennedy Assassination, Launch Complex 12, Life Of The Late John F Kennedy, Magnetometer, Mariner 2, Nasa, Particle Detector, President Kennedy, Radio Corporation Of America, Ranger, Ranger 4, Rca, Record, Relay 1, Solar Plasma Spectrometer, Solar Wind, Soviet, Space, Syncom 3, Telstar 1, Tokyo, Venus, White House, Winston Churchill

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

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

32

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

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 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

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

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 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 3

Space Rocket History #57 – First Gemini Manned Mission – Gemini 3 with Gus Grissom and John Young

Posted on April 3, 2014

The precise scope of the Gemini 3 mission remained uncertain until very nearly the eve of flight. In April of 1963, the GT-3 mission directive was “to demonstrate and evaluate the capabilities of the spacecraft and launch vehicle system, and the proc...

gemin3 panel

Gemini3youngandgriss

Gemini3

Gemini3_water_training

Astronaut_John_Young_gemini_3

Astronaut Roger B. Chaffee is shown at console in the Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas during the Gemini-Titan 3 flight.

800px-S65-18058

799px-Gemini3_crew

Tagged:C 124, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Crusader Iii, Dei, Ellington Air Force Base, Exploration, F 4, Gemini, Glv 3, Gt 3, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, John Young, Liberty Bell 7, Ling Temco Vought, Mcdonnell, Mercury 7, Molly Brown, Nasa, Nebraska Wesleyan University In Lincoln, Oams, Pregnant Guppy, Robert Gilruth, Sea Of Japan, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, St Louis, Thomas P Stafford, Uss Laws, Walter Schirra, Xf8u

Apr 10

Space Rocket History #58 – Corned Beef Controversy – Gemini 3 with Gus Grissom and John Young – Part 2

Posted on April 10, 2014

Grissom – What is it? Young: Corned beef sandwich. Grissom: Where did it come from? Young: I brought it with me. Let’s see how it tastes. Smells, doesn’t it. Grissom: Yes, its breaking up. I’m going to stick it in my pocket. Young: Is it? It was...

Gemini3 Carrier

Gemini 3 View

569462main_eagle_has_landed

Unsinkable

Launching of the first manned Gemini flight.

Tagged:C 124, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Cocoa Beach, Corned Beef, Crusader Iii, Dei, Ellington Air Force Base, Exploration, F 4, Gemini, Glv 3, Gordon Cooper, Gt 3, Gus Grissom, History, Houston, Intrepid, John Young, Liberty Bell 7, Ling Temco Vought, Mcdonnell, Mercury 7, Molly Brown, Nasa, Nebraska Wesleyan University In Lincoln, Oams, Oxidizer, Pregnant Guppy, Robert Gilruth, Sea Of Japan, Seco, Soviet, Space, Sputnik, St Louis, Thomas P Stafford, Uss Laws, Walter Schirra, William Schneider, Xf8u

Apr 17

Space Rocket History #59 – Ranger 8-9, and Intelsat I

Posted on April 17, 2014

In total Ranger 9 transmitted 5,814 good contrast photographs during the final 19 minutes of flight. The last image taken before impact had a resolution of 0.3 meters per pixel. The spacecraft encountered the lunar surface after 64.5 hours of flight....

Sea of Tranquillity on the Moon from 11 km, 5 seconds before impact

Rilles on the Floor of Alphonus Crater

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ranger

Ranger 9

INTELSAT_I_(Early_Bird)

First picture of the Moon taken by Ranger 8

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Tagged:Agena, Alphonus, Altair, Andover, Apollo 11, Atlas, Block 3, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Charles Cole, Communications Satellite Corporation, Comsat, Delta, Delta D, Delta C, Early Bird, Exploration, Gemini 6, History, Huges, Intelsat, Jpl, Moon, Nasa, Ranger 8, Ranger 9, Soviet, Space, Telemetry, Thor

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

Apr 24

Space Rocket History #60 – Gemini IV with James McDivitt and Edward White – Part 1

Posted on April 24, 2014

The success of Gus Grissom and John Young’s Gemini 3 flight paved the way for long duration space missions. The longest U.S. manned space flight to date was Gordon Cooper’s 34 hour Mercury flight. The Soviets, however, had four long duration flights ...

James_McDivitt_-_Gemini_4

Gemini 4

Gemini 4 Astronauts

Ed White

Gemini 4 astronauts

Tagged:Aerodynamics, Agena, Air Force Survival School, Anatomy And Physiology, Astronaut Group 2, Astronomy, Atlas, Bad Tolz Germany, C 124, C 131, C 135, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Cocoa Beach, Deke Slayton, Edward H White, Edward H White Ii, Edward Higgins White, Edwards Air Force Base, Eva, Exploration, F 100, F 100f, F 80, F 86, F 86 Sabre Jet, 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, Guidance And Navigation, Gus Grissom, Hand Held Maneuvering Unit, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, James A Mcdivitt, James Lovell, James Webb, John Glenn, John Young, Jr, Kleinknecht, Manned Space Center, Manned Spacecraft Operations, Mcdonnell, Mcguire Air Force Base, Mercury 7, Meteorology, Msc, Nasa, Robert Gilruth, Robert M White, Saturn, Seamans, Soviet, Space, St Louis, T 6 Trainer, Titan, Tyndall Air Force Base, U S Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School, Vacuum Chamber, Voskhod Ii, West Point, Wright Patterson, X 15

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

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 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

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

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

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…

p-1G12Patch

LovelAldrinRecovery

Gemini12Into Sun

gemini_xii_mission

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...

Молодой_Королёв

Sergey_Korolyov_boy_1912

Korolyov_in_cockpitof glider

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...

GPN-2002-000184

732px-Sputnik_asm

446px-Sputnik_1

180px-Sputnik_8K71PS_grey.svg

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...

Korolev

Korolev_Kurchatov_Keldysh

gagarin_koroljow_473572652

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

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...

1280px-Soviet_Union-1969-Stamp-0.10._Sergei_Korolev

1024px-S.P.Korolev_monument_in_Baykonur_city_03.2006

640px-RIAN_archive_337493_Monument_to_Sergei_Korolyov_in_Cosmonauts_Alley_in_Moscow

640px-Monument_to_S.P._Korolev_in_Korolyov_city

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...

c012a

GilruthThompsonGlennan

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c002a

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...

glenn-kennedy_300_241_s_c1

ST-69-4-63

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Alfred Sloan, Apollo, Brainerd Holmes, Cape Kennedy, Circumlunar, Clinton Anderson, Congress, Docking, Eisenhower, Exploration, Gagarin, Gemini Project, Goett, History, Houston, Hugh Dryden, James Killian, James Webb, Jerome Wiesner, Jfk, Jpl, Kennedy, Kieth Glennan, Lbj, Lunar, Lunar Module, Lyndon Johnson, Manned Spacecraft Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Mercury, Moon, Nasa, Philip Abelson, Project Apollo, Rendezvous, Rocket, Saturn, Sky Scientist, Soviet, Space, Space Science Board, Space Task Group, Sputnik, Strass, Urgent National Needs, Von Braun, Warren Weaver

Dec 31

Space Rocket History an Encore Presentation of Episode #23 – Vostok 1 with Yuri Gagarin

Posted on December 31, 2015

“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...

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

Jun 24

Space Rocket History an Encore Presentation of Episode #25 – Mercury Redstone 3 – Freedom 7 with Alan Shepard

Posted on June 24, 2015

Over 52 years ago, in the early hours of May 5th, 1961 the US prepared to launch its first man into space. Three weeks earlier, the Soviet Union had sent Yuri Gagarin on an orbital mission. This was a suborbital mission planed to last only 15 minutes...

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Atlas, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Deke Slayton, Distinguished Service Medal, Dryden, Electrocardiograph, Exploration, Explorer 1, Freedom 7, Gagarin, Gilruth, Goddard Space Flight Center, Gordon Cooper, Gus, Hangar S, History, Huntsville, Inverter, James Webb, Joe Schmitt, John Glenn, Liquid Oxygen, Lyndon, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury Redstone 3, Nasa, President Kennedy, Project Adam, Respirometer, Soviet, Space, Space Task Force, Umbilical Cable, Vice President Johnson, Virgil Grissom, Von Braun, Wally Schirra, Werner, Why Dont You Fix Your Little Problem And Light This Candle

Sep 24

Space Rocket History an Encore Presentation of Episode #27 – Mercury-Redstone 4 – Liberty Bell 7 with Gus Grissom

Posted on September 24, 2015

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...

Tagged:Alan Shepard, Atlas, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Deke Slayton, Distinguished Service Medal, Dryden, Electrocardiograph, Exploration, Explorer 1, Freedom 7, Gagarin, Gilruth, Goddard Space Flight Center, Gordon Cooper, Gus, Hangar S, History, Huntsville, Inverter, James Webb, Joe Schmitt, John Glenn, Liquid Oxygen, Lyndon, Mercury, Mercury 7, Mercury Redstone 3, Nasa, President Kennedy, Project Adam, Respirometer, Soviet, Space, Space Task Force, Umbilical Cable, Vice President Johnson, Virgil Grissom, Von Braun, Wally Schirra, Werner, Why Dont You Fix Your Little Problem And Light This Candle

Jun 30

Space Rocket History an Encore Presentation of Episode #42 – Satellite Killer – Polyot-1

Posted on June 30, 2016

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…

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

Nov 26

Space Rocket History an Encore Presentation of Episode #44 – Voskhod-1with Kamarov, Yegorov, and Feoktistov – Part 1

Posted on November 26, 2015

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 ...

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

Episodes Tagged with "Soviet"