Tuesday, July 2, 2002

Kosmos 21

  1963-044A


The first 3MV series probe, 3MV-1 No. 1, was launched on 1963 Nov 11. It was intended to be a Venus probe. Like its 2MV predecessors the previous year, it was stranded in Earth orbit. As a result of the criticism the USSR had faced of its previous ‘secret launches', the failed 3MV probe launch was announced, but not as a planetary probe. It was described as another satellite in the scientific Kosmos series, Kosmos-21, with the claim that the mission was successful. From now on, all failed missions stranded in transfer or parking orbits would be given a Kosmos cover name in an attempt to conceal their nature. 3MV-1 No. 1 carried a landing capsule.


Kosmos-21 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1963 Nov 11  0623:35 Launch by 8K78  KB LC1 
 0628  Blok-A sep 
 0628  Blok-I burn 
 0632  Blok-I sep  182 x 216 x 64.8 
 0650?Control system issues
 0723?  BOZ burn 
 0724?  Blok-L burn in wrong direction 
 0745   88.75 192 x 232 x 64.8 
1963 Nov 12  0128   88.50 180 x 219x 64.8 
1963 Nov 14  0700?  Reentered 

No comments:

Post a Comment

These Are Not My Beautiful Stories

  Summary: The chapters within are outlines for both future stories I’ve got planned (in the case that I never get around to writing them) a...