The events on this day in history for our heritage companies are noted below.
The earliest event was in 1926 (not a typo), the latest event was in 2019
No milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
1966 – LAUNCH: Gemini 8 Agena target, GD Atlas SLC-3D/Lockheed Agena D, LC14, CCAFS
1966 – LAUNCH: Gemini 8, MM Titan II GLV, LC-19, CCAFS – Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott – docking with Agena was successful, but a stuck thruster on Gemini led to unexpectedly violent yaw and roll motions, forcing an early end to the mission.
Military and Classified Programs:
1974 – LAUNCH: RCA DMSP-Block 5B F5, Thor Burner 2A, SLC10W, VAFB
1978 – LAUNCH: Classified mission, MM Titan IIID, SLC4E, VAFB
1979 – LAUNCH: Classified mission, MM Titan IIID, SLC4E, VAFB
1981 – LAUNCH: IMEWS11 (DSP), MM Titan IIIC, LC40, CCAFS
1998 – LAUNCH: UHF F8, LM Atlas II, LC36A, CCAFS
2019 – LAUNCH: WGS-10, ULA Delta IV M+9(5,4), LC37B, CCAFS
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
NONE
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
NONE
Commercial Programs:
NONE
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1962 – LAUNCH: MM Titan II, LC16, CCAFS – First launch of Titan II R&D test missile
1963 – LAUNCH: GD Atlas F, 576-D, VAFB
1963 – LAUNCH FAILURE: GD Atlas D, 576-A1 VAFB
1967 – LAUNCH: GD Atlas F, 576-A2, VAFB
2002 – LAUNCH: LM Trident D-5, SSBN732, ETR
2016 – LAUNCH: LM Trident D-5, SSBN(unknown), ETR
Other:
1926 – First flight of a liquid-fueled rocket by Robert Goddard in Auburn, Massachusetts (considered the “Kitty Hawk” moment for missiles and space)
1979 – Inertial Upper Stage motor fired successfully for 145 seconds (designated for Shuttle and MM Titan usage)
The first set of photos today are from the Gemini VIII mission and include the Atlas/Agena D launch, the Titan/Gemini launch and the crew of Gemini VIII. Here’s the story about Gemini VIII (from Wikipedia):
After the Agena began execution of its stored command program, which instructed the Agena to turn the combined spacecraft 90° to the right, Scott noticed that they were rolling. Armstrong used the Gemini’s OAMS thrusters to stop the roll, but after it stopped, it immediately started again. Gemini 8 was out of range of ground communications at this time.
Armstrong reported that the OAMS fuel had dropped to 30%, indicating that the problem could be on their own spacecraft. With concern that the high rate of rotation might damage one or both spacecraft or even cause the propellant-heavy Agena to rupture or explode, the crew decided to undock from the Agena so they could analyze the situation. Scott switched the Agena control back to ground command, while Armstrong struggled to stabilize the combined vehicle enough to permit undocking. Scott then hit the undock button, and Armstrong fired a long burst of translation thrusters to back away from the Agena. Without the added mass of the Agena, Gemini started rotating more rapidly. The astronauts realized that the problem was on the Gemini. By now the tumble rate had reached 296 degrees per second and Armstrong decided to shut down the OAMS and use the Reentry Control System (RCS) thrusters, located on the Gemini’s nose, to stop the tumble. From start to finish the incident lasted nearly 30 minutes.
NASA turned off the squawk box at Armstrong’s home, alarming his wife. Scott later praised Armstrong’s actions as their spacecraft spun: “The guy was brilliant. He knew the system so well. He found the solution, he activated the solution, under extreme circumstances … it was my lucky day to be flying with him.” The spacecraft came in range of the ground communications ship Coastal Sentry Quebec. After steadying the spacecraft, the crew tested each OAMS thruster in turn and found that Number 8 had stuck on. Almost 75% of the reentry maneuvering fuel had been used to stop the tumble, and mission rules dictated that the flight be aborted once the Reentry Control System was fired for any reason. Gemini 8 immediately prepared for an emergency splashdown
The second photo is just before the historic event of the first liquid-fueled rocket launch by Robert Goddard in 1926. The photo of Goddard was taken by his wife Esther Goddard and is currently in the public domain in the United States because it was published before 1930. The photo is also archived in the NASA database Great Images in NASA.
Here’s the story about Goddard’s test on March 17, 1926.
From Goddard’s diary: “The first flight with a rocket using liquid propellants was made yesterday at Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn. … Even though the release was pulled, the rocket did not rise at first, but the flame came out, and there was a steady roar. After a number of seconds it rose, slowly until it cleared the frame, and then at express train speed, curving over to the left, and striking the ice and snow, still going at a rapid rate.”
The rocket, which was later dubbed “Nell”, rose just 41 feet during a 2.5-second flight that ended 184 feet away in a cabbage field but it was an important demonstration that liquid fuels and oxidizers were possible propellants for larger rockets. The launch site is now a National Historic Landmark, the Goddard Rocket Launching Site.
