The events on this day in history for our heritage companies are noted below.
The earliest event was in 1955, the latest event was in 2006
Three milestone events (5 to 65+ years ago)
Human Spaceflight:
1969 – MM X-24A flight 4, Dryden Lake – Pilot Jerhauld Gentry
1975 – MM X-24B flight 57, Dryden Lake – Pilot Bill Dana – MILESTONE: 50 years ago
1994 – LAUNCH: STS-64 (Discovery), LC39B, KSC – 6 person crew, scientific payloads (LIDAR experiment, untethered EVA using SAFER). Crew: Richard Richards, Blaine Hammond, Jerry Linenger, Susan Helms, Carl Meade, Mark Lee.
2006 – LAUNCH: STS-115 (Atlantis), LC39B, KSC – 6 person crew, ISS operations (truss assembly, solar arrays, batteries). Crew: Brent Jett, Christopher Ferguson, Steven MacLean (Canadian Space Agency), Daniel Burbank, Joseph Tanner, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper
Military and Classified Programs:
1961 – LAUNCH FAILURE: Classified mission, GD Atlas/Lockheed Agena B, SLC3W, VAFB – exploded on the pad
1968 – LAUNCH: Lockheed Corona 71, Thor SLV-2/Lockheed Agena D, SLC1W, VAFB
2003 – LAUNCH: USA 171, LM Titan TIVB(401)/Centaur, LC40, CCAFS – final flight of the Titan IVB (401) configuration
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
1955 – Project Vanguard begins operations – MILESTONE: 70 years ago
1975 – LAUNCH: MM Viking 2 Orbiter/Lander, MM Titan IIIE/GD Centaur, LC41, CCAFS – Mars orbiter and lander (second) – Fire after the successful launch destroyed the Aerospace Ground Equipment building – MILESTONE: 50 years ago
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
NONE
Commercial Programs:
1994 – LAUNCH: GE/MM Telstar 402, Ariane 42L, ELA 2, Kourou, French Guiana – the spacecraft exploded shortly after separation (propulsion system anomaly)
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1959 – USAF announcement: Deployment of the Martin Titan II would commence with the 7th squadron; the Titan II would vastly improve response times and accuracy with inertial guidance and using in-silo launch capability with storable propellants
1959 – LAUNCH: GD Atlas D, 576-A1, VAFB – declared operational with this launch
1961 – LAUNCH FAILURE: GD Atlas E, LC13, CCAFS
1970 – LAUNCH (7): Lockheed Polaris A3, SSBN655, ETR – MILESTONE: 55 years ago
Other:
NONE
The photos today are from three missions. First, there is the launch of Viking 2 Orbiter/Lander on Titan IIIE/Centaur in 1975. Photo Credit: NASA.
Second, there are photos of the STS-115 mission in 2006, including the launch, the crew and a photo of ISS after the truss work was completed and Atlantis undocked to return home. Photo Credits: NASA.
Third, there is a photo of the last Titan IVB/Centaur launch on this day in 2003. Here’s a description of the photo, which was found on Wikipedia:
A Titan IV B rocket takes off from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 on September 9, 2003. The rocket carried a National Reconnaissance Office ELINT payload (NROL-19, also known as USA-171) into orbit. The classified payload will help enhance national security for the United States and support deployed forces. Photo Credit: USAF/Carleton Bailie, released by the USAF (government agency).
