Saturday, December 25, 1971
Friday, December 24, 1971
Wednesday, December 22, 1971
Corona 53
1962-053
ARGON 9 (CORONA 53, KH-5 Mission 9046A), was launched on 1962 Oct 9 by Thor Agena B from Vandenberg. Radio guidance commands couldn’t be sent due to a ground system failure, and the rocket entered an elliptical 228 x 450 km orbit instead of the planned 304 x 309 km circular one. Orbital mass was 1177 kg.
The SRV was recovered after 4 days on rev 64. Half the terrain film was blank due to a shutter malfunction. (The TLE ground track places the satellite much further to the west than normal for a recovery).
Film experiments were included in the SRV to study orbit irradiation and the effectiveness of an experimental Al-Ag irradiation shield. SO-102, S0-130, S0-206 and SO-132 films were included in the radiation pack; results indicate the shield was effective.
| KH-5 Mission 9046A | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 Oct 9 | 1835:39 | Launch by Thor Agena B | V Pad 4 |
| 1837 | Thor MECO (T+2:27) | ||
| 1837 | Thor VECO (T+2:36) | ||
| 1837 | Thor sep (T+2:46) | ||
| 1838 | Agena burn (T+3:26) | ||
| 1842 | Agena cutoff (T+7:32) | 91.02 228 x 450 x 81.99 (VCR) | |
| 1962 Oct 9 | 2237 | Bad elements | 90.91 166 x 472 x 81.50 |
| 1962 Oct 10 | 1820 | 90.88 209 x 426 x 81.99 | |
| 1962 Oct 10 | 1900 | 90.96 213 x 427 x 82.0 (RAE) | |
| 1962 Oct? | 91.0 213 x 427 x 82.0 (SATCAT) | ||
| 1962 Oct 13 | 2108? | SRV recovered after 4.11d, rev 64 | |
| 2150 | SRV landed | ||
| 1962 Oct 14 | end of experiment data | ||
| 1962 Oct 15 | 0127 | 90.83 205 x 425 x 82.0 | |
| 1962 Oct 20 | 1700 | 90.59 209 x 395 x 82.0 (RAE) | |
| 1962 Nov 14 | 1430 | 88.37 170 x 212 x 82.0 (RAE) | |
| 1962 Nov 14 | 1453 | 88.31 191 x 191 x 82.0 | |
| 1962 Nov 16 | 0200? | CORONA/Agena D reentered | |
Monday, December 20, 1971
Sunday, December 19, 1971
Monday, December 6, 1971
Sunday, December 5, 1971
Saturday, December 4, 1971
Discoverer 7
1959-010
The Agena engine was successfully shut down by the mechanical integrator for the first time on flight 7 (mission 9004, Agena 1051). The 920 kg flight 7 satellite lost 3-axis stabilization on Agena 1051 due to a power supply failure and subsequent depletion of nitrogen gas prior to orbit 2 and the capsule wasn’t ejected.
Launch time in the commander's report was quoted as 1229 PDT (1929 UT) but I believe this is a typo for PST. An AFBMD report gives the time as 1226 PST.
| KH-1 Mission 9004 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 Nov 7 | 2029 | Launch by Thor Agena A | V |
| 2031 | Thor MECO (T+2:43) | ||
| 2031 | Thor VECO (T+2:53) | ||
| 2032 | Thor sep (T+2:59) | ||
| 2033 | Agena burn (T+4:11) | ||
| 2035 | Agena cutoff (T+6:13) | ||
| 94.7 159 x 847 x 81.6 (RAE) | |||
| 161 x 845 (VCR) | |||
| 1959 Nov 7 | Power supply failed, rev 1 | ||
| 1959 Nov 8 | SRV ejection not attempted? | ||
| 1959 Nov 8 | 1932 | 94.41 158 x 821 x 81.64 | |
| 1959 Nov 11 | 0229 | 93.82 155 x 767 x 81.64 | |
| 1959 Nov 15 | 1430 | 92.9 157 x 673 x 81.6 (RAE) | |
| 1959 Nov 20 | 1900 | 91.5 152 x 542 x 81.6 (RAE) | |
| 1959 Nov 20 | 1827 | 91.54 161 x 539 x 81.6 | |
| 1959 Nov 26 | 1900? | CORONA 4/Agena/SRV reentered | |
Sunday, November 28, 1971
Wednesday, November 24, 1971
Saturday, November 20, 1971
Friday, November 19, 1971
Monday, November 15, 1971
Saturday, November 13, 1971
Tuesday, October 26, 1971
Wednesday, October 20, 1971
Thursday, October 14, 1971
Sunday, October 10, 1971
OV2-05
1968-081A
OV2-5 was launched on flight P67-2 of the Space Test Program. The OV2-5 satellite was intended to carry out the ORBIS HIGH ionospheric beacon experiment, but the satellite apparently malfunctioned. The SSD-651, SSD-602 and SSD-606 returned good data; SSD-605 and SSD-607 failed. It appears that the magnetometer booms did not deploy correctly.
Total Titan 3C payload was 531 kg.
| OV2-5 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Sep 26 | 0737:01 | Launch by Titan 3C | CK |
| T+0:02:01 SRM sep | |||
| T+0:02? St 1 burn | |||
| T+0:04:17 St 1 sep | |||
| T+0:04:41 Fairing sep | |||
| T+0:07:38 Titan Stage 2 MECO | |||
| 0744 | T+7:51 Transtage burn 1 | ||
| 0745 | T+8:08 MECO-1 | 150? x 180? x 28.6? | |
| 0844? | Transtage MES-2 | ||
| 0849? | Transtage MECO-2 | ||
| 1968 Sep 26 | 630.3 184 x 35787 x 26.4 (RAE) | ||
| 0850? | OV5-2 released | ||
| 1359? | Transtage MES-3 circ burn | ||
| 1400? | MECO-3 | ||
| S+0:00 OV5-4 released at 1.5m/s perpendicular | |||
| 1400? | S+0:17 LES 6 released at 1.2m/s in opposite dir | ||
| 1401? | Transtage MES-4 lower orbit to sub-synch, 32s 8.8m/s | ||
| 1401? | MECO-4 | ||
| 1401? | MECO-4 + 17s OV2-5 released at 1m/s | 1417.9 35116 x 35816 x 2.9 | |
| 1968 Nov 26 | 1417.98 35064 x 35798 x 2.9 | ||
Payload:
- SSD-601 Electron flux monitor
- SSD-602 Particle spectrometer
- SSD-605 Very high energy particles
- SSD-606 Low Energy Particles
- SSD-607 Low Energy Spectrometer
- SSD-609 Angular Distribution of Electrons
- SSD-610 VLF antenna
- SSD-651 Lyman Alpha scanning photometer
Saturday, October 2, 1971
Corona 71
1963-037A
The second KH-4A mission was also only partially successful. The first SRV, from Mission 1002-1, was recovered on Sep 27; the film showed severe light leaks. However according to the McDonald review the second SRV was `lost'. The CORONA internal program history records `commands failed - decoder failure in vehicle', and apparently the vehicle could not be reactivated after being placed in zombie mode. This implies that the second SRV was not separated from CORONA. After this the KH-4A series was postponed for several months, and the CORONA problem ran into trouble as nine months passed with only one successful flight.
| KH-4A Mission 1002 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 Sep 23 | 2300 | Launch by TAT Agena D | V Pad 2 |
| 2301 | Castor sep (T+1:05) | ||
| 2302 | Thor MECO (T+2:27) | ||
| 2302 | Thor VECO (T+2:35) | ||
| 2302 | Thor sep (T+2:40) | ||
| 2302 | Agena burn (T+2:47) | ||
| 2306 | Agena MECO (T+6:50) | 90.6 184 x 439 x 74.9 (VCR) | |
| 1963 Sep 24 | 0230 | 90.63 161 x 441 x 74.9 (RAE) | |
| 1963 Sep 24 | 0259 | 90.59 159 x 442 x 74.9 | |
| 1963 Sep 25 | 0309 | 90.52 172 x 428 x 74.9 | |
| 1963 Sep 26 | 2126 | 90.46 173 x 320 x 74.9 | |
| 1963 Sep 27 | 0056? | Mission 1002-1 complete | |
| 0058:24 | SRV-1 sep, deorbit rev 49 | ||
| 0058:34 | Retro | ||
| 0058:46 | T/C sep | ||
| 0107:33 | Main parachute out | ||
| 0134 | SRV-1 recovered in mid air | ||
| 0800? | Rev 54, activate zombie mode | ||
| 1963 Sep 29 | 0944 | 90.22 175 x 395 x 75.0 | |
| 1963 Oct 4 | 0020? | ||
| 0300 | Rev 165, failed to exit zombie mode | ||
| 1963 Oct 4 | Mission 1002-2 failed to start | ||
| SRV-2 not separated | |||
| 1963 Oct 10 | 1900 | 88.64 150 x 282 x 74.9 (RAE) | |
| 1963 Oct 11 | 2301 | 87.60 141 x 170 x 74.9 | |
| 1963 Oct 12 | 0200? | Reentered | |
Tuesday, September 28, 1971
Midas 4
1961-028A
Midas IV~was launched on 1961 Oct 21 into a 3500 km orbit. The orbit was more elliptical and lower than the planned 3900 km circular path, due to problems in the Atlas phase. The Agena lost attitude control after the first orbit. It again suffered a solar array failure after 50 orbits, although a radiation experiment reportedly operated for 10 days. Although some reports indicated detection of a missile launch, others report that no such detection was achieved.
| Midas IV | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 Oct 21 | 1353:03 | Launch by Atlas Agena B | PA |
| 1355:19 | BECO (T+2:16) | ||
| 1355:55 | Loss of roll control (T+2:52) | ||
| 1357:38 | SECO (T+4:35) | ||
| 1357:58 | Atlas sep (T+4:55) | ||
| 1357:59 | VECO (T+4:56) | ||
| 1358:31 | Agena burn (T+5:28) | ||
| 1402:13 | Agena MECO (T+9:10) | ||
| 1504? | Agena burn 2 (19s long) | ||
| 1504? | Agena MECO | ||
| 3496 x 3756 x 95.9 | |||
| Attitude control lost | |||
| West Ford package released | |||
| 1961 Oct 24? | end of ops | ||
| 1961 Oct 31 | Radiation expt ended ops successfully | ||
Payload:
- Agena 1202
- Baird Atomic Inc. IR radiometers
- 2.7 micron scanning radiometer, 600 kW/sr sensitivity, 8 channels
- HEPDEX 2 trapped protons experiment
- West Ford
Friday, September 24, 1971
Sunday, September 19, 1971
Thursday, September 16, 1971
Mariner 3
1964-073A
The next set of Mariners, Mariner C or Mariner Mars 1964, used a new design with an octagonal bus and four solar panels. The Mariner C-2 probe was launched at 1922:05 on 1964 Nov 5 by Atlas Agena D from LC13 at Cape Kennedy. However the nose fairing failed to separate during launch. Nevertheless the Agena reignited at 1954 and entered solar orbit, although it shut down 4 seconds early. Mariner III separated from the Agena final stage but remained attached to part of the fairing, and the solar panels could not be deployed. Contact with the probe was lost on 1964 Nov 6 at 0356.
| Mariner 3 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 Nov 5 | 1922:05 | Launch by Atlas Agena D | CKAFS LC13 |
| BECO | |||
| 1927? | Atlas SECO | ||
| 1927? | Atlas sep | ||
| 1927? | Agena MES-1 | ||
| 1930? | Agena MECO-1 | ||
| 1954 | Agena MES-2 | ||
| 1957 | Agena MECO-2 | ||
| 2020? | Failed to separate | ||
| 1964 Nov 6 | 0356 | End of tx | |
Thursday, September 2, 1971
Thursday, August 26, 1971
Explorer 40
1968-066B
The Injun V satellite, Explorer 40, was launched on 1968 Aug 8. It studied magnetospheric trapped particles.
On orbit mass was 71 kg including the ADE ejection hardware. It had a dry nitrogen gas despin system. The satellite was a hex cyl 0.74m high 0.76m dia with five booms. Span is about 5m? The satellite was built by SUI.
The satellite mapped out auroral precipitation patterns, made coordinated particle, VLF and E field observations and discovered trapped heavy nuclei. After NASA ended support the Iowa team carried out a short extended mission with German funding.
| Injun 5 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Aug 8 | 2012:00 | Launch by Scout | V SLC5 |
| 2013 | Algol burnout T+1:16 | ||
| 2013 | Castor burn T+1:18 | ||
| T+1:56 Castor burnout | |||
| 2014 | Antares burn T+2:00 | ||
| 2014 | Coast T+2:35 | ||
| T+10:03 Spinup | |||
| T+10:04 Antares sep | |||
| 2022:08 | T+10:08 FW4S burn | ||
| 2022:40 | T+10:40 FW4S burnout | ||
| 2040:04 | T+28:04 AD inflation and sep from Injun | ||
| 2110:03 | T+58:03 Injun sep from FW4S | ||
| 1968 Aug 10 | 118.32 690 x 2520 x 80.7 | ||
| 1970 Mar 4 | 118.30 679 x 2529 x 80.7 | ||
| 1970 May 31 | End of NASA operations | ||
| 1971 Feb 19 | Begin extended mission | ||
| 1971 Jun 7 | End extended mission | ||
| 1971 Jun 9 | 118.29 680 x 2527 x 80.7 | ||
Payload:
- LEPEDEA Low Energy Proton Electron Differential Energy Analyzer (SUI/Frank)
- SSD Solid State Detector experiment (SUI/Krimigis), includes a proton-electron telescope and an alpha detector.
- VLF VLF Experiment (SUI/Gurnett), 30 Hz-10 kHz
Monday, August 23, 1971
Friday, August 20, 1971
Monday, August 16, 1971
Midas 11
1966-077A
FTV 1352 (Midas flight 11) was launched on 1966 Aug 19 by Atlas Agena D from Vandenberg and operated successfully for 11 months.
In the 1990s, many small debris objects were cataloged from FTV 1352.
As well as ORS and EGRS subsatellites, Vela and AFAPL secondary payloads may have been carried.
| RTS-1 F2 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Aug 19 | 1925 | Launch by Atlas Agena D | V |
| BECO | |||
| Booster sep | |||
| SECO | |||
| 1929? | T+4:50? Atlas sep | ||
| 1930? | T+5:46? Agena D MES-1 | ||
| 1934 | T+9:26? Agena-D MECO-1 | ||
| 2045? | Agena MES-2 | ||
| 2045? | Agena MECO-2 | ||
| 2050? | ERS ejected | ||
| 2050? | EGRS ejected | ||
| 167.6 3680 x 3700 x 90.07 | |||
| 1967 Jul 10 | end of ops | ||
Payload:
- Aerojet IR target detectors
- Radiometric detectors, 50 kW/sr
Monday, August 9, 1971
Sunday, August 8, 1971
Saturday, August 7, 1971
Friday, August 6, 1971
Thursday, August 5, 1971
Friday, July 30, 1971
Thursday, July 29, 1971
Wednesday, July 28, 1971
Tuesday, July 27, 1971
Monday, July 26, 1971
Sunday, July 25, 1971
Tuesday, July 20, 1971
An excerpt from a short story I wrote set in the universe of the American Royals series
There are so many arriviste baronets here in the UPA,Julie. Vallemeras of Popayan,though he wishes you to create an Earldom for him there. That cretin Merryweather in Jonesboro. Felicia Shinn in River City,Iowai,but in her defense her family is one of the top River City families. Your friend Ellie Nash might wish a subsidiary barony if Port Hope isn't enough for her.
True,Jeff,but have you ever known Ellie to be overambitious? You’re sweet on her,aren’t you?
Yes,but that’s beside the point. Before he died Dad wanted to betroth me to her.
I’d be willing to honor that contract if it’s already been made and Ellie consents to it. If not I can have Maria Anderson make one with Russell Nash and email it to either of you two. I love Ellie almost as much as you do,though not in that way,and I’d love for her to be part of the family. And with Congress’ consent I can create you as Prince of Ontario,so you’d doubly benefit!
Friday, July 16, 1971
Sunday, July 4, 1971
Thursday, June 10, 1971
Wednesday, June 2, 1971
Wednesday, May 12, 1971
Tuesday, April 27, 1971
Saturday, April 10, 1971
Ferret 13
1968-086A
The 13th Ferret mission introduced the Thorad (Long Tank Thrust Augmented Thor) Agena D launch vehicle. The new vehicle has a hammerhead shroud about 2.5m in diameter. In 2016 it was revealed to be the STRAWMAN satellite, with a wide-diameter payload section mounting several antennae and three solar panels on the aft end of the Agena. Agena 2734 was the first mission. STRAWMAN had two main payloads, THRESHER and REAPER.
The additional CONVOY payload was described as a mission to 'provide high quality wide band pre-detected data on 3 frequency agile emitters'. Mass budget was 34 kg. Its design would search for, lock on to and track the three target radar types in the presence of interference. Two of the targets were DOGHOUSE (400-425 MHz) and HENHOUSE (155-163 MHz); the third was referred to as 'B', in the 800 (?) to 977 MHz range. In the mission description for CONVOY's first flight, though, DOGHOUSE was identified as the mission's target.
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Oct 5 | 1120? | Launch by LTTA Thor Agena D | V |
| 1121? | Castor II SRMs sep (T+1:42?) | ||
| 1123? | Thor MECO (T+3:37?) | ||
| 1123? | Thor VECO (T+3:46?) | ||
| 1123? | Thor sep (T+3:52?) | ||
| 1123? | Agena burn (T+3:58?) | ||
| 1128? | Agena MECO (T+8:00?) | 100? x 483 x 75.0 | |
| 1154? | Agena MES-2 | ||
| 1154? | Agena MECO-2 | ||
| 1968 Oct 7 | 94.54 483 x 508 x 75.0 | ||
| 1969 Oct 2 | 94.02 462 x 479 x 75.0 | ||
| 1969 Sep 27 | End of operations | ||
| 1971 Mar 26 | Reentered | ||
Payload:
- THRESHER, 125-260, 260-530, 530-1060, 1060-2100 MHz bands for microsec to msec-pulsewidth pulsed emission and 10 Hz-10 kHz pulse rate. In TI mode, recognize specific signal patterns. (AIL/)
- REAPER, 1800-3300 MHz search system for dense signal environments. Six low band (1800-2437MHz) and six high band (2400-3300 MHz) antennas (5 phase array and one spiral horn). Mass 106 kg (LTV/)
Thursday, March 25, 1971
Tuesday, March 9, 1971
Monday, March 1, 1971
Sunday, February 28, 1971
Monday, February 22, 1971
Sunday, February 14, 1971
Friday, February 12, 1971
Wednesday, February 10, 1971
Tuesday, February 9, 1971
Monday, February 8, 1971
Saturday, February 6, 1971
Tuesday, February 2, 1971
Monday, February 1, 1971
Sunday, January 31, 1971
Saturday, January 30, 1971
Friday, January 29, 1971
Thursday, January 28, 1971
Wednesday, January 27, 1971
Sunday, January 24, 1971
Friday, January 22, 1971
Sunday, January 17, 1971
Friday, January 15, 1971
Saturday, January 9, 1971
Wednesday, January 6, 1971
Tuesday, January 5, 1971
Corona 86
1964-061A
CORONA 86 was launched on 1964 Oct 5 with a KH-4A payload. Mission 1011-1 was recovered on around Oct 9 after 85 orbits, with imagery of the USSR, China, Cuba and Zaire, but the SRV for Mission 1011-2 was not ejected; normal and lifeboat systems both failed. The inter-SRV fairing was confirmed to have ejected, but the SRV remained attached to Agena 1170, which reentered on Oct 26.
Mass of CORONA 86 was 1620 kg.
| KH-4A Mission 1011 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 Oct 5 | 2150:14 | Launch by TAT Agena D | V 75-3 Pad 4 |
| 2151:19 | Castor sep (T+1:05) | ||
| 2152:46 | Thor MECO (T+2:32) | ||
| 2153:00 | Thor VECO (T+2:41) | ||
| 2153:07 | Thor sep (T+2:48) | ||
| 2153:12 | Agena burn (T+2:53) | ||
| 2157:11 | Agena MECO (T+6:57) | 90.81 184 x 450 x 79.99 (VCR) | |
| 1964 Oct 7 | 0634 | 90.70 180 x 438 x 80.0 | |
| 1964 Oct 7 | 0700 | 90.75 182 x 440 x 80.0 (RAE) | |
| 1964 Oct 10 | 0008:02 | SRV-1 ejected | |
| 0008:12 | Retro | ||
| 0008:24 | T/C sep | ||
| 0017:01 | Main parachute deploy | ||
| 0043? | SRV-1 recovered, orbit 65 | ||
| Rev 65 reactivate | |||
| 1964 Oct 10 | 2216 | 90.62 180 x 429 x 80.0 | |
| 1964 Oct 12 | |||
| 2307:20 | D-Timer on | ||
| 2307:33 | Fairing sep (D+0:13) | ||
| 2309:43 | SRV-2 sep failure (D+1:23) | ||
| 2319:36 | Pitch down verified | ||
| 1964 Oct 13 | Rev 117, contact lost | ||
| 1964 Oct 13 | 2314? | rev 128 Second SRV-2 recovery attempt failed | |
| 1964 Oct 14 | 2254 | 90.39 176 x 412 x 80.0 | |
| 1964 Oct 15 | 90.4 176 x 391 x 80.0 (SSR) | ||
| 1964 Oct 16 | 0030 | 90.24 175 x 397 x 80.0 | |
| 1964 Oct 23 | 1201 | 88.97 160 x 286 x 80.0 | |
| 1964 Oct 26 | 0941 | CORONA/Agena/SRV-2 reentered 75N 26.6W | |
Monday, January 4, 1971
Discoverer 6
1959-006A
Discoverer 6 reached orbit in Aug 1959 with a mass of 862 kg. Signals were not received after the capsule separation on Flight 6 (Mission 9003), and it is assumed the retrorocket failed,though what happened to the capsule afterwards is unclear.
| KH-1 Mission 9003 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 Aug 19 | 1925 | Launch by Thor Agena A | V Pad 5 |
| 1927 | Thor MECO (T+2:44) | ||
| 1927 | Thor VECO (T+2:53) | ||
| 1928 | Thor sep (T+2:59) | ||
| 1929 | Agena 1028 burn (T+4:36) | ||
| 1931 | Agena 1028 cutoff (T+6:31) | ||
| 212 x 848 x 84 (RAE) | |||
| 216 x 895 x ? (VCR) | |||
| 1959 Aug 20 | 1043 | 95.18 207 x 846 x 84.0 | |
| 2227 | SRV ejected on rev 17 (40N?) | ||
| 2232? | Reentered | ||
| 1959 Aug 21 | 1827 | 95.05 207 x 835 x 84.0 | |
| 1959 Sep 15 | 0836 | 93.47 211 x 678 x 84.0 | |
| 1959 Sep 28 | 0500 | 92.0 196 x 547 x 84.0 (RAE) | |
| 1959 Oct 5 | 1213 | 90.92 171 x 468 x 84.0 | |
| 1959 Oct 12 | 1700 | 90.0 186 x 359 x 84.0 (RAE) | |
| 1959 Oct 20 | 1900 | Agena reentered | |