Sep 17 1966
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched five-to six-ton spacecraft, possibly from Cosmos series, which exploded into 51 pieces detectable by radar. GSFC Satellite Situation Report would later reveal that nine pieces of debris remained in orbit on Oct. 15, the rest having reentered beginning Sept. 20. Launch was first unannounced U.S.S.R. space flight since Jan. 4, 1963. Evert Clark said in the New York Times that launch marked first U.S.S.R. 49° inclination launch from Tyura Tam and that Kapustin Yar had been used for all previous 49” launches. ‘‘(GSFC SSR, 10/15/66, 22-5; Clark, NYT, 11/1/66, 19; Wilson, Wash. Post, 11/1/66, 3)’’
NASA reported that smudgy spacecraft windows and exposure problems had compromised quality of most of movie film taken by Astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr., and Richard F. Gordon, Jr., during Sept. 12-15 GEMINI XI mission. Still pictures were all “of good quality” and showed earth’s curvature more clearly than on any other manmade photographs. ‘‘(AP, Wash. Sun. Star, 9/18/66, A8)’’
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