The events on this day in history for our heritage companies are noted below.
The earliest event was in 1956, the latest event was in 2004
Two milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
2001 – LANDING: STS-100 (Endeavour), Edwards AFB
Military and Classified Programs:
1964 – LAUNCH: AS-101 (SA-6), LC37B, CCAFS – Saturn I vehicle first test of Apollo Command Module boilerplate
1968 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Corona 125, Thorad SLV-2G/Lockheed Agena D, SLC3W, VAFB
1978 – LAUNCH: RCA AMS-3 (DMSP-Block-5D S3), Thor DSV-2U, SLC10W, VAFB
1983 – Strategic Air Command transferred to Space Command management and resource responsibility for many systems, including DSP and DMSP
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
1956 – Rand Corporation studies a lunar instrument carrier, based on use of a GD Atlas booster
2004 – LM Genesis earth fly-by – MILESTONE: 20 years ago
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
NONE
Commercial Programs:
NONE
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1957 – LAUNCH: Vanguard TV-1 suborbital test, Martin Viking 9, LC18A, CCAFS
1961 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Polaris A2, LC29A, CCAFS
1963 – LAUNCH FAILURE: MM Titan I, 396-A1, VAFB, last Titan I at VAFB
1973 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Poseidon C3, SSBN628, ETR
1974 – LAUNCH: GD Atlas F, 576-A1, VAFB – MILESTONE: 50 years ago
1978 – SAMSO contracts defined three stage approach to MX (MM Peacekeeper) design
Other:
1959 – Goddard Space Flight Center established, Greenbelt, Maryland
The photo today is of the Vanguard TV-1 successful suborbital launch in 1957. Photo Credit: NASA. Here’s a story from Wikipedia:
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company (now Lockheed Martin) which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth Orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral.
Vanguard TV-1 arrived at Cape Canaveral in February 1957. TV-1 was a two-stage rocket. Vanguard TV-1 used a liquid rocket from a modified Viking rocket for the first stage. The second stage was made by Grand Central Rocket Company. The second stage was a prototype solid-propellant rocket. This solid-propellant second stage later became the third stage of the final three-stage Vanguard vehicle.
Vanguard TV-1 lifted off on 1 May 1957 at 01:29local time (06:29 GMT) from Cape Canaveral from LC-18. Launch pad 18A was an older Viking launch stand that was shipped from White Sands for use at the Cape Canaveral. Pad 18A was also used on Vanguard Test Vehicle-Zero (Vanguard TV-0).
The main goal of Vanguard TV-1 was to test the solid-propellant rocket. The solid-propellant rocket needed to spin-up, separate from the first-stage booster, ignite, provide a proper propulsion & trajectory. Another goal was to test the techniques and equipment used to launch and track the rocket. The telemetry received during flight would record the proper propulsion and trajectory. The telemetry was picked up at the Air Force Missile Test Center’s (AFMTC) tracking station. Vanguard TV-1 was successful, the two stage rocket achieved an altitude of 195 km (121 mi) and a down range of 726 km (451 mi), landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
