| astronautix.com | May 18 |
1930 - Nation: USA.
1959 - Nation: USA. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Complex: LC14. Launch Vehicle: Atlas D. LV Configuration: Atlas 7D. FAILURE: Launcher System Failure.
1963 - - 22:21 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: LC75-3-5. Launch Vehicle: TA Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor 2C s/n 364 / Agena D s/n 1165.
KH-6. Second launch of KH-6. Operation was successful but no film was used. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
1964 - - 09:50 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Voskhod 11A57.
High resolution photo reconnaissance satellite; returned film capsule References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
1965 - Nation: USA. Launch Site: Edwards . Launch Vehicle: X-15A-2. LV Configuration: X-15 No. 2 Flight 38.
Maximum Speed - 5697 kph. Maximum Altitude - 31120 m. References: 38 , 49 , 97 .
1965 - - 18:02 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: LC75-3-4. Launch Vehicle: TA Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor 2C s/n 438 / Agena D SS-01B s/n 1615.
KH-4A. Aft camera ceased operation on pass 102. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
1966 - Nation: USA. Launch Site: Edwards . Launch Vehicle: X-15A-2. LV Configuration: X-15 No. 2 Flight 44.
Maximum Speed - 5936 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30170 m. References: 38 , 49 , 97 .
1967 - - 09:05 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: SLC5. Launch Vehicle: Scout A. LV Configuration: Scout A s/n S156C.
Named as part of Transit satellite series. Actually different spacecraft for auroral and ionospheric research and not part of the navigation system. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
1968 - - 08:23 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: SLC2E. Launch Vehicle: LT Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thorad 2L s/n 520 / Agena D s/n 6221 (TA9). FAILURE: Control lost after 121 sec.
Launched with Secor 10. References: 5 , 126 .
1969 - Nation: USA. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Complex: LC39B. Launch Vehicle: Saturn V. LV Configuration: Saturn V s/n SA-505.
Final dress rehearsal in lunar orbit for landing on moon. LM separated and descended to 10 km from surface of moon but did not land. Apollo 10 (AS-505) - with crew members Thomas P. Stafford, Eugene A. Cernan, and John W. Young aboard - lifted off from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, KSC, at 12:49 p.m. EDT on the first lunar orbital mission with complete spacecraft. The Saturn V's S-IVB stage and the spacecraft were inserted into an earth parking orbit of 189.9 by 184.4 kilometers while the onboard systems were checked. The S-IVB engine was then ignited at 3:19 p.m. EDT to place the spacecraft in a trajectory toward the moon. One-half hour later the CSM separated from the S-IVB, transposed, and docked with the lunar module. At 4:29 p.m. the docked spacecraft were ejected, a separation maneuver was performed, and the S-IVB was placed in a solar orbit by venting residual propellants. TV coverage of docking procedures was transmitted to the Goldstone, Calif., tracking station for worldwide, commercial viewing.
On May 19 the crew elected not to make the first of a series of midcourse maneuvers. A second preplanned midcourse correction that adjusted the trajectory to coincide with a July lunar landing trajectory was executed at 3:19 p.m. The maneuver was so accurate that preplanned third and fourth midcourse corrections were canceled. During the translunar coast, five color TV transmissions totaling 72 minutes were made of the spacecraft and the earth.
At 4:49 p.m. EDT on May 21 the spacecraft was inserted into a lunar orbit of 110.4 by 315.5 kilometers. After two revolutions of tracking and ground updates, a maneuver circularized the orbit at 109.1 by 113.9 kilometers. Astronaut Cernan then entered the LM, checked all systems, and returned to the CM for the scheduled sleep period.
On May 22 activation of the lunar module systems began at 11:49 a.m. EDT. At 2:04 p.m. the spacecraft were undocked and at 4:34 p.m. the LM was inserted into a descent orbit. One hour later the LM made a low-level pass at an altitude of 15.4 kilometers over the planned site for the first lunar landing. The test included a test of the landing radar, visual observation of lunar lighting, stereo photography of the moon, and execution of a phasing maneuver using the descent engine. The lunar module returned to dock successfully with the CSM following the eight-hour separation, and the LM crew returned to the CSM.
The LM ascent stage was jettisoned, its batteries were burned to depletion, and it was placed in a solar orbit on May 23. The crew then prepared for the return trip to earth and after 61.5 hours in lunar orbit a service propulsion system TEI burn injected the CSM into a trajectory toward the earth. During the return trip the astronauts made star-lunar landmark sightings, star-earth horizon navigation sightings, and live television transmissions.
Apollo 10 splashed down in the Pacific at 12:52 p.m. EDT on May 26, 5.4 kilometers from the recovery ship. The crew was picked up and reached the recovery ship U.S.S. Princeton at 1:31 p.m. All primary mission objectives of evaluating performance and support and the detailed test objectives were achieved. Additional Details: Apollo 10. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 16 , 26 , 27 , 33 , 60 .
1970 - Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC110L. Launch Vehicle: N1.
US reconnsat detects N1 being installed on the pad. It remained there, without payload, at least through 4 June. References: 96 .
1971 - - 08:09 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Voskhod 11A57.
High resolution photo reconnaissance satellite; returned film capsule; maneuverable. References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
1973 - - 11:02 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
First flight of Soyuz U launch vehicle. High resolution photo reconnaissance satellite; returned film capsule; maneuverable. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
1976 - - 13:40 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Vehicle: Vostok 8A92M.
Continuation of experimental work in studying the natural resources of the earth. References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
1980 - Nation: China. Launch Site: Jiuquan .
From Jiuquan to Pacific ocean, 10,000 km away. RV recovered. References: 87 .
1981 - - 12:00 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Area survey photo reconnaissance; returned film in two small SpK capsules during the mission and with the main capsule at completion of the mission. References: 1 , 2 , 6 , 69 .
1982 - - 23:50 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC200L. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K / 11S86. LV Configuration: Proton 8K82K s/n 310-02 / 11S86 s/n 28L.
Stationed at 80 deg E. Investigation of outer space; experiments in relaying telegraph and telephone information in the centimetre wavelength range. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 112 , 274 .
1984 - Nation: USSR.
Installed solar array. References: 66 .
1985 - - 22:28 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC200L. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K / 11S861. LV Configuration: Proton 8K82K s/n 330-02 / 11S861 s/n 7L.
Glonass. Testing components and apparatus from the space navigation system being set up to determine the position of Soviet civil aircraft and vessels in the Soviet merchant marine and fishing fleet. Three satellites launched by a single rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 274 .
Glonass. Testing components and apparatus from the space navigation system being set up to determine the position of Soviet civil aircraft and vessels in the Soviet merchant marine and fishing fleet. Three satellites launched by a single rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 274 .
Glonass. Testing components and apparatus from the space navigation system being set up to determine the position of Soviet civil aircraft and vessels in the Soviet merchant marine and fishing fleet. Three satellites launched by a single rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 274 .
1988 - - 10:33 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Military topographic / cartographic satellite. References: 1 , 2 , 6 , 101 , 102 .
1988 - - 23:58 GMT. Nation: International. Launch Site: Kourou . Launch Complex: ELA1. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 2/3. LV Configuration: Ariane 2 s/n V23.
Replaced Intelsat 5 F-3; 53 deg W. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
1991 - - 12:50 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U2.
Docked with Mir. Mir Expedition EO-09. Carried Anatoli Artsebarski, Sergei Krikalev, Helen Sharman to Mir; returned Artsebarski, crew of Soyuz TM 8 to Earth. Second commercial flight with paying British passenger. Sponsoring British consortium was not quite able to come up with money, however. Flight continued at Soviet expense with very limited UK experiments. References: 1 , 2 , 6 , 51 .
1999 - - 05:09 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: RW30/12. Launch Vehicle: Pegasus XL.
TERRIERS was part of NASA's Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI), which was a precursor program to the UNEX (University Explorer) series. STEDI was managed by USRA (the Universities Space Research Association) for NASA, while UNEX was to be more directly managed by NASA-GSFC. TERRIERS was to be operated by the space physics group at Boston University for ionosphere studies, and carried TESS, a set of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrographs to get electron density and thermosphere emission profiles. The GISSMO instrument measured the solar EUV flux. The spacecraft was built by AeroAstro and based on HETE. TERRIERS was placed in the correct orbit, but it failed to orient its solar panel to the Sun and ran out of battery power by May 20. Controllers were optimistic that when its orbit processes to a better sun angle the satellite could be revived. Additional Details: TERRIERS.
After deploying the TERRIERS satellite, the conical Payload Adapter Fitting (1998-26E) was jettisoned at 05:21 GMT, leaving the disk-shaped MUBLCOM satellite attached to the Pegasus XL PRIMEX HAPS-Lite stage. The second HAPS burn at 05:22 GMT raised apogee to 775 km, followed by a third, apogee burn at 06:10 GMT which circularised the orbit. MUBLCOM was deployed to a 769 km x 776 km x 97.7 degree orbit. The final HAPS burn then placed the depleted HAPS stage in a lower 388 km x 722 km x 97.1 degree disposal orbit. MUBLCOM (Multiple beam Beyond Line-of-sight Communications) was an experimental satellite funded by DARPA and managed by the US Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) at Ft Monmouth, New Jersey. It was built by Orbital Sciences using the Microstar (Orbcomm type) bus and carries a payload testing hand-held radio satellite communications for the armed forces.