I'm starting to enjoy these musical interludes. Indulge me while I flip on my hi-fi to play my new favorite pop tune, Del Shannon's Runaway. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm often still as square as a lot of the slightly older set, and I still tap my toes to Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and … Continue reading [Feb. 21, 1961] Trading up (Mercury Atlas 2, Discoverer 21)
February is definitely making up for January's relative paucity of space flights; this week, in particular, has been noteworthy. I'd held off reporting on NASA's February 16 launch of Explorer 9 since, well, NASA lost it. You see, the satellite's beacon was tracked through half an orbit, but then the signal was lost, and no … Continue reading [Feb. 18, 1961] Lost and Found (Explorer 9 and Discoverer 20)
I miss one lousy newspaper… December is a busy month. There are holidays to shop for, the tax year is wrapping up, family to visit, etc. This December has been so crammed with work and domestic concerns such that I missed a very important pair of newspaper articles from the beginning of the month. I … Continue reading [December 31, 1960] Dog Days of Winter (Sputnik 6 and Discoverer 19)
It's the end of the month, and that means a sneak preview at what's in store next month on the Journey. There is also a bit of space news I missed. Things are now moving fast enough in the world of rockets that it's easy to fall behind! For those following along at home, here's … Continue reading [Sep. 30, 1960] Discoverer 15 and a preview for October
The score for this week–Civilian Space Science: 1, USAF Space Science: 0. In the Little Engine That Couldn't department, we have the Air Force's Discoverer project, ostensibly for sending up biological specimens in a returnable capsule, probably for launching recoverable reconnaissance film capsules, actually not much good for anything. The ninth in the series didn't … Continue reading [Feb. 7, 1960] The sports that matter (Discoverer 9 and solar radar)
It's enough to make a fellow cry. There she stood, a proud and lovely Atlas Able booster, with the largest American lunar probe ever built at its tip. Well, perhaps it wasn't so lovely. The Atlas ICBM is impressive enough, with three mighty engines at its base and a hot temper that has resulted in … Continue reading [Nov. 28, 1959] Broken nose (Atlas Able and Discoverer 8)
You certainly can't fault the Air Force for lacking persistence. The flyboys launched yet another in the ill-fated Discoverer series on the 19th. This was the sixth time a "biological specimen" capsule was sent up for the purpose of catching it when it came back down, not that the Air Force has put anything living … Continue reading Big and Little Booms (Discoverer VI and Little Joe 1; 8-22-1959)
The Air Force launched the fifth in its Discoverer series on August 13. Like the last one, there were no passengers on-board (though the recovery capsule was bigger this time around). Unlike the last flight, this one actually made it into polar orbit after its early afternoon launch from the deserts of California. The second … Continue reading Trifecta (Discoverer V; Beacon 2; Titan failures; 8-15-1959)
It's another Space Race update from The Traveler! A Vanguard went up on the 22nd, but I decided to hold off on writing a column as I knew a Discoverer was set to launch on the 25th. I'm afraid I've got a double-whammy of disappointment for my good readers. This new Vanguard had two thermistors … Continue reading Two for two (Vanguard and Discoverer failures; 6-26-1959)
It's a bad time to be an experimental animal, if there ever was (or will be) a good one. The Air Force launched Discoverer III last night with a payload of four plump black mice. As you know, if you read the papers or my column, Discoverer is a satellite program for shooting missions into … Continue reading Four blind mice (Discoverer III;6-04-1959)