Space Rocket History

Once its antennas were deployed, Explorer 49 was the largest human-made object to orbit the Moon as of 2022.   The post Space Rocket History #385 – Copernicus (OAO-3), SAS-2, Venera 8, Luna 20 & 21, and Explorer 49 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Launched in 1972 and weighing 258 kilograms (569 pounds), Pioneer 10 completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter and became the first of five artificial objects to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System.   The post Space Rocket History #384 – Pioneer 10 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“The UK 4 (United Kingdom Research Satellite 4), a.k.a. Ariel 4, was a small observatory designed to investigate the interactions between electromagnetic waves, plasmas, and energetic particles present in the upper ionosphere.” Wikipedia             The post Space Rocket History #383 – Ariel 4, Prospero X-3, Shinsei, Isis-2, And Our 9th Anniversary first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This is how Deputy Chief Designer for OKB-1, Boris Chertok described the launch of Mars 3. “The red disk of the Sun was just touching the horizon and dramatically illuminated the rocket as it lifted off with a roar. Separation … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #382 – Mars 2 & 3 and Luna 18 & 19 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Mariner 8 and 9 were virtually identical and designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun by Mariner 6 and 7, and to hopefully map over 70% of the Martian surface. The post Space Rocket History #381 – Mariner 8 & 9 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The Apollo 17 mission was the most productive and trouble-free piloted mission to the moon and represented the culmination of continual advancements in hardware, procedures, training, planning, operations, and scientific experiments. The post Space Rocket History #380 – Apollo 17 – The Finale first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

At 4:56 Houston time, Gene rested the tip of his left index finger on the yellow ignition button.   The post Space Rocket History #379 – Apollo 17 – Lunar Lift off, Docking & Orbital Science first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“As we leave the Moon and Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo Seventeen.” – Gene Cernan’s final words from the surface of … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #378 – Apollo 17 – Moonwalk 3 – The Last Steps on the Moon first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“How can there be orange soil on the Moon?! (Pause) Jack, that is really orange.” Gene Cernan The post Space Rocket History #377 – Apollo 17 – Moonwalk 1 & 2 – Orange Soil first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Gene Cernan’s first words were “As I step off at the surface of Taurus-Littrow, I’d like to dedicate the first steps of Apollo Seventeen to all those who made it possible.”   The post Space Rocket History #376 – Apollo 17 – Moonwalk 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Gene had a deadlock visual on the landing site. He knew exactly where he was, and the LM had become part of him, responding to his wishes as well as his touch on the controls as they lowered closer to … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #375 – Apollo 17 – The Last Manned Landing first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

For the next two days, Jack Schmitt would do a running account of Earth’s weather patterns. One Capcom even called Schmitt the human weather satellite.       The post Space Rocket History #374 – Apollo 17 – To the Moon first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

At 12:33 A.M. Dec. 7th 1972, “the hold-down arms released and the mighty Saturn V stirred, balanced on a dazzling fireball that grew to the size of an atomic bomb. As a show-stopping spectacular, nothing in the entire space program … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #373 – Apollo 17 – The Launch first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

By the time they reached the elevator, Cernan felt absolutely charmed, and was grinning from ear to ear. His Saturn V sparkled like a 363-foot-high jewel rampant against the night sky, center stage and draped in spotlights.   The post Space Rocket History #372 – Apollo 17 – Glitches first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Flight director Gene Kranz wrote that Cernan was his favorite because of his carefree and jovial attitude, unabashed patriotism, and his close personal relationship with the flight controllers.  The post Space Rocket History #371 – Apollo 17 – Commander Eugene Cernan first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Harrison Schmitt played a key role in training Apollo crews to be geologic observers when they were in lunar orbit and competent geologic field workers when they were on the lunar surface. After each of the landing missions, he participated … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #370 – Apollo 17 – Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Apollo 17 would break several crewed spaceflight records: 1) longest moon mission duration: 12 days 13 hours 52 minutes (just a day and a third shorter than the 14 days set in 1965 by Gemini 7), 2) longest total lunar … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #369 – Apollo 17 – Mankind’s Last Giant Leap first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On re-entry Casper hit the atmosphere at an altitude of about 400,000 feet above the earth and at a velocity of nearly 25,000 miles per hour.  The post Space Rocket History #368 – Apollo 16 – Splashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The LM eventually crashed due to lunar gravity anomalies. Since Houston didn’t know exactly where it landed, it was not useful to calibrate seismic experiments on the surface.  The post Space Rocket History #367 – Apollo 16 – Rendezvous, Docking, Ascent Stage Dump, Ken’s EVA and Lord of the Wedding Rings first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

It was the only time in their whole lunar stay that Charlie had a real moment of panic and thought he had killed himself. The post Space Rocket History #366 – Apollo 16 – Moonwalk 3, Lunar Olympics & Lift-off From the Moon first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.