The events on this day in history for our heritage companies are noted below.
The earliest event was in 1960, the latest event was in 2001
No milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
2001 – LAUNCH: STS-105 (Discovery), LC39A, KSC – 4 person core crew, 3 up for ISS, 3 down from ISS; ISS logistics. Crew: Scott Horowitz, Frederick Sturckow, Patrick Forrester, Daniel Barry. To ISS Expedition 3: Frank Culbertson, Mikhail Tyurin (RKA), Vladimir Dezhurov (RKA); From ISS Expedition 2: Yuri Usachev (RKA), James Voss, Susan Helms.
Military and Classified Programs:
1960 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Discoverer 13, Thor/Lockheed Agena A, SLC1E, VAFB
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
1966 – LAUNCH: Lunar Orbiter I, GD Atlas SLV-3/Lockheed Agena D, LC13, CCAFS
1990 – MM Magellan Venus orbital insertion achieved, primary mapping mission begins
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
NONE
Commercial Programs:
1968 – LAUNCH FAILURE: ATS-4, GD Atlas SLV-3C/Centaur, LC36A, CCAFS – Centaur oxidizer leak
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1960 – LAUNCH: Martin Titan I, LC19, CCAFS – First operational test flight
1962 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Polaris A2, LC25A, CCAFS
1962 – LAUNCH FAILURE: GD Atlas F, OSTF-2, VAFB
1985 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Poseidon C3, SSBN656, ETR
Other:
NONE
There are photos from two events today. First there is artwork that showed how the Magellan spacecraft arriving at Venus, a map of how the radar imaging of the Venusian surface was obtained and an example of the radar imaging. The spacecraft was launched by STS-30 on May 4, 1989. Magellan performed six radar mapping cycles of Venus before the end of mission on 10/13/1994. Here’s information about the radar image:
A portion of western Eistla Regio is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus. The viewpoint is located 1,100 kilometers (682 miles) northeast of Gula Mons at an elevation of 7.5 kilometers (4.6 miles). Lava flows extend for hundreds of kilometers across the fractured plains shown in the foreground to the base of Gula Mons. The viewpoint is to the southwest with Gula Mons appearing at the left just below the horizon. Gula Mons, a 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) high volcano, is located at approximately 22 degrees north latitude, 359 degrees east longitude. Sif Mons, a volcano with a diameter of 300 kilometers (180 miles) and a height of 2 kilometers (1.2 miles), appears to the right of Gula Mons. The distance between Sif Mons and Gula Mons is approximately 730 kilometers (453 miles). Magellan synthetic aperture radar data is combined with radar altimetry to develop a three-dimensional map of the surface. Ray tracing (rays as if from a light source are cast in a computer to intersect the surface) simulate a perspective view. Simulated color and a digital elevation map developed by Randy Kirk of the U.S. Geological Survey, are used to enhance small scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. The image was produced at the JPL Multimission Image Processing Laboratory by Eric De Jong, Jeff Hall and Myche McAuley, and is a single frame from a video released at a March 5, 1991, JPL news conference. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL.
Second, there is a photo of the Titan I launch in 1960. The photo was found on the USAF/USSF/DoD photo archives (visual information) library and is labeled public domain with the following description and disclaimers:
Titan I missile J-7 begins the first successful flight test of an operational Titan I ICBM on 10 August 1960 at the Atlantic Missile Range. (USAF photo).
Non-Commercial Use Authorized. Except in cases where productions are authorized for DoD assistance, DoD VI [Visual Information] may be distributed, copied, and used, for non-commercial, personal use, as well as historical and newsworthy purposes or activities. Display of the non-DoD endorsement disclaimer is requested.
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