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 2022.
Two milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
1963 – The Aerospace Corporation has been tasked to support the Gemini MM Titan II Launch Vehicle program
1974 – MM X-24B Flight 36, Dryden Lake – Pilot Michael Love
1977 – ALT-1-3, Taxi tests 1-3, Enterprise Space Shuttle /Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, Concrete runway, Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards AFB) – First Approach and Landing test (taxi on runway to various speeds)
Military and Classified Programs:
1964 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Corona 76, Thor SLV-2D/Lockheed Agena D, SLC1W, VAFB – MILESTONE: 60 years ago
1966 – LAUNCH: Classified missions, GD Atlas SLV-3/Lockheed Agena D, SLC4E, VAFB
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
1960 – LAUNCH FAILURE: Pioneer P31, GD Atlas/Able, LC13, CCAFS – MILESTONE: 65 years ago
2022 – LM selected to build three key elements of the Mars Sample Return mission (Cruise Stage, Mars Ascent Vehicle, Earth Re-entry system). NOTE: This has been overcome by events, as noted below.
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
NONE
Commercial Programs:
2006 – LAUNCH: LM Echostar X, Zenit 3SL, platform, Kiritimati, Pacific
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1956 – Martin Titan II development move to Denver from Baltimore approved
1965 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Polaris A3, SSBN630, ETR – MILESTONE: 60 years ago
1968 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Polaris A2, UK S22, ETR
1977 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Trident C-4, LC25C, CCAFS
1988 – LAUNCH: MM Pershing 2, LC16, CCAFS
Other:
NONE
The photo today shows the Enterprise shuttle and the carrier vehicle before tests of the configurations in the Approach and Landing Tests. The first three taxi tests were on this day in 1977. Photo Credit: Udo Haafke, distributed under a GNU Free Documentation License as noted on Wikipedia.
The Mars Sample Return mission concept awarded in 2022 has been overcome by events as noted in this article from Wikipedia:
After a project review critical of its cost and complexity, NASA announced that the project was “paused” as of 13 November 2023. On 22 November 2023, NASA was reported to have cut back on the Mars sample-return mission due to a possible shortage of funds. In April 2024, in a NASA update via teleconference, the NASA Administrator emphasized continuing the commitment to retrieving the samples. However, under the then-current mission profile, the cost of $11 billion was infeasible, therefore NASA would turn to industry and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to form a new, more fiscally feasible mission profile to retrieve the samples, with responses expected by fall 2024.
