Forty-five years ago today — July 16, 1965 — the Soviet Union launched their first Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
(Proton launch from July 2000. NASA image from Wikimedia Commons.)
The Proton went on to become one of the most reliable launch vehicles in operation today.
I was able to see Proton operations “up close and personal” during the 2002 launch campaign for the Canadian Nimiq-2 satellite; however, I did not get to see the launch itself because I rotated back to the U.S. when my relief arrived. My observations at Baikonur eventually became the inspiration for my short story, “The Rocket Seamstress,” which was published in Zahir and is now available on Anthology Builder.
by 
