The space flight thread

vreihen said:

Did they copy the Russian hardware right down to the arabic numeral stencils?????

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NRL Celebrates 60 Years in Space with Vanguard

By Daniel Parry
March 14, 2018

Sixty years ago, March 17, 1958, the Navy launched Vanguard I, the Navy's first Earth-orbiting satellite, and the oldest remaining man-made object in space.


Launched by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, March 17, 1958, Test Vehicle 4 (TV4), better known as Vanguard I, was the second satellite launched by the U.S., the first successful satellite of the Vanguard series, and the first satellite to use solar cell power. It is the oldest satellite still orbiting the Earth. (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

Vanguard I, a component of the Vanguard Project, is a small aluminum sphere (16.5 cm in diameter) that was designed to partake in the International Geophysical Year (IGY) — a series of coordinated observations of various geophysical phenomena during solar maximum, spanning July 1957 through December 1958.

The basic objectives of the Vanguard Project were to build a satellite launching vehicle, get one satellite in orbit, track and verify orbital path, and accomplish one scientific experiment all before the end of the IGY. Homer E. Newell Jr., then acting superintendent of NRL’s Atmosphere and Astrophysics Division wrote, “To be useful, an artificial satellite must be observed, to launch an unobservable object into an orbit would be simply stunt, hardly to be classed as a worthwhile scientific endeavor.”

Following the unexpected launches of two Earth-orbiting satellites, Sputnik I and II, by the Soviet Union, and following a series of NRL’s own suborbital tests with the prior launches of test vehicles (TV) zero, one and two, NRL, set out to launch the first Vanguard satellite (TV3) into orbit, December 6, 1957. The launch however suffered a launch system failure and crashed on the launch pad in a fiery explosion.

Despite this unfortunate setback, the Vanguard Project had still come a long way toward solving the problems of putting a satellite into orbit. This proved a valuable asset to U.S. engineers and researchers and was an enabling factor that contributed to the successful launch of the U.S. Army’s Explorer I, January 31, 1958, the first U.S. satellite placed in Earth orbit.

Three months later, on March 17, NRL successfully launched Vanguard I, becoming the second U.S. satellite in Earth orbit and attaining the highest apogee of any satellite, an altitude of nearly 2,500 miles.

“We are all still in awe of what the Vanguard team accomplished 60 years ago,” said John Schaub, director, Naval Center of Space Technology (NCST) at NRL. “In just 30 months, with the successful launch of Vanguard I, their work brought to culmination the efforts of America’s first official space satellite program.”

With the launch of Vanguard I, the NRL Vanguard Project had finally begun to see many of the mission goals come to fruition, to include testing of three-stage launch vehicles, establishing a network of terrestrial tracking stations known as ‘Minitrack,’ and measuring the effects of the space environment on an Earth-orbiting satellite.

Vanguard’s orbital data proved invaluable toward the understanding of upper atmospheric physics, geodesy, geodynamics, solar terrestrial relationships, dynamical astronomy, and exospheric structure. Additionally, Vanguard I returned a wealth of information on air density, temperature ranges and micrometeorite impacts as well as revealing that the earth is slightly pear-shaped rather than round.


Vanguard I launch on March 17, 1958, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With the launch of Vanguard I, NRL scientists had finally begun to see many of the mission goals come to fruition, to include testing of three-stage launch vehicles, establishing a network of terrestrial tracking stations known as ‘Minitrack,’ and measuring the effects of the space environment on an Earth-orbiting satellite. (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

Instrumentation onboard Vanguard I included a set of mercury batteries, a 108-MHz transmitter, two temperature sensors, and a Minitrack beacon powered by six square solar cells – the first satellite on-orbit to be powered by photovoltaic cells. On-board transmitters were used primarily for engineering and tracking data, but were also used to determine the total electron content between the satellite and ground stations.

Although the satellite’s batteries lasted only 20 days, the crystal silicon photovoltaic, or solar cells, developed by the Army Corps of Engineers, continued to provide power for another seven years.

"As the first major U.S. space technology demonstration, the Vanguard Project instilled the rudiments of successful spacecraft engineering and space systems developments in the Navy, NASA and even the first Explorer payloads," said Dr. Angelina Callahan, NRL Historian. “By the time Vanguard I transmitted its last signal in 1964, NRL had launched a prototype weather satellite, the world’s first intelligence satellite and performed an important series of transionospheric propagation experiments for submarine communications.”

With the signing of the National Aeronautics and Space Act, by president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was formed. By way of presidential order 10783, NRL’s Vanguard Project civil service personnel were transferred into the newly created administration on October 1, 1958, and became the “nucleus” of the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Although data transmissions fell silent in 1964, ground-based tracking of Vanguard I has continued to provide scientists with data concerning the effects of the sun, moon and the atmosphere on satellite orbits.

“Vanguard I paved the way for NRL to leave our mark in the space technology field,” said Schaub. “We continue to draw inspiration from the innovation and uniqueness of the Vanguard Project, perpetuating our legacy of changing the way we see space down here on the surface.”

With a present apogee and perigee virtually unchanged from initial launch, Vanguard I, and subsequent satellites Vanguard II (Feb. 1959) and III (Sept. 1959), are all destined to continue to orbit the Earth and provide atmospheric and environmental data sets for well over another 60 years.

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There's a place at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean where hundreds of giant spacecraft go to die

Nathaniel Lee and Dave Mosher
Nov. 2, 2017, 1:32 PM

What happens to a spacecraft once it dies?

When a spacecraft completes its mission or runs out of fuel, it's sent to what NASA calls a Spacecraft Cemetery. Three thousand miles off the Eastern coast of New Zealand and more than 2 miles deep, it's the one place farthest from any land mass on Earth.

The perfect spot to land giant chunks of spacecraft that are traveling more than 180 mph upon impact. NASA predicts the chance of a spacecraft hitting someone out here to be around 1 in 10,000.

Since 1971, over 263 spacecraft from four nations have crashed here. Only the largest spacecraft ever make it here. Smaller satellites burn up completely before reaching the surface.

Next on NASA's list is the International Space Station. It's scheduled for decommission in 12 years to finally take its place among sunken space history.

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vreihen said:

Next on NASA's list is the International Space Station. It's scheduled for decommission in 12 years to finally take its place among sunken space history.

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Flat-earther blasts off in homemade rocket in bid to reassure himself world is shaped 'like a Frisbee'

Chiara Giordano
The Independent
Mar 25, 2018, 5:53 AM

Flat-earther blasts off in homemade rocket in bid to reassure himself world is shaped 'like a Frisbee'

A self-taught rocket man who believes the earth is flat blasted himself 1,875 feet into the air, in an effort to reach orbit and reassure himself the world is shaped “like a Frisbee”.

‘Mad’ Mike Hughes, who has been likened to cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, propelled himself into the sky in a homemade rocket on Saturday, landing hard in the Mojave Desert.

The 61-year-old limo driver said he was fine – apart from his aching back – after the launch near Amboy, California.

“I’m tired of people saying I chickened out and didn’t build a rocket,” he said after being checked out by paramedics.

“I’m tired of that stuff; I manned up and did it.”

Mr Hughes worked on overhauling his rocket in his garage for months before the launch on Saturday, which was given the go-ahead by Albert Okura, who owns Amboy.

‘Mad’ Mike Hughes is checked by paramedics after his homemade rocket trip (AP)

He converted a mobile home into a ramp and modified it to launch from a vertical angle so he would not fall back to the ground on public land.

It appeared Saturday might bring another string of cancellations, given the wind was blowing and his rocket was losing steam.

But some time after 3pm, and without a countdown, Mr Hughes’ rocket soared into the sky.

He reached a speed he estimated to be around 350mph before pulling his parachute.

The limo driver was dropping too fast, though, and had to deploy a second one.

He landed with a thud and the rocket’s nose broke in two places as designed.

“This thing wants to kill you 10 different ways,” said Mr Hughes, who had an altimeter in his cockpit to measure his altitude.

“Am I glad I did it? Yeah, I guess. I’ll feel it in the morning. I won’t be able to get out of bed.”

Mike Hughes, who believes the earth is flat, said his story has ‘brought out the nuts’ (AP)

“At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight,” he added.

The launch is said to have lasted three to four minutes, with the rocket landing about 1,500 feet from the ramp.

According to Mr Hughes, he also launched a rocket 1,374ft into the air in Arizona in 2014 before collapsing and taking three days to recover.

Social media users mocked Mr Hughes’ mission, posting messages such as ”He’ll be fine” next to a picture of Wile E. Coyote strapped to a rocket.

“I hope he doesn’t blow something up,” retired Nasa astronaut Jerry Linenger said as Hughes’ plans captured widespread attention. Mr Linenger orbited the globe more than 2,000 times during four months in 1997.

“Rocketry, as our private space companies found out, isn’t as easy as it looks,” he added.

Hughes often sparred with his critics on social media leading up to the launch, through Facebook comments and a 12-minute video addressed to his doubters

“My story really is incredible,” he said.

“It’s got a bunch of story lines — the garage-built thing. I’m an older guy. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, plus the Flat Earth. The problem is it brings out all the nuts also, people questioning everything. It’s the downside of all this.”

The self-taught rocket man added: “Do I believe the Earth is shaped like a Frisbee? I believe it is,” he said. “Do I know for sure? No. That’s why I want to go up in space.”

In the future Mr Hughes wants to build a ‘Rockoon’ – a rocket that is carried into the atmosphere by a gas-filled balloon, then separated from the balloon and lit – which would take him about 68 miles up.

He also plans to run for governor of California.

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Uwe said:

A steam-punk (literally!) rocket doesn't really belong in the Space Flight thread, does it?

-Uwe-

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NZDubNurd said:

You mean it's not rocket science???

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Uwe said:

A steam-punk (literally!) rocket doesn't really belong in the Space Flight thread, does it?

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Uwe said:

$100 billion has been spent putting that stuff in orbit and they're talking about decommissioning it and sinking it in the ocean?

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vreihen said:

NASA chief explains why agency won’t buy a bunch of Falcon Heavy rockets

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• United Launch Alliance
• Orbital ATK
• Aerojet Rocketdyne

vreihen said:

I'm putting my bitcoin on Apr 2 @ 03:00Z.....

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Uwe said:

That would still be April Fool's day here!

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