Space Rocket History

Celebrations erupted in Mission Control, with broad smiles and cigar smoke marking the successful conclusion. But, while Mission control was celebrating, it was not yet known that the crew had been exposed to toxic fumes during descent. The crew was … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #464 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Coming Home first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“I had thoughts I couldn't express at the time. It felt like we weren't just opening a hatch in space, but opening the door to a new era on Earth.”  Tom Stafford. The post Space Rocket History #463 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Joint Operations first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On July 17, 1975, orbiting in space high above the French city of Metz, the American and Russian commanders shook hands. Their conversation, a mix of personal and technical remarks, reflected a casual familiarity, reminiscent of their simulator training sessions. … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #462 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Handshake first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

CapCom Truly radioed at 10:46 with the go-ahead: “I've got two messages for you: Moscow is go for docking; Houston is go for docking. It's up to you guys. Have fun.” The post Space Rocket History #461 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Rendezvous first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Reports from Baykonur indicated that the weather was perfect for the launch: clear skies, light winds, and hot July sunshine. The post Space Rocket History #460 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Light the Candles first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Television coverage involved meticulous planning of specific television transmissions, detailed preparation for an onboard press conference, and careful scheduling of symbolic activities designed to engage and inform the public. The post Space Rocket History #459 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – I Want my Apollo/Soyuz TV first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Eight cosmonauts arrived in Washington, D.C. on February 7th, 1975 to start their final training session in the U.S. as the technical specialists argued whether the spacecraft was ready or not. The post Space Rocket History #458 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Final Training & Tang Ceremony first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The origin of the Soviet's concern, regarding the potential impact of the Apollo Command Module's Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters on the Soyuz spacecraft during docking maneuvers, can be traced back to a Skylab film. The post Space Rocket History #457 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Soviet Concerns with Apollo first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Soyuz 16 served as a comprehensive rehearsal for the Soviet contribution to Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). The post Space Rocket History #456 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Soyuz 16 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The American astronauts acknowledged the necessity of enhancing their Russian language proficiency. They observed that their Russian counterparts, had demonstrated a remarkable commitment to learning English, dedicating 6 to 8 hours each day to individual language instruction. The post Space Rocket History #455 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Spacecraft Orientation first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

For the first time, the Soviet Union publicly announced the crew assignments for a Soyuz mission before the flight. Previously, cosmonaut identities were kept secret until after their flights. The post Space Rocket History #454 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Astronauts & Cosmonauts first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

According to George Low, the Soviet mission operations control room was quite large – it contained 16 two-man consoles, thus allowing them 32 flight controllers. In addition, there was a back row of consoles which were used for personnel such … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #453 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Mid-term Review first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

In April of 1972, George Low returned to Washington from Moscow and briefed Henry Kissinger. He conveyed NASA's assessment that a joint space mission in 1975 was feasible. The post Space Rocket History #452 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Full Speed Ahead first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

In a re-evaluation of the proposed test mission, the Soviets concluded that utilizing the Salyut spacecraft would not be technically and economically viable. The post Space Rocket History #451 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – No More Salyut? first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Finally Kraft and Gilruth told the Soviets that if they were unwilling to agree to the telephone conversations then the NASA delegation might as well pack up and go back to Houston. After some hesitation, the Soviets decided to try … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #450 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Round 3 with the Soviets first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The spacecraft designers led by Caldwell Johnson faced a demanding task. Director Gilruth urged them to accelerate the development of the docking adapter design, aiming to have a functional model ready for the upcoming November meeting with the Soviets. The post Space Rocket History #449 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Apollo-Salyut Test Mission Planning first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Two options were presented: Apollo docking with Salyut/Soyuz or Soyuz with Skylab/Apollo. Caldwell Johnson was taken aback by the Soviets' eagerness to immediately pursue the development of a universal docking mechanism. The post Space Rocket History #448 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Soyuz/Skylab & Apollo/Salyut first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On January 20th, 1971 in private negotiation, Low and Frutkin met with Keldysh and Feoktistov to discuss rendezvous and docking. NASA proposed developing compatible systems for Apollo and Soyuz rather than future spacecraft, aiming to give specialists something concrete on … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #447 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Creating a Partnership first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #446 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Tell Us All Your Secrets first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #445 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – A Kind Invitation first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #444 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Competition and Cooperation first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #443 – Salyut 4 – The April 5th Anomaly & Soyuz 18 with Lazarev, Makarov, Klimuk, & Sevastyanov first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The crew of Soyuz 17 embarked on a historic 29-day mission, surpassing the previous Soviet mission-duration record of 23 days set by the Soyuz 11 crew aboard Salyut 1 in 1971. The post Space Rocket History #442 – Salyut 4 – Soyuz 17 with Gubarev & Grechko first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The Salyut 4 space station, designated DOS-4, marked the second phase of the Soviet Union's civilian space station program. It was an improved version of the failed Salyut 2 station, with several notable enhancements.   The post Space Rocket History #441 – Salyut 4 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Initially, the rendezvous with Salyut 3 proceeded smoothly. However, as the Soyuz spacecraft approached the station, a critical problem arose. The Igla rendezvous system, designed to guide the spacecraft to the station, malfunctioned. The post Space Rocket History #440 – Salyut 3 – Soyuz 14 & Soyuz 15 Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Salyut 3 featured a “self-defense” gun purportedly designed by Alexander Nudelman for station use. Some reports suggest it was outfitted with a Nudelman-Rikhter “Vulkan” gun, a modified version of the 23mm Nudelman aircraft cannon, or conceivably a Nudelman NR-30 30mm … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #439 – Salyut 3 – Soyuz 14 Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

NASA's Explorer 50, also known as Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-8 or IMP-8, stands as a testament to humanity's relentless pursuit of knowledge and exploration beyond the confines of Earth.   The post Space Rocket History #438 – Explorer 50, Westar 1, & NOAA 4 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Scientists had long been intrigued by Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system. Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury remained largely unexplored, with many questions remaining about its surface features, geological composition, and magnetic field. The scientific community … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #437 – Mariner 10 – Venus & Mercury first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Pioneer 11 detected Saturn's bow shock on Aug. 31, 1979, about 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) out from the planet, thus providing the first conclusive evidence of the existence of Saturn's magnetic field. The post Space Rocket History #436 – Pioneer 11 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz 7k-T was flown on Soyuz 12 through Soyuz 40 missions from 1973–1981. The new 7K-T spacecraft was designed to accommodate only two cosmonauts who would wear pressure suits at all times … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #435 – Soyuz 12 & 13 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

At this point in 1973, the Soviets were attempting to fly 2 types of space station, the long duration orbital station scientific version called DOS.  The other station was a military spy space station equipped with a machine gun, called … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #434 – Salyut 2, Mars 4, 5, 6, 7 & Tang Ceremony first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Despite predictions, events seldom occur precisely as expected. The calculated breakup altitude of Skylab was based on its intended structural strength specifications. However, the actual vehicle was stronger than the specified strength requirements. The post Space Rocket History #433 – Skylab – Crashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The official decision to proceed with the Skylab reboost mission was made on September 1st 1977, initiating a two-year preparation period for the development and production of the required hardware and systems. The post Space Rocket History #432 – Skylab – Reboost first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Early in the planning stages of the Skylab flight, there was a desire to keep it in orbit long enough to use it as the core of a larger station. The post Space Rocket History #431 – Skylab – Skylab 5 & Skylab B first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Activating the station upon arrival was a challenge, but packing up to return home was also a major event that took several days. For Carr and his crew, this was the last planned visit, but they left open the possibility … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #430 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Leaving Skylab first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The next time an American would venture outside of a spacecraft would be on a Space Shuttle flight and that was nine years later. In less than a decade, from June 1965 to February 1974, American astronauts had learned to … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #429 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Solar Observations and the Last EVA first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This crew was the first to celebrate a new year in space 17 times as they orbited the earth and moved through the time zones. The post Space Rocket History #428 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Kohoutek in all its Glory first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“We and everybody on the ground thought that it was going to be a beautiful, brilliant comet. It turned out to be beautiful all right, but it was so faint that we really had to work to find it. Once … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #427 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Christmas in Space first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Nothing was outside, three times I went out that hatch into the ‘truly great outdoors.' When I was out there, it was a silent world, except for the whispers of my own breath. Sometimes I felt totally alone, like the … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #426 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – The First EVA first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“There was no strike in space by any stretch of the imagination. What could we threaten to do, go live on the moon? If any of these writers had gotten their information from just one of us, the crew or … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #425 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – The Strike (Fake News) first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

One stowaway was on the bicycle ergometer, another was in the LBNP (lower body negative pressure device), and the third was sitting on the toilet in the waste management compartment. The post Space Rocket History #424 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Stowaways & We Lost Gibson first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“As we rode, the big blue eyes of Al Shepard bored into each of us looking for any sign of weakness, any indication that one of these rookies was not ready to go. I looked back with a defiant smile, … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #423 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Launch & The Vomit Bag Scandal first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

In space, on the day the second crew left Skylab, which was September 25, 1973, the orbital workshop began it's third unmanned period. The post Space Rocket History #422 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Kohoutek, Experiments, Flight Prep & Training first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“I felt like that mission was from my viewpoint the highlight of my career, as being the best astronaut that I could be. I felt like our crew was the best crew we could be because we had done the … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #421 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Recovery & Re-acclimation first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“The thing I remember about reentry was not positioning some RCS switches correctly. We got behind and Owen could not read my notes in the checklist because of the limited space (and my ‘unique' penmanship). I said, ‘Give me the … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #420 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – De-orbit, Re-entry, & Splashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Hello Houston. Roger. Well I, haven't talked with you for a while. Isn't that you down there. Bob? This is Helen, here in Skylab. The boys hadn't had a good home cooked meal in so long, I  thought I'd bring … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #419 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Those Tricky Garriotts first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On mission day 28, August 24th 1973, it was time to perform the 2nd EVA.  Garriott and Lousma once again stepped outside the orbital workshop for a 4 and ½ hour spacewalk. The post Space Rocket History #418 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – AMU, EVA 2, Space Physics, Solar Physics and Mission Extension first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Finally, the crew became efficient enough to get all of the work done that was scheduled for a given day. But, that did not make up for the time lost at the beginning of the mission.  Reaching 100 percent efficiency … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #417 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Maximum Effort, Determination, Efficiency, and Accomplishment first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“I had to connect eleven five-foot sections of aluminum poles, twice, forming two long poles. These were then extended to Jack some forty or fifty feet away, where the poles were mounted in a ‘V', and a large ‘sail' pulled … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #416 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Wives, Spiders, Minnows and a Spacewalk first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Near the end of our preparation period, management said; Well, we believe, we can do this, now let's set about to see how we can get them down without expending the resources for a rescue mission.  So just overnight we … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #415 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Rescue Mission Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“I think for me that was probably the low point of the mission because it threatened our ability to get our job done, and I wasn't willing to come home.  I've never been afraid of space, but that was a … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #414 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Rescue Mission Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.