Jun 18 1965
From The Space Library
USAF Titan launched from the Eastern Test Range, became the most powerful rocket known to have been lofted and the first liquid-fuel spacecraft to be lifted from its pad with solid-fuel rockets. Two 120-in.-dia., 86-ft,-long solid strap-on boosters generated a peak thrust of 2,647 million lbs. ½ sec, after ignition to propel the liquid-fuel core vehicle to an altitude of 24 mi, Less than two minutes after lift-off, the boosters were jettisoned by firing of 16 small rockets. The liquid-fuel engines of the 127-ft, three-stage core vehicle then fired a 474,000-lb, thrust burst that injected the vehicle's third stage (transtage) with 29,285-lb, lead ballast and instrument payload into an orbit with apogee, 116.2 mi. (187 km.) ; perigee, 110.4 mi. (177.7 km,) ; period, 88.1 min; inclination to the equator, 32.175°. This was the heaviest payload ever orbited; insertion velocity was 25,584 fps. The solid-fuel motors, made by United Technology Center, were formed in 10-ft,-dia. segments stacked inside metal casings. Adding two segments to each of the two five-segment boosters used would permit Titan III-C to put 32,000 lbs, into orbit. Payload could be increased to 40,000 lbs, using 13-ft.-dia, segments of another type already test-fired by UTC, Liquid stages used nitrogen tetroxide and Aerozene 50 (a 50/50 mixture of hydrazine and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine) as the oxidizer and fuel; the propellants ignited hypergolically. A series of twelve Titan III-C tests was projected. Most powerful rocket previously launched was NASA's Saturn I, which produced 1.5 million lbs, thrust. The most powerful known Soviet rocket, which orbited VOSKHOD I and VOSKHOD had been rated by American experts at 800,000-900,000 lbs. thrust. The two-stage Titan II that launched GEMINI III and GEMINI IV into orbit produced 430,000 lbs, of thrust. (Clark, NYT, 6/19/65, 1; AP, Benedict, Wash. Post, 6/19/65, A3; Hines, Wash. Eve, Star, 6/19/65; Av. Wk, 6/28/65, 16-19)
A briefing given by NASA Administrator James E. Webb to President Johnson and the Cabinet in session said that the success of the last two Gemini missions "has proved the design and confirmed the results of the ground tests, has increased our confidence in the reliability of the over-all Gemini systems, and has enabled the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to advance the Gemini program such that rendezvous and docking are now scheduled during calendar year 1965." (Text)
NASA launched 3.5-ton Aerobee 350, new two-stage research rocket, from Wallops Station, Va, in first flight test. The 52-ft.-long, 22-in,- dia, rocket carried 367 lbs, of performance instrumentation to peak altitude of 235 mi. and impacted in Atlantic Ocean 160 mi. from launch site. Designed and developed by Space-General Corp., Aerobee 350 had a main stage "sustainer" propelled by four liquid-fuel engines, each developing 4,100 lbs. thrust, Booster stage used a solid propellant Nike motor with 51,000 lbs, thrust. Booster and sustainer stages fired simultaneously, with the booster burning out and separating about 3.2 sec, later. The rocket would boost a minimum-weight payload of 150 lbs, to an altitude of 290 mi. and a maximum payload of 500 lbs, to 210 (Wallops Release 65-37; NASA Rpt. SRL)
An ionospheric sounding probe launched by NASA on a Nike-Apache vehicle from Wallops Station, Va, reached peak altitude of 116 mi. in an experiment to measure electron density in the E region of the ionosphere. Electron profile data were obtained during both the ascent and descent portions of the flight trajectory and were telemetered to ground receiving stations during the flight. Experiment was conducted for National Bureau of Standards' Central Radio Propagation Lab. and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (Wallops Release 65-36)
NASA announced it would negotiate with Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. for mission modifications on seven Agena-D second stages for future missions. Total cost of the modification would be more than $13 million. Five of the Agenas would be used with Atlas boosters to launch the Applications Technology Satellites (ATS) ; the other two, also to be boosted by Atlas launch vehicles, would be used for the third and fourth Orbiting Astronomical Observatories (OAO). Lockheed would design, develop, and fabricate equipment and match the Agenas with the Atlas boosters and the spacecraft. (NASA Release 65-199)
ComSatCorp was authorized by FCC to begin temporary commercial service at midnight via EARLY BIRD I to replace circuits lost due to a break in the Canada-to-England cable. The authorization would be in effect until midnight June 26. A temporary tariff, approved by FCC, set a rate of $420 a day, per circuit, for the first two days of commercial operation and $210 per circuit for the remainder of the time. (ComSatCorp Release)
Canada's Black Brant research rocket underwent its second successful launch from Ft. Churchill, Manitoba. (M&R, 6/28/65, 11)
Brig. Gen. Joseph S. Bleymaier (USAF), Deputy Commander (Manned Systems) of AFSC Space Systems Div, and head of the Titan III-C program, and project leaders Cols, David V. Miller (USAF) and Otto C. Ledford (USAF) were honored by Maj. Gen. Ben I. Funk (USAF) for the success of the Titan-III program. General Bleymaier's commendation for the Legion of Merit was for "outstanding service to the United States," Colonels Miller and Ledford were awarded Commendation Medals. The ceremony was conducted at Eastern Test Range one hour after launch of Titan III-C-1. (Clark, NYT, 6/19/65, 1, 11)
USAF resumed tests of the Athena reentry program with two launches from Green River, Utah, into White Sands Missile Range. One was termed a complete success; the other 80% successful. (M&R, 6/28/65, 11)
First use of USAF B-52 heavy jet bomber in anger when 28 U.S. Strategic Air Command B-52's dropped 750- and 1,000-lb. conventional bombs on Viet Cong units in South Vietnam. B-52 had been mainstay of U.S. global thermonuclear deterrent for almost a decade. (Margolis, Wash. Post, 6/18/65, Al, A18; EPH )
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