Forecast of Upcoming Anniversaries-- October 2018
FORECAST OF UPCOMING ANNIVERSARIES-- OCTOBER 2018 60 Years Ago - 1958 October 1: First day of NASA operations, Washington, D.C. October 4: Vandenberg AFB, CA dedicated. October 7: Space Task Group (STG) formally organized and given control of Project Mercury, Washington, D.C. October 11: Pioneer 1 launched on a Thor Able from Cape Canaveral, Fla, at 4:42 a.m., EST. A project inherited from the US Air Force, Pioneer 1 was the first spacecraft launched by the new NASA. An attempted lunar probe, the rocket failed at 70,700 ft. October 15: X-15 rocket plane rollout, North American Aviation plant, Los Angeles, CA. 55 Years Ago - 1963 October 16: Vela 1 and 2 launched by Atlas Agena at 2:24 UTC, Cape Canaveral, Fla. Sponsored by the US Air Force (USAF) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the satellites were designed to detect nuclear tests from orbit. Vela satellites were also used to warn NASA astronauts of potentially dangerous solar flare activity. 50 Years Ago - 1968 October 11-22: Apollo 7 launched aboard a Saturn 1B at 11:02 a.m., EDT, KSC. Crew: Walter M. Schirra Jr., Donn F. Eisele, and Walter Cunningham. A flight of many firsts: first manned flight of Apollo Project, first test of Apollo Command/Service Module in Earth orbit operated by astronauts in flight, first three member crew mission flown by the US, first launch from Launch Complex 34, first manned launch of a Saturn IB, first CSM rendezvous & station-keeping maneuvers, first flight of Block II Apollo spacecraft, first live network TV broadcast from space during a manned flight, first astronauts to come down with an illness during a space flight, first flight of the redesigned Apollo space suits, and first crew to drink coffee in space.
[Show full text]