Author Archives: Gray Rinehart

Space History: Apollo Enters the 'Hardware Phase'

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Fifty years ago today — November 28, 1961 — North American Aviation won the prime contract to develop the Apollo Command & Service Module.


(Apollo-15 Command & Service Module, in lunar orbit. NASA image from Wikimedia Commons.)

This NASA history page has an interesting run-down of the competition and the source selection. The contract was critical to the overall Apollo effort:

The prime spacecraft contractor would develop and build the command module, service propulsion module, adapter (to fit the spacecraft to a space laboratory for earth-orbital flights and to the lunar landing propulsion section for lunar missions), and ground support equipment.


(Diagram of the Command Module interior. NASA image from Wikimedia Commons.)

While 14 companies received the request for proposal, in the final source selection North American Aviation competed against only General Dynamics Astronautics, General Electric, the Martin Company, and McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Each company submitted a detailed technical and program management package in October 1961, which “were scrutinized and evaluated by more than a hundred specialists.”

The Martin Company actually had the highest aggregate rating from the source evaluation board, but North American Aviation had scored highest in technical qualifications and had “the longest record of close association with NACA-NASA and the most straightforward advance into space flight.” That apparently won the day for them, although Martin employees had been told — erroneously, as it turned out — on the 27th that they had won the contract.

With this contract, the Command & Service Module was the first part of the Apollo system to enter the “hardware phase.”

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Happy Thanksgiving! Oh, and Some Space History

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Wishing you and yours a most Happy Thanksgiving!

Walking the dog this morning, I thought about things for which I’m thankful — the list is long, and I’m sure I didn’t think of everything. More things are coming to mind even as I type this.

I think it’s good for us to pause, reflect, and express appreciation for what we have — especially family and friends — rather than being bitter and resentful over things we don’t have. The Apostle Paul wrote that he had learned how to be content in every situation;* I’m not quite there yet, but I hope to be.

So, may we all find things for which we can be truly thankful, today and every day.

[BREAK, BREAK]

Now, the promised “Space History”…

Twenty years ago today — November 24, 1991 — the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on a Department of Defense mission.


(DSP satellite being tilted to its predeployment position in the shuttle’s payload bay. NASA image.)

During mission STS-44, astronauts Frederick D. Gregory, Terence T. “Tom” Henricks, James S. Voss, Story F. Musgrave, Thomas J. Hennan, and Mario Runco deployed the third Defense Support Program (DSP) missile warning satellite.

Without going into too much detail, DSP satellites stare at the earth, looking for the infrared signatures of rocket exhaust that would indicate ballistic missile launches.

Which, if nothing else, perhaps we can all be thankful for eyes in the sky that are watching out for sneak attacks.

___
*Philippians chapter 4.

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It's Official, for My Part: Story Sale to Asimov's

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I’ve mentioned this before in other contexts, but now that I’ve signed the contract it feels more real: my short story “Sensitive, Compartmented” is slated to appear in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

They currently plan to run the story in the April/May 2012 double issue.

For those of a military or Intelligence Community bent, the title should be suggestive. But not only in the way they might think.

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Free-Flying Space Experiments

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Fifteen years ago today — November 19, 1996 — the Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center carrying a spacecraft with a really long acronym.


(STS-80 launch. NASA image.)

Mission STS-80 carried the “Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph-Shuttle Pallet Satellite II,” known also as ORFEUS-SPAS II, a free-flying research spacecraft built in Germany. It also carried the Wake Shield Facility on its third flight. Both free-flying payloads were deployed, completed their experiments, and were retrieved without incident.

Astronauts Kenneth D. Cockrell, Kent V. Rominger, Tamara E. Jernigan, Thomas D. Jones, and F. Story Musgrave spent 17 days in space, carrying out all the planned experiments except for two spacewalks that were cancelled because of a problem with the shuttle’s hatch.

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Second Shuttle Shakedown

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Thirty years ago today — November 12, 1981 — astronauts Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.


(STS-2 launch. NASA image.)

Mission STS-2 began at 10:10 a.m. EST at Kennedy Space Center, and ended a little over 48 hours later — having been cut short by three days — when Engle and Truly landed at Edwards Air Force Base. Mission controllers ended the flight early because one of the shuttle’s fuel cells failed, reducing the amount of electricity and fresh water available; nevertheless, the crew achieved most of the mission objectives.

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Last Gemini Launch

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Forty-five years ago today — November 11, 1966 — Gemini XII launched from Cape Canaveral atop a Titan-II rocket.


(Gemini-12 astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin outside the capsule during an EVA. NASA image.)

Gemini-12 astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr. and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., spent 4 busy days in space, completing three extra-vehicular activities (EVA) — including one full-up “spacewalk” — as well as docking with a target vehicle, an Agena that was launched less than 2 hours earlier.

During one of the spacecraft’s orbits on November 12th, the crew were able to take pictures of a total eclipse that was visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

With the completion of the Gemini program, the U.S. space program turned its full attention to Apollo and the Moon.

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Second Sale to Analog

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I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve signed the contract for my second sale to Analog Science Fiction & Fact. My story, “The Song of Uullioll,” should appear, I think, in the first half of 2012.

It was surreal when my first Analog story was published this past year. It’s even more surreal that I have stories slated for publication next year in the two biggest science fiction magazines, Analog and Asimov’s Science Fiction.

This is a nice dream I’m living.

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Surveying Mars

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Fifteen years ago today — November 7, 1996 — the Mars Global Surveyor launched from Cape Canaveral atop a Delta-II rocket.


(Mars Global Surveyor. NASA image.)

The first U.S. mission to arrive successfully at Mars in 20 years — since the Viking missions — Mars Global Surveyor entered Martian orbit in September 1997. Its planned aerobraking routine had to be radically altered when one of its solar panels did not lock into position; as a result, it did not enter its final “mapping orbit” until February 1999.

Even though its primary mission was only intended to last one Martian year — 687 Earth days — MGS actually examined the red planet for seven years. Its array of instruments “collected data on the surface morphology, topography, composition, gravity, atmospheric dynamics, and magnetic field” in order to “investigate the surface processes, geology, distribution of material, internal properties, evolution of the magnetic field, and the weather and climate of Mars.” NASA lost contact with the spacecraft in November 2006, just five days shy of its ten-year launch anniversary.

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Can’t Get Enough Monster Hunter?

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Ballad, that is … “Monster Hunter Ballad.”

Today Alethea Kontis posted on her blog a video shot during her “traveling sideshow” at Dragon*Con, which includes me doing a rough-but-passable rendition of my song, “The Monster Hunter Ballad.” Appropriately, I’m sporting one of the Monster Hunter International hats that were given out during the con.

My song starts at around the 7 minute mark. Before my song, Leanna Renee Hieber did an evocative reading (I was particularly taken with the imagery), and after my song, Danielle Friedman performed a wonderful “poi” routine … unfortunately, without fire. You will also hear some “zombie haiku,” which have become something of a staple at Alethea’s readings.

Thanks again, Alethea, for letting me play along!

P.S. For anyone who may not have seen it, the first video of the “Monster Hunter Ballad” is still available for viewing.

___

FULL DISCLOSURE: The Monster Hunter International books by Larry Correia, which inspired the aforementioned ballad, are published by Baen Books. I work for Baen as a contributing editor.

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