The events on this day in history for our heritage companies are noted below.
The first event was in 1958, the latest event was in 2004.
No milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
NONE
Military and Classified Programs:
1958 – Dyna-Soar Request for Proposals released
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
1994 – LAUNCH: Clementine 1, MM Titan II SLV, SLC4W, VAFB
2004 – LANDING: Mars Rover Opportunity Successful Landing on Mars (LM Aeroshell)
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
1964 – LAUNCH; Echo 2, Thor SLV-2/Lockheed Agena B, SLC2E, VAFB – MILESTONE: 60 years ago
Commercial Programs:
NONE
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1963 – LAUNCH FAILURE: GD Atlas D, 576-B2, VAFB
Other:
NONE
The photo today is the launch of the Clementine lunar orbiter on Titan II in 1994 (30 years ago) and an image from the star tracker on Clementine of the Moon and Venus. Clementine tested deep space sensors and instruments for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in partnership with NASA. Here is the caption for the launch photo, which came from government sources and is in the public domain, from Wikipedia:
The Clementine spacecraft is launched aboard a Titan II missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in this Jan. 25, 1994, file photograph. The recent interpretation of data from the Clementine spacecraft mission, a joint Ballistic Missile Defense Organization/NASA venture, has revealed that deposits of ice could exist in permanently dark regions near the South Pole of the Moon. Initial estimates suggest that the ice deposit area is the size of small lake (60 to 120 thousand cubic meters), and that the lunar crater containing the ice deposit has a depth greater than the height of Mount Everest, and a rim circumference twice the size of Puerto Rico. The discovery of ice on the Moon has enormous implications for the potential return of humans to the Moon’s surface and the establishment of a permanent lunar station. The lunar ice could be mined and dissociated into hydrogen and oxygen by electric power provided by solar panels or a nuclear generator, providing both breathable oxygen and potable water for the permanent station on the Moon. Hydrogen and oxygen are also prime components of rocket motor fuel and could potentially result in the establishment of a lunar filling station transport to or from the Moon more economical by at least a factor of ten. The Clementine spacecraft’s primary military mission was to qualify lightweight sensor and camera technology for possible application for ballistic missile defense programs, but it also demonstrated a capability for low-cost, high-value space exploration missions.
The caption for the star tracker photo from Wikipedia is as follows:
In 1994, during its flight, the Clementine spacecraft returned images of the Moon. In addition to the geologic mapping cameras, the Clementine spacecraft also carried two Star Tracker cameras for navigation. These lightweight (0.3 kg) cameras kept the spacecraft on track by constantly observing the positions of stars, reminiscent of the age-old seafaring tradition of sextant/star navigation. These navigation cameras were also to take some spectacular wide angle images of the Moon. In this picture the Moon is seen illuminated solely by light reflected from the Earth–Earthshine! The bright glow on the lunar horizon is caused by light from the solar corona; the sun is just behind the lunar limb. Caught in this image is the planet Venus at the top of the frame. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL/US Geological Survey.
