First Private ComSat, and Closest Comet Encounter

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Fifty years ago today — July 10, 1962 — Telstar 1 launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta rocket.


(Telstar 1. NASA image from Wikimedia Commons.)

Telstar 1 was built by AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories, making it the first privately-built communications satellite, and broadcast the first live television signals between the U.S. and Europe. The spacecraft was short-lived — its “command channel began to behave erratically” in November and its transmitter failed in February 1963 — but it proved the concept and thereby led to the worldwide satellite communications we enjoy today.

In other space history, on this date 20 years ago, the Giotto probe made a flyby of Comet Grigg-Skjellerup, passing the comet’s nucleus at a distance of between 100-200 km (62-124 mi). It was Giotto’s second flyby, having studied Comet Halley on its primary mission, and the closest-ever flyby of a comet nucleus.

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A Martian 4th of July Sojourn

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Fifteen years ago today — July 4, 1997 — Mars Pathfinder, which launched in December 1996, landed on Mars.


(“Twin Peaks” imaged by Mars Pathfinder. NASA image.)

Mars Pathfinder consisted of a lander, named the Carl Sagan Memorial Station after touchdown, and the Sojourner rover.

From landing until the final data transmission on September 27, 1997, Mars Pathfinder returned 2.3 billion bits of information, including more than 16,500 images from the lander and 550 images from the rover, as well as more than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and soil and extensive data on winds and other weather factors. Findings from the investigations carried out by scientific instruments on both the lander and the rover suggest that Mars was at one time in its past warm and wet, with water existing in its liquid state and a thicker atmosphere.

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Cometary Mission, Presumed Lost, and a Long-Lasting Solar Explorer

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Ten years ago today — July 3, 2002 — a Delta II rocket launched from Cape Canaveral carrying the CONTOUR (Comet Nucleus Tour) spacecraft.


(Artist’s conception of CONTOUR. NASA image.)

CONTOUR operated nominally for six weeks until it started the orbital escape maneuver that would take it away from Earth.

The spacecraft was scheduled to ignite its STAR 30 solid rocket engine on 15 August 2003 at 08:49 UT (4:49 a.m. EDT). This firing was to take CONTOUR out of Earth orbit and put it on a heliocentric trajectory. However, following the scheduled firing time, no further contact was made with the craft. Telescopic surveys were made under the assumption that the firing took place on schedule, and three objects were identified near the expected position of CONTOUR, leading investigators to believe that the firing took place and that these objects were parts of the spacecraft and rocket engine. An investigation board concluded that the most likely cause of the mishap was structural failure of the spacecraft due to plume heating during the solid-rocket motor burn. Alternate possible but less likely causes determined were catastrophic failure of the solid rocket motor, collision with space debris, and loss of dynamic control of the spacecraft.

So CONTOUR was presumed lost. It was supposed to attempt fly-bys of comets Encke and Schwassmann-Wachmann-3, with a possible third flyby of comet d’Arrest.

In more successful space history, on this date in 1992 the Solar, Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) mission launched from Vandenberg AFB on a Scout rocket. SAMPEX was designed to study cosmic rays, energetic particles emitted by the sun, and the magnetospheric particles for which it was named. The spacecraft was only expected to last about three years, but it continued to send back data until July 2004.

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Microgravity Science Lab Flies Again (Second Time's the Charm)

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Fifteen years ago today — July 1, 1997 — the Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center carrying the Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL).


(STS-94 launch. NASA image.)

Mission STS-94 was a “reflight” of the original MSL mission, STS-83, which launched three months earlier but ended early because of a fuel cell problem aboard Columbia. STS-94 marked the first time a shuttle mission was reflown with the same payload, same orbiter, and even the same crew. On this MSL mission — the 2nd time around — astronauts James D. Halsell, Susan L. Still, Janice E. Voss, Donald A. Thomas, Michael L. Gernhardt, Roger K. Crouch, and Gregory T. Linteris conducted a wide variety of experiments (“25 primary experiments, four glovebox investigations and four accelerometer studies”) during their 15 days in space.

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Last Shuttle Shakedown Flight

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Thirty years ago today — June 27, 1982 — the Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the final R&D flight for the shuttle fleet.


(President Reagan welcomed the STS-4 crew back from space. NASA image from Wikimedia Commons.)

On mission STS-4, astronauts Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly and Henry W. “Hank” Hartsfield conducted a number of experiments in addition to refining shuttle operating procedures. The mission also carried a classified payload for the Department of Defense.

Mattingly and Hartsfield landed the shuttle on July 4th at Edwards AFB, where they were greeted by President and Mrs. Reagan.

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First Microgravity Laboratory Flight

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Twenty years ago today — June 25, 1992 — the Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center carrying U.S. Microgravity Laboratory I (USML-1).


(The STS-50 crew in the Spacelab module. NASA image.)

The STS-50 crew consisted of astronauts Richard N. Richards, Kenneth D. Bowersox, Bonnie J. Dunbar, Ellen S. Baker, Carl J. Meade, Lawrence J. DeLucas, and Eugene H.Trinh. Over the course of their 13-day mission, they conducted over a dozen different experiments in the USML-1 module.

And, in bonus space history left over from my lazy birthday weekend: 30 years ago yesterday (June 24, 1982) the Soviet Union launched Soyuz T-6 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying cosmonauts Vladimir A. Dzhanibekov and Alexander S. Ivanchenko, along with French astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien, to the Salyut 7 space station.

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Overhauled Spacecraft Sent to Venus

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Forty-five years ago today — June 14, 1967 — Mariner 5 launched from Cape Canaveral atop an Atlas Agena rocket.


(Mariner 5. NASA image.)

Mariner 5 was originally built as a backup for the Mariner 4 mission to Mars, but was refurbished and sent to Venus instead.

Mariner 5 flew by Venus on October 19, 1967, passing about 4,000 km from the yellow planet. Instruments on the spacecraft “measured both interplanetary and Venusian magnetic fields, charged particles, and plasmas, as well as the radio refractivity and UV emissions of the Venusian atmosphere.”

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Probing the Venusian Atmosphere

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Forty-five years ago today — June 12, 1967 — the Soviet Union launched Venera 4 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.


(Venera 4. Image from the National Space Science Data Center.)

Venera 4 was designed to conduct “direct atmospheric studies” of Venus.

On October 18, 1967, the spacecraft entered the Venusian atmosphere and released two thermometers, a barometer, a radio altimeter, and atmospheric density gauge, 11 gas analyzers, and two radio transmitters operating in the DM waveband. The main bus, which had carried the capsule to Venus, carried a magnetometer, cosmic ray detectors, hydrogen and oxygen indicators, and charged particle traps. Signals were returned by the spacecraft, which braked and then deployed a parachute system after entering the Venusian atmosphere, until it reached an altitude of 24.96 km.

The Venera 4 Wikipedia page includes some fascinating details about the capsule’s design and test regimen, and notes that Venera 4 successfully measured Venus’s atmosphere to be made up of 90-93% carbon dioxide, 0.4-0.8% oxygen, 7% nitrogen and 0.1-1.6% water vapor.

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Exploring the Extreme Ultraviolet

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Twenty years ago today — June 7, 1992 — a Delta II rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, carrying the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) spacecraft.


(Artist’s conception of EUVE. NASA image.)

EUVE was, as its name implies, an Explorer series spacecraft built to survey the sky in “the extreme ultraviolet range of the spectrum, from 70 – 760 Angstroms.” In addition to a full-sky survey, EUVE also conducted a “deep-survey” and made specific observations.

EUVE operated well throughout its mission life and two mission extensions, until operations ceased on January 31, 2001. The spacecraft de-orbited a year later and “re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere over central Egypt.”

Of particular interest to science fiction fans, one of the project scientists for EUVE was Dr. Yoji Kondo. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Kondo at Ravencon a few years ago. He’s a delightful fellow, and it’s no surprise that EUVE performed so well since he was involved in it.

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Extending the Space Station's Reach (Literally)

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Ten years ago today — June 5, 2002 — Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from the Kennedy Space Center on a mission to the International Space Station.


(STS-111 launch. NASA image.)

The STS-111 crew consisted of US astronauts Paul S.Lockhart, Kenneth D. Cockrell, Franklin Chang-Diaz, and Peggy Whitson, French astronaut Philippe Perrin, and cosmonauts Valery G. Korzun and Sergei Y.Treschev. Korzun, Treschev, and Whitson comprised the ISS “Expedition Five” crew, and stayed aboard the ISS when Endeavour departed with the Expedition Four crew.

Endeavour delivered supplies and equipment to the ISS, and returned unneeded hardware and materiel from the station. In a series of EVAs, the crew installed the Mobile Remote Service Base System on the Mobile Transporter, which extended the Canadarm2 robotic arm’s reach by allowing it to traverse the station’s length. They also replaced a wrist roll joint on the station’s robotic arm.

Finally …

This foray into space history wouldn’t be complete without noting how good it was to see SpaceX‘s Dragon space capsule become the first commercial vehicle to dock with the space station. Well done!

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