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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0670.PDF
The Ranger 4 lunar probe is checked by Jet Propulsion Laboratory tech nicians prior to launch (see news item below). The spherical instru mented capsule is mounted below the conical omni-directional antenna and above the retro-rocket and mid-course motor. The solar-cell panels are folded up on each side of the spacecraft structure Missiles and Spaceflight on spaceship satellites in which man will be able to carry out scientific investigations"—M. V. Keldysh, President of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, in Pravda. "Cosmonautics grows in strength from day to day. We are on the threshold of the new space launches. We want to make new flights in space and fly not alone, but pilot spaceships with passen gers on board. Ahead are flights to the Moon, Mars and other planets. The time will come, comrades, when many new Soviet pilot-cosmonauts will take their spaceships and space aeroplanes along unexplored routes, along ever-new paths in the Universe"— Yuri Gagarin, reported in Pravda. In a Tass interview, Dr Vsevolod Fedynskiy, chairman of the commission on comets and meteors of the Astronomical Council of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, said that astronauts should consider the occurrence of micrometeoritic accumulations. Numer ous cosmic dust particles near the Earth might dim the surfaces of optical instruments and might damage devices outside the hull of the spaceship. For adequate protection against relatively large meteoric bodies, which were rare but dangerous, spaceships must have a strong hull. Fedynskiy suggested that the best thing would be to put the hull within a protective metal jacket, as some sort of "meteoric bumper." RANGER 4 LAUNCH DUE The second of three scheduled US attempts to take close-up pictures of the Moon, and to obtain information on the composition of the lunar surface by means of an instrumented capsule designed to survive a landing on the Moon, was due at Cape Canaveral as this issue went to press. Designated Ranger 4, and developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the spacecraft was to be launched by Atlas-Agena B. NASA has scheduled launches of Rangers 3, 4 and 5 in the hope that one of these three will be successful in the extremely difficult mission chosen. Ranger 3 (described in Flight International of January 25, 1962) was launched from Cape Canaveral on January 26,1962, but because of excessive thrust in the launch vehicle missed the Moon by 22,862 miles and went into orbit around the Sun. The Ranger 4 craft is similar to Ranger 3 but contains a number of modifications made in the light of subsystem malfunctions in Ranger 668 FLIGHT International, 26 April 196? 3. Weighing 7301b, including an 89.311b instrumented capsule, the spacecraft is expected to strike the surface of the Moon at less thai 150 m.p.h. after firing of a 5,0001b thrust retro-rocket. The space craft will be launched on its lunar trajectory from a "parking ~ Earth orbit, and is designed to carry out an elaborate series of manoeuvres and mechanical operations during its 60hr flight. NEW JOBS FOR X-15 The North American X-15 research aircraft are to carry out new scientific experiments in an additional programme of 35 flights which may take two years to complete. Some of the new studies will be conducted on research flights already scheduled for the X-15*s basic studies of aerodynamic heating, operational and control problems, biomedical data, hypersonic aerodynamics and structures, and problems of exit and re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere. The follow-on experiments are sponsored by NASA and the US Air Force, and aircraft modifications to accommodate them are to be made on two of the three existing X-15s. The new experiments include ultra-violet stellar photograph), horizon-sensing studies to develop improved attitude and guidance references for Earth orbiting spacecraft, measurements of atmos pheric density above 100,000ft by means of an alphatron ioniza tion gauge, measurement of micrometeorites, and other ultra violet and infra-red investigations. In addition, the programme will involve the evaluation of advanced vehicle systems and struc tural materials. The USAF will test an electric stick controller for possible application in manned spacecraft, and an airborne let down computer to enable the pilot to plan his landing approach from re-entry to touchdown. The three X-15 aircraft have to date completed about half of the original research programme. The third machine, which was rebuilt following a ground explosion in 1960, is now equipped with a self-adaptive control system which aids the pilot by sensing air craft motions and automatically adapting the aircraft performance to these conditions. The other two aircraft have undergone exten sive modifications in preparation for advanced flight work. The most important change has been the installation of a back-up stability augmentation system for complete pilot control should the primary system fail during high-altitude flight. ELDO Go-ahead In a written Parliamentary reply on April 16 the Minister of Aviation, Mr Peter Thorneycroft, stated that the Convention for setting up a European Launcher Development Organization had been signed by the Governments of Australia. Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. He outlined the national responsibilities in ELDO, confirming that Italy would design. develop and construct the first series of satellite test vehicles: Belgium would lead in developing equipment for ground guidance stations; and the Netherlands would lead in the development of long-range telemetry links. Union Jack in space: NASA and Douglas personnel paint an appropriate identification on the Delta launch vehicle to be used in the launch from Cape Canaveral cf the first joint Anglo-American satellite. Fully described in last week's issue, the satellite was scheduled to be launched on April 10, but a postponement to April 2b was caused by technical trouble in the Delta second stage
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