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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0083.PDF
66 FLIGHT International, 9 January 1964 and Spaceflight SATELLITE CENSUS THE launch of a US Air Force satellite from Vandenberg AirForce Base on the night of December 21 brought spaceactivity during 1963 to an end with a total of 55 successful launchings* and 72 announced spacecraft placed in orbit or beyond. This represents a reduced scale of activity when compared with the 72 launchings accomplished in 1962. Research by interplanetary and lunar spacecraft, in particular, decreased during 1963. Five craft were launched during 1962 which either hit the surface of the Moon or passed into solar orbit, while in 1963 the Soviet Luna 4 was the only spacecraft to escape from the Earth's gravitational field. In past years, the popular prestige of spectacular space achievements accomplished for the first time went largely to the USSR, in spite of the fact that the USA was launching many more spacecraft. Now the trend is changing; the USA is operating highly successful weather and communication satellites, while the Soviet Union is increasing its share of the total number of launchings. During 1957-61, for example, the Soviet Union was responsible for 15 of the 78 successful launches—about 19 per cent. In 1962 the Soviet figures were 20 launches or 28 per cent, and during 1963 they amounted to 17 launches or 31 per cent. On the other hand, the USA has developed the technique of launching several satellites by a single rocket, which accounts for the relatively large number of spacecraft placed in orbit during 1963 (see table, opposite page). * Successful launchings are here defined as those resulting in spacecraft having a lifetime of at least 90min and thus being given an international designation. USS 1957 1962 T^ !W**#V**21 I* * * » * » * •» 47 ^^>:*:<<>»^<<*:*:*:*:«:«:?1 *********.# 1* ®J2; The table indicates that, beginning with Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, a total of 205 announced launchings were made up to the end of 1963. Of these, 52 were Russian and 153 were American. Six of the Soviet launchings were not in fact announced by the USSR; two were announced by NASA Administrator James E. Webb and the remaining four by Flight International (subsequently confirmed by US Ambassador Adlai Stevenson at United Nations). These 205 launches, concerned with some 45 different research programmes, placed over 230 spacecraft into orbit or beyond. As the following figures indicate, the USAF Discoverer series has accounted for the greatest number of these craft (since December 22, 1961, USAF satellites have not officially been identified; their identification in these totals is based on an analysis of launch vehicles and orbits). Number of satellites 61 Programme Discoverer (USAF) Explorer (NASA) 16 Samos (USAF) 4 USAF multiple launches 14 65° Cosmos (USSR) 13 Sputnik (USSR) 12 49° Cosmos (USSR) 11 Tiros (NASA) 8 Transit (US Navy) 7 TRS (USAF) 6 Midas (USAF) Soviet planetary attempts 6 Vostok (USSR) 6 i - Mercury (NASA) p Other programmes account for four or fewer satellites each. ." ' In many cases the main satellite payload is unintentionally accompanied in orbit by a number of associated objects. Trailing along behind the above-mentioned satellites were over 100 empty final-stage rocket bodies and over 400 assorted metal fragments. Not every launch is guilty of placing more junk than useful payload in space, since in general for every two satellites in orbit there is only one rocket body and one fragment. As the following list indicates, most fragments have resulted from the accidental breaking-up of the Transit 4A rocket (no fewer than 204 pieces of which have been individually tracked and identified) and from Soviet planetary attempts. 231 lllla»SS Comparison of satellites, rocket stages and other fragments launched into orbit or beyond by the USA and the USSR each year since 1957. The two bottom bars show those still in orbit at the beginning of this year STILLIN ORBIT USA
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