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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1926.PDF
FLIGHT International, 31 October 1963 731 CHRONOLOGY OF MAJOR NASA LAUNCHINGS Date 1958 Oct 11 Oct 22 Nov 8 Dec 6 1959 Feb 17 Mar 3 Apr 13 May 28 June 22 July 16 Aug 7 Aug 14 Aug 21 Sep 9 Sep 16 Sep 18 Sep 24 Oct 4 Oct 13 Oct 28 Nov 4 Nov 26 Dec 4 1960 Jan 19 Jan 21 Feb 27 Mar 11 Mar 23 Apr 1 Apr 1 Apr 18 May 9 May 13 May 31 July 1 July 29 . Name Pioneer 1 Beacon Pioneer 2 Pioneer 3 Vanguard 2 Pioneer 4 Vanguard Jupiter Vanguard Explorer Explorer 6 Beacon Little Joe Big Joe Jupiter Vanguard 3 Pioneer Little Joe 1 Explorer 7 Shotput 1 Little Joe 2 Pioneer Little Joe 3 Shotput 2 Little Joe 4 Shotput 3 Pioneer 5 Explorer Shotput 4 Tiros 1 Scout Mercury Echo Shotput 5 Scout Mercury General Mission Lunar probe Scientific satellite Scientific I'tnar probe Scientific lunar probe Scientific satellite Lunar probe Scientific satellite Medical experiment Scientific satellite Scientific satellite Scientific satellite Scientific satellite Suborbital Mercury capsule test Suborbital Mercury capsule test Biological experiment Scientific satellite Lunar probe Suborbital Mercury capsule test Scientific satellite Suborbital com munications test Suborbital Mercury capsule Lunar probe Suborbital Mercury capsule test Suborbital com munications test Suborbital Mercury capsule test Suborbital com munications test Scientific deep space probe Scientific satellite Suborbital com munications test Meteorological satellite Launch vehicle test Mercury abort test Communication satellite Suborbital com munications test Launch vehicle test Suborbital Mercury capsule test Launch vehicle Thor Able Jupiter C Thor Able Juno 2 Vanguard Juno 2 Vanguard Jupiter Vanguard Juno 2 Thor Able Juno 2 Little Joe Atlas/Big Joe Jupiter Vanguard Atlas Able Little Joe Juno 2 Augmented Sergeant Little Joe Atlas Able Little Joe Augmented Sergeant Little Joe Augmented Sergeant Thor Able Juno 2 Augmented Sergeant Thor Able Scout ^~ Delta Augmented Sergeant Scout Mercury- Atlas Launch site Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Wallops Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Canaveral Wallops Canaveral Wallops Wallops Canaveral Wallops Wallops Wallops Wallops Canaveral Canaveral Wallops Canaveral Wallops Wallops Canaveral Wallops Wallops Canaveral Mission r S • • • • • • • • • • • wsulfr P • • • • • • • • i U • • • • • • • • • • • • Remarks Uneven separation of second and third stages; reached 70,700 miles; verified Van Allen Belt. Premature upper-stage separation. Third-stage failure; reached 963 miles; its brief data indicated equatorial region had higher flux and energy levels than previously thought. Premature cut-off on first stage; reached 63,580 miles. Radiation belt discoveries. Excess satellite wobble. Cloud cover data not used. Second and third stage propulsion and pitch mal function. Communicated to 407,000 miles. Second-stage failure. Included in the nosecone of an Army-launched Jupiter IRBM were medical experiments sponsored by NASA. Two monkeys, Able and Baker, were successfully recovered after a 1,700-mile flight. Second-stage failure. Destroyed after 5. seconds. Mapped Van Allen belt. Photographed cloud cover. Premature fuel depletion in first stage; upper-stage malfunction. While a Little Joe was being readied for firing, a malfunction caused the Mercury escape rocket to fire. The vehicle was undamaged but the capsule was lost in the ocean. Capsule recovered after re-entry test. An Army Jupiter IRBM, containing a NASA biological experiment, was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer shortly after launch. Magnetic fields, radiation belt, and micrometeorite findings. An Atlas Able vehicle, scheduled to launch a Pioneer lunar-orbit payload, exploded on the launching pad while being static-tested. Qualify booster for use with Mercury test programme. Radiation and magnetic storm findings. Canister ejection successful, 100ft sphere inflation unsuccessful. Successful test of Delta stage. Capsule escape test. Escape rocket had a delayed thrust buildup. Shroud failure after 45sec. Escape system and biomedical test; monkey (Sam) used Canister ejection successful, sphere inflation unsuc cessful. Escape system and biomedical test; monkey (Miss Sam) used. Canister ejection successful, sphere inflation unsuc cessful. Communicated data from 17,700,000 miles, position signal from 22,500,000 miles. Failure in upper stages. Twelve-sentence voice message relayed successfully. First true meteorological satellite; photographed cloud cover. Structural failure prevented third-stage ignition. (Second and fourth stages were dummies.) The first production model of the Mercury capsule was tested in a "pad abort" test The escape rocket was used rather than a launch vehicle. Failure in upper stages. Inflation successful despite excess spin. Ground tracking failure led to erroneous destruction by Range Safety Officer. Atlas exploded; capsule re-entry qualification test S, successful; P, partial success; U, unsuccessful Continued overleaf
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