The events on this day in history for our heritage companies are noted below.
The earliest event was in 1954, the latest event was in 1993
Five milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
1965 – SPLASHDOWN: Gemini VI-A, one day after launch, North Atlantic, USS Wasp
Military and Classified Programs:
NONE
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
NONE
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
NONE
Commercial Programs:
1978 – LAUNCH: RCA Anik B-1, Delta 3914, LC17A, CCAFS
1993 – LAUNCH: MM (GE) Telstar 401, GD Atlas IIAS, LC36B, CCAFS
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1954 – USAF publicly announces the start of the GD (Convair) Atlas program production – MILESTONE: 70 years ago
1958 – LAUNCH: Martin Bold Orion, B-47 aircraft, CCAFS
1959 – LAUNCH FAILURE: Lockheed Polaris A1, LC29A, CCAFS – MILESTONE: 65 years ago
1960 – LAUNCH: GD Atlas D, 576-B3, VAFB
1964 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Polaris A3, SSBN634, ETR – MILESTONE: 60 years ago
1969 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Poseidon C3, EAG-154, ETR – MILESTONE: 55 years ago
1974 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Poseidon C3, SSBN616, ETR – MILESTONE: 50 years ago
Other:
NONE
The photo today is the recovery of Gemini VI-A on the USS Wasp. Photo Credit: NASA. Here is the caption for the photo, from the NASA archives of Great Moments in Space:
Astronaut Walter H. Schirra Jr. (on right), Command pilot, climbs from his Gemini VI spacecraft as he and Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (not in view) arrive aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Wasp. They are assisted by various McDonnell technicians. The Gemini VI spacecraft splashed down in the western Atlantic recover area at 10:29 a.m. (EST) December 16, 1965, after a successful 25 hr. 52 minute mission in space.
