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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1354.PDF
178 Launch of a Polaris A3X research and develop ment missile from one of the pneumatic firing tubes aboard the surface ship "Observation Island." This picture reveals the two rows of hinged flaps which act like piston rings during the launch FLIGHT International, I August 1963 Missiles and Spaceflight February 25 Cape, night (tracking flares) shot from XM474 parked on sloping sandbank, complete set of tactical GSE without AMR help, about ISO miles, success. March 4 Cape, night, repeat of February 25 shot> using helicopter-transportable GSE, long-range- success. March 13 Cape, night, helicopter-transportable GSE, success. March 21 Cape, night, complete tactical GSE and fully operational missile, success. April 3 Cape, night, repeat of March 21 using heli copter GSE, c.e.p. under 300yd on target over 200 miles distant, success (this was the final R&D shot). April 5 Cape, first post-R&D test, "integrated service test*' consisting of 40-mile cross-country deployment over hard and secondary reads followed by 900-mile shot, success. April 12 Cape, launch assisted by user troops (Battery A, 2nd Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery, Ft Sill, Okla), using complete tactical system, 200 miles, success. April 17 Cape, daylight troop launch (wholly by same troops as April 12) from XM474 after driving Si miles over rough palmetto and scrub terrain, 190 miles, success. April 24 Cape, minimum-range shot (by same troops), again after long drive over rough ground, success. First photograph of Improved Thor, with three strap-on solid boost motors. In this picture it is mated with an Agena D upper stage carrying an undisclosed USAF payload, and is seen at the point of lift-off from Vandenberg AFB POLARIS A3 October S Cape, fixed land launcher, the third A3 firing and "the best yet"; first-stage burn "excel lent," second-stage went out of control near burnout and destructed, partial. November 5 Cape, fixed land launcher, first-stage malfunction and destruct at 30sec, partial, November 17 Cape, fixed land launcher, satis factory first-stage burn and stage separation, followed very closely by loss of control and destruct at 77sec, partial. December 6 Cape, fixed land launcher, second stage exploded shortly after ingition, partial. December 19 Cape, major test of A3 guidance aboard Polaris A2 (because A3 vehicle failures had severely curtailed guidance-system flight-time), 1,500 miles, success. February 7 Cape, fixed land launcher, flew pro grammed distance of approximately 1,600 miles; the first complete success of any A3. February 11 Cape, fixed land launcher, the second A3 success, with range of approximately 2,000 miles. February 18 Cape, fixed land launcher, divergent "wobble" and wild trajectory of second stage, leading to destruct at about I20sec, partial. March 19 Cape, fixed land launcher, wild trajectory after 25sec of second-stage burn, leading to destruct, partial. April 5 From launch tube in USS Observation Island ten miles off Cape, wild trajectory during second-stage burn at 85sec, leading to destruct, partial. April 8 Cape, fixed land launcher, third complete success, programmed 1,800 miles. April 10 From launch tube in Observation Island ten miles off Cape, wild trajectory at start of second- stage burn, leadjng to destruct, partial. April 26 "From launch tube in Observation Island IS miles off Cape, wild trajectory during second-stage burn, leading to destruct, partial. May 10 Cape, fixed land launcher, impact in target area at 1,800 miles, success. May 17 Cape, fixed land launcher, impact in target area at approximately 1,800 mUes, success.. June 6 Cape, fixed land launcher, impact in target area in "basic development" flight over range reported to be 2,500 miles (design limit is 2,500 n.m. or 2,880 miles), success. June 17 From launch tube aboard Observation Island off.Cape, impact in target area more than 1,500 miles down AMR; met all test objectives, first success from ship. June 21 From launch tube aboard Observation Island approximately 25 mile off Cape, more than 1,500 miles; all test objectives appeared to have been met. SATELLITES PROBES and QUAIL November 6 WSMR, flight of GAM-72B from B-52 brought to close four years of testing this ECM decoy by Eglin Air Proving Ground Center. Florida. The Greek characters in the 1962 orbital shots are the international satellite designations. The system ha> now been changed to Arabic numerals. It is impracticable to attempt to ossess the payloads carried in these military space launches, apart from noting that the vast majority are probably connected with the Discoverer and Samos programmes. The Midas (missile detection alarm system) programme has been curtailed as a result of severe tech nical difficulties. October 9 1962 Be, VAFB, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Thor Agena B into 130/265-mile orbit at 81.96°, success. Lifetime, 38 days. October 26 1962 put, VAFB, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Thor Agena D into 119/3,460-mile orbit at 71.41°, success. This payload may have included theTRS-l satellite. October 31 1962 3px. Cape, Anna IB geodesic USN satellite launched by Thor AbleStar into 687-mile circular orbit at 50.13°, success. November 5 1962 (io, VAFB, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Thor Agena B into 130/250-mile orbit at 75°. success. Lifetime, 28 days. November II 1962 [lr., PA, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Atlas Agena B into 150-mile circular orbit at 96°, success. This satellite was made to re-enter within 24hr. November 11 PA, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Blue Scout; orbit not achieved; this was probably a space probe. November 21 PA, undisclosed USAF payload lifted by Blue Scout probe, success. November 24 1962 Sp, VAFB, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Thor Agena B into 127/206-miie orbit at 65.14°, success. Lifetime, 19 days. December 4 1962, |3o, VAFB, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Thor Agena D into 81/190-miie orbit at 65.08°, success. Lifetime, four days. December 12 1962 PT I to *3r 5, VAFB, undis closed USAF and Injun 3 radiation-satellite US Arn. (piggyback) payloads (five devices in all) launched by Thor Agena D into 145/1,735-mile orbit (160/1,735 for Injun 3) at 70.36° (70.34° for Injun 3), success. December 14 1962, gtp, VAFB, undisclosed USAC payload launched by Thor Agena D into 127/245-mie orbit at 70.97°, success. Lifetime, 25 days. December 17 PA, undisclosed USAF paylo;id launched by Atlas Agena B, orbit not achieved. December 18 I962 3i/<, PA, Transit 5A navigatio - satellite USN payload launched by Blue Scout into 438/46l-mile orbit at 90.62°, fault in command receiver. PA, undisclosed USAF payload launched by Blue Scout, after dark folio* t Transit 5A shot; this was presumably a space probe January 7 1963-02, VAFB, undisclosed USAF pay- load launched by Thor Agena D into 127/249-nrle
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