ANNOUNCEMENT: The events for our heritage companies will not be published on the MARS Retirees website after December, 2025. The group is transitioning to a new website and the events will only be available starting in 2026 on the closed Mars Associates Facebook page. The lack of readership for these events on this website, compared to the effort required to maintain the data in two places and the large readership on Facebook in comparison, has led to this decision.
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:
1958 – Eleven corporations submit proposals for Project Mercury, including Convair (GD), Martin Company and Lockheed
1972 – LANDING: Apollo 17 lands on the moon (LM Challenger, with Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt) – Taurus-Littrow region; Ron Evans orbits the moon in CM America
1990 – LANDING: STS-35 (Columbia), Edwards AFB – MILESTONE: 35 years ago
2000 – LANDING: STS-97 (Endeavour), KSC – MILESTONE: 25 years ago
2022 – SPLASHDOWN: Artemis I/LM Orion, ending first successful Artemis mission
Military and Classified Programs:
1977 – LAUNCH: Classified mission, GD Atlas SLV-3A/Lockheed Agena D, LC13, CCAFS
1978 – LAUNCH: GPS SVN04, GD Atlas F/SVS, SLC3E, VAFB
2012 – LAUNCH: USA-240 (X37B), ULA Atlas V 501, LC41, CCAFS
2020 – LAUNCH: NROL-44, ULA Delta 4H, LC37B, CCSFS – first launch from renamed Cape Canaveral Space Force Station – MILESTONE: 5 years ago
Exploration and Interplanetary Programs:
1964 – LAUNCH: Surveyor SD-1, GD Atlas/Centaur, LC36B, CCAFS
1998 – LAUNCH: LM Mars Climate Orbiter, Delta 7425-9.5, LC17A, CCAFS – MCO failed at Mars orbit insertion on 9/23/1999
Earth-Monitoring and Civil Weather Satellite programs:
1966 – LAUNCH OV1-09, -10, GD Atlas D, 576-B3, VAFB – magnetosphere satellites
1970 – LAUNCH: RCA NOAA-1, Thor Delta N6, SLC2W, VAFB – MILESTONE: 55 years ago
1972 – LAUNCH: RCA Nimbus-5, Delta 0900, SLC2W, VAFB
2019 – LAUNCH: LM Pony Express I, nanosat rideshare on NASA Risk Reduction payload Tyvak 0129, PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) QL, Satish Dawan First Launch Pad, India – Technology demonstration
Commercial Programs:
1988 – LAUNCH: GE Astra1A (also Skynet 4B), Ariane 44LP, ELA2, Kourou, French Guiana
Test, ICBM, FBM programs:
1956 – LAUNCH: Lockheed X-17, LC3, CCAFS
1972 – LAUNCH (4): Lockheed Poseidon C3, SSBN629, ETR
2002 – LAUNCH: LM Trident D-5, SSBN733, ETR
Other:
NONE
The photos today are from two missions. First, there are photos of the lunar operations of LM Challenger on the Apollo 17 mission with astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. Photo Credits: NASA
Second there is a photo of the launch of NROL-44 on Delta 4H in 2020. This was the first launch under the USSF at the renamed Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The photo was found on the ULA Flickr photo repository with the following caption:
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifts off from Space Launch Complex-37 at 8:09 p.m. EST on Dec. 10, 2020. Photo Credit: United Launch Alliance. Copyright © United Launch Alliance all rights reserved.
This photo is being used for non-commercial and historical purposes for retirees of LM and ULA.
