America in Space the First Five Years - A Pictorial Review

8/6/2019 America in Space the First Five Years - A Pictorial Review

1/76

NASA EP14 REV. 564

A I ' / 1 E R I C - A . I N. , - . . -

A P I C T O R I A L R E V I E ~

N A T I O N A L A E R O N A U T I C S A N D S P A C E A D M I N I S T R A T I O N


2/76

TH E AGE OF SPACE

I f there has been a single factor responsible for our success over the past twohundred years, it has been the characteristic American confidence in the future. I twas such a confidence which brought the first colonists westward across the Atlanticto settle the Eastern shores. I t was that same confidence which brought other gen-erations westward across the continent to build up ou r country all the way to thePacific.

Today there are those who argue that we should not push forward into newrealms or new enterprises except when there is clear evidence of competition fromother nations. I believe the American people reject the concept that their future

shall be measured by the reaction to accomplishments of others.America's commitment to the exploration of space for peaceful purposes is afinn commitment. We will not retreat from our national purpose. We will not beturned aside in our national effort by those who would attempt to divert us .

Ou r national purpose in space is peace-not just prestige .

President Lyndon B. J o h n ~ n


3/76

This country's greatest achievement in space , in my opinion, has been th e creationof a truly major national effort-as dynamic as it is urgent-for mobilizing large re-sources of scientific knowledge and advanced technology to achieve clearly definedn a tion a l goal s.

The significant fact of this d eca d e, I submit, will be mor e than th e landin g of atea m of United States exp lor ers on the moon ; it w ill be the demonstr at ion of the willand ability of our Nation , in full ob serva nc e of th e d emocratic processes of a fr ee p eo pl e,to or ga nize and carry ou t th e grea t effort th a t ma k es such a landin g possible.

JA M ES E. W E B BAdministrator, NASALo s Angeles, California

For sale by th e S uperinte n d ent of Documents . C.S, Govern me nt P rinting Office . \ Va-shinglon . D.C., 204 02 - P rice 4 5 cents


4/76

.

.-.

--


5/76

f

--

\ ,;'

..

"".' t . ," .,"

'"

'. ,',,- ". . ...

"'\ ..

-

AMERICA)S MANNED

SPACE FLIGHT

PROGRAM TAKESGREAT STEP FORWARD

On May 16, 1963, Astronaut L. GordonCooper, Jr., concluded an epic 22-orbitMercury flight in his Faith 7 spacecraft.Following this journey, America's mannedspace flight program moved beyond thepioneering Project Mercury to ProjectGemini.

In Gemini, NASA will explore the problems of manned space flight in greaterdepth than was possible with Mercury.Among the techniques to be developed in

Gemini is orbital rendezvous-the joiningof craft in orbit. Gemini will lead to Projec t Apollo whose goal is the landing ofAmerican explorers on the moon in thisdecade .

Pro jeet Merc ury has laid a sound foundation for greater achievements by its successor projects. I t has demonstrated that ma ncan live an d work in space, can augment thereliability of automatic equipment , an d ca nclarify an d add to data provided by instruments.

Th e progress of the first five years of..merica's manned space flight program is

reflected principally in Project Mercurywhi('h was initiated October t 958, justfour days after NASA began operations.

, A ! N l . . r e ~ t h i ssection chiefly d , piets Projec t MercurY" , It . also givers ~ glimpse ofdevelopments In Projects Gemini an dApollo .

' - ,

3


6/76

-

-

-

-

--

---

-

--

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

.

.

.

.

,-


7/76

Th e design of the Mercury spacecraftis the product of exhaustive laboratorystudies such as the wind tunnel test

portrayed at left . . .

. . . the test at the right in which amodel is fired like a bullet into an on-rushing stream of ai r ( resulting airflowis clearly visib le ) . . .

. . . an d water drop tests.

5


8/76


9/76

After laboratory studies came tests of boilerplate models(models without instrumentation) to evaluate structural sound-ness in ballistic flight an d the operation of the escape and land-ing system. Little Jo e boosters, made up of a cluster of fourSergeant an d four Recruit rockets, were employed for thesetests (far left).

On December 4, 1959, Miss Sa m (left), a rhesus monkey,was recovered alive an d well after thc Mercury escape rocketwas deliberately triggered during a Little Joe flight.

Modified Re d stone rockets like this one were Mercuryboosters in the next series of experiments.


10/76

R edstone rock e ts M ercury beyond clouds. Maximum MRa ltitud e was 115 miles; range, about 300 miles from CapeCanaveral launch site; landin g point , in the Atlantic O cean.

8

Redstone launching Mercury spacecraft. Mercury-Redstone(c alled MR ) flights lasted about 15 minutes an d reache d ave locity of 5,000 miles pe r hour.


11/76

Ha mrelaxes

withtrainers(Tight), prior to his MR fligh t of

January 31,196 1.

Ham photographed by an automatic camera during his flight (farright). Th e success of this flightset the stage for the first Americanastronaut to go into space.

A careful se lection process resu lted in th e choice of seven Mercury astrona ut s on April 2, 1959.L eft to right: Front-Wal ter M.Schirra, Jr.; Donald K. Slayton;John H. Glenn, Jr . ; an d M. ScottCarpenter. Back-Alan B. Shepard, J r.; Virgil!. Grissom; an d L.Gordon Cooper, Jr .

730 - 703 0 - 64 - 2

9


12/76

10

An intensive training program preparedth e astronauts for space travel. AstronautCarpenter takes stress test on treadmill.

Astronaut enters gondola of giant centrifuge that will duplicate high gravityforces expected during take-off an d entry into atmosphere.


13/76

Astronauts experience brief period of weightless -ness in aircraft flying a parabolic arc . At one partof such an arc, centrifugal force equals gravitationalforce .

Astronaut Schirra practices leaving spacecraftfrom top after water landing.

Astronaut Slay-ton in isolation

test.


14/76

12

Astronaut Glenn takes respiratory test.

Couches molded to shapes of their bodies help astronautsto undergo the high-gravity forces associated with launch an dentry into earth's atmosphere.

Astronauts made two Mercury-Redstone ( MR ) flights. AstronautShepard is recovered by helicopter after his flight of Ma y 5, 1961.


15/76

Th e successful MR experiments paved the way for Mercury orbital flights employing the mighty Atlas booster .Here, the Atlas is moved into position for erection in itslaunch tower.

Astronaut Grissom prepares to enter his spacecraft for MRflight of July 21, 1961. Shepard an d Grissom were subjected toforces as high as 11 g-11 times thei r weight.


16/76

Th e Mercury spacecraft is positioned for matingwith Atlas.

Striking picture of Hurricane Debbie provides asharp view of the hurricane eye. I t was taken byan automatic camera in an unmanned Mercuryorbital flight on September 13, 1961. Th e flightqualified the spacecraft an d the Mercury groundtracking an d communications network for mannedorbital missions.

Enos romps with trainer beforehis two-orbit Mercury trip ofNovembe r 29, 1961. His flightcouch is in foreground.


17/76

Th e major phases in aMercury Aight: ( 1 ) Serv-ice towcr 11l0\"es awa\"from Atlas-Mercury as-sembly ( left); ( 2 ) Atlasroars toward outer space

(abo ve) "

( 1) Booster rockets burn ou t an d fall away: (4 ) Escape rocket to\\ "cr sepa-rates; ( 5 ) Atlas separates frolllspacecraft in orbit; ( 6 ) Mercury capsule turns

blunt en d forward for orbital night "


18/76

r-

(7 ) After fier y e ntry into atmosph e re , capsule is lowered tooce an la ndin g by pa rac hu t e .

(8) Splashdown at end of a Mercury space flight. (9) R ecovery of the spacecraft by helicopter lift towaiting sh ip.


19/76

730-703 0 - 64 - 3

Four astronauts comp le ted Mercury orbital flights. Th e first wasAstronaut Glenn , shown en t e ring Friendship 7 spacecraft before threeorbit journ ey of February 20,1962.

17

Glenn addresses joint


20/76

1 8

jsession of Congressafter h i ~ t o r i eflight.

Astronaut Wa l te r Sehirra is a ss isted intohis Sigma 7 sp acecr a ft prior to his six-o rbitvoyage of Octob er 3, 1962.

Astro n a ut C a rp ent er, s uit ed up a nd r ea d y for

th r ee -orbit trip of M ay 24, 1962 . H e ca rri espo rt a bl e a ir co nditi o ner .


21/76

Drawing by artistRobert Shore ofAstronaut Cooper insideMercury Spacecraft.

~

Astronaut Cooper is assisted from his Faith 7Mercury spacecraft onto deck of U.S. Navy aircraftcarrier Kearsarge aftcr 22-orbit flight endingMay 16, 1963.

19


22/76

20

Astronaut Cooper waves to crowdafter leaving Capitol where he ad -dressed a joint session of Congress on

May 21, 1963. With him ar e VicePresident Lyndon B. Johnson an dSenator Clinton B. Anderson of NewMexico.

Vital to the success of the Mercuryprogram was the Mercury trackingan d communications network of 16radar an d radio stations around th eworld . Nigerians watch operation ofMercury antenna at Kano.


23/76

Th e Titan II launch vehicle lifting an unmannedGemini spacecraft from alaunch pa d at Cape Kennedyon April 8, 1964. This firstlaunch in the Gemini programresulted in an orbital flight fo ra test preparatory to laterflights with astronauts aboard.

Mercury one-man spacecraft alongside mock-up ofGemini two-man spacecraft.

Artist's conception of Gemini rendezvous in space withAgena D laun ch vehicle. Success in this maneuver is aprincipal goa l of Proj ect Gemini.

Full-scale simulators such as this one for orb it a l rendezvoushave been built to prepare men and equipment for space flight .

21


24/76


25/76

Sequence of major events in Apollo lun ar exp loration mission.

LAUNCH FROM EARTH/ /

THIRD STAGE JETTISON/

fROM EARTH ORBIT /THIRD STAGE PROPElS

SPACECRAft INTOLUNAR TRAJECTORY

THIRD STAGE ANOI

POLLO SPACECRAFTPLACED IN

EARTH ORBIT I

(j SECOND STAGEJETTISON

. ,

J

' ,- E S ~ ~ i T ~ s 6 N W E RSECOND ST AGEIGNITION

I

"

/

' \\ FIRST SIAGEU ETTISON

LAUNCH

-',..... , J. '-

,, /' "\ \/ - . ~ ,

LUNAR ARRIVAL

-c : .o _____

- - - ~2:ROIATION 10TAIL FORWARDPOSITION

RETRO FIRE SLOWS~ APOllO SPACECRAft\ ~ FOR ENTRY INIO

MOON ~ \ LUNAR ORBIT

Q,.~ LUNAR EXCURSION

?, . 0 ODULE (LEM ) SEPARATES;~ ~: ~' ( ' : : /J DESCENDS TO MOON

. - - 4\>/ IA COMMAND AND SERVICE

,/,./ MODULES SlAY IN ORBIT

L U N A ~ P O ~ ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ E/ 'AND HEADS FOR E A ~ p ~

APOLLO JETTISONS LEM~

/ ~

RENDEZVOUS C

\ o ~O O N\, ) ~' .


26/76

24

g pp g27, 1961, in first of ten programmed fli ght tests. Firs t test witha powered second stage was conducted on January 29 , 1964. Itplaced the world's heaviest satellite, weighing about 19 tons, intoearth orbit.

NASAis

forging ahead with develop-ment of th e great boosters needed forApollo an d other advanced missions.Saturn I first stage, consisting of clusterof eight engines providing 1.5 millionpounds of thrust, is erected on pa d forflight test.

Apollo launch vehicles under development. Saturn I- Bwill have th e same first stage as Saturn I bu a more power-ful upper stage. Th e first stage of Saturn V consists of a

cluster of five1.5

million pound thrust rockets generating7.5 million pounds of thrust. Saturn V will launch Apolloto the moon.

Nine additional astronaut-trainees were selected Septem


27/76

ber, 1962 to join the seven Mercury astronauts. They are ,left to righ t; front: Charles Conrad, Jr.; Frank Borman;Neil Armstrong; John W. Young. Back: Elliot t M. See ,Jr.; James A. McDivvitt; James A. Lovell, Jr.; Edward H.White, II ; and Thomas P. Stafford.

In October of 1963, NASA chose a third group of 14astronaut - trainees, increasing the number of space pilotsan d trainees to 30 . Th e new group, left to right, standing:Michael Collins, R. Walter Cunningham, Donn F. Eisele,Theodore C. Freeman, Richard F. Gordon, Jr., Russell L.

Schweickart, David R . Scott, Clifton C. Williams, Jr .Seated: Edwin E. Al drin, J r., William A. Anders, Charles

A. Bassett II , Alan L. Bean, Eugene A. Ccrnan, and RogerB. Chaffee.


28/76


29/76

SPACE SCIENCES PROGRAM

UNLOCKS 111YSTE RIES

OF THE UNIVERSE

Almost from th e beginning of th eSpace

Age,United States spacecraft, with only automated in-struments aboard, have been significantly ad-vancing man's frontiers of knowledge an d blazinga trail for eventua l manned exp loration of themoon an d other ce lestial bodies. These space-craft range from sounding rockets that travel arelatively few miles into space to Mariner IIwhose epic interplanetary voyage to th e vicinityof Venus provided th e world's first close obser va-tion of ou r mysterious neighbor planet.

This section portrays the space sciences space-craft an d their accomplishments, an d th e rocketvehicles that sent these spacecraft into orbit an dbeyond.

27


30/76

Vanguard II , first satellite launched by NASA,rests on the launch vehicle before being orbited onFebruary 17, 1959. (First U.S. satellite was Ex-plorer I, launched by Army on January 31, 1958.Vanguard I was launched by Navy on March 17,1958. NASA orbited Vanguard I l I on September18, 1959.)

E x pl o re r VI be in g c hec ked p r io r to lau n ch .T h is is t he fi rst sa tellit e la un c hed by NASA

in th e Ex p lo re r se ri es .

A Thor-Able launch vehicle orbited Explorer VI


31/76

A Thor-Able launch vehicle orbited Explorer VIon August 7, 1959. Included in the satellite's equipment was a device capable of taking photographs .

Explorer VI with solar -cell panels extendedas they would appear in orbit. Th e satellitemapped radiation an d magnetic fields an dtransmitted the first picture of cloud coverever sent by a satellite .

29


32/76

30

Technician prepares Explorer VI I for launch on October 13, 1959. Th e satelliteyielded information on radiation, magnetic fields, rnicrometeoroids (tiny particles ofmatter in space) , an d temperatures.

A Juno II booster, which like th e Thor-Ablewas used in early NASA experiments, begins torocket Explorer V I I I into orbit on November 3,1960.


33/76

Explorer VIII. Among its discoveries was a layer of helium gassandwiched in the earth's upper atmosphere between a lower regionwhere oxygen predominates an d an upper region constituted chieBy ofhydrogen. Th e presence of this layer ha d not been known.

Th e 12-foot diameter Explorer IX , shown being inBationtested, gathered data on density of the thin wisps of ai r ataltitudes several hundred miles above earth an d providedfurther evidence of th e interaction of solar activity an d theearth's atmosphere.

31


34/76

When NASA's Scout launch vehicle orbited Explorer IX on February 16, 1961, itmarked the first launching of a satellite byan all-solid-fuel rocket.

Technician works on Explorer X, launched March 25, 1961, which provided valuable data on earth 's an d interplanetary magnetic fields. Togetherwith Explorer XII, Explorer X showed ho w the solar wind (hot electrifiedgases rushing from the sun ) influences th e size an d shape of earth's magneticfield.

-- . . . . . . ; ;

Juno II launches Explorer XI on April27, 1961. Explorer XI was equipped todetect gamma rays streaming into thesolar system from outer space as a steptoward increasing understanding of theorigin, evolution, an d nature of theumverse.


35/76

Explorer X I in space (artist's conception ) . Its datatends to contradict a theory that the universe is in a steadystate; i.e., that matter is constantly being created an ddestroyed.

730-703 0 - 64 - 5

Energetic particles satellite, representative of Explorers XII , XIV, an d XV .

These satellites have mapped distributionof energetic particles (electrified atomicparticles that constitute much of the radiation in space) .

Check-out of Explorer XI V solar cells.Solar cells are photoelectric devices thatconvert sunlight to electricity for powerin g

satellite instruments.


36/76

34

Technicians work on Explorer XI I which indicated thecorrelation between the earth's magnetic field an d the Va nAllen Radiation Region, an d th e fact that the Region isa single area of charged particles of varying intensitiesinstead of several belts. It also was shown tha t earth'smagnetic field has a distinct outer edge instead of fadinggradually into inter-planetary space.

Del ta poised to launch Explorer XV . Explorers X IVan d XV have provided data on the artificia l radiation belt

created by the United States detonation of a hydrogenbomb above Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean onJuly 9, 1962.

'f/I

(

fisr

IC '


37/76

Engineers mate Explorer XVII to its Deltalaunch vehicle, a portion of which is visible at

bottom. Orbited April 2, 1963, Explore r X V I Ihas multiplied scientific data on atmosphericdensity, tem peratu re, composition, an d pressure.

Orbiting Solar Observatory I is checked outprior to launch on March 7, 1962. Th e satellitehas increased understanding of the sun's function-ing an d suggested that techniques can be devel-oped for forecasting solar flares that peril manin space .

35


38/76

NASA has offered to launchsatellites built by other nations orto include in its satellites experi-ments designed by foreign scien-tists. Alouette, built by Canada,was launched by NASA on Sep-tember 28, 1962.

36

Artist's concept of Advanced Orbitin gSolar Observatory under NASA devel-opment for deeper probing of the sun'ssecrets.

Th e world's first international satel-

lite is Ariel, launched April 26, 1962.Structure, power , communications byU.S.; experiments by United Kingdom.Both Ariel and Alouette have contrib-uted information about the ionosphere,an electrified portion of the atmospher efrom which certain radio waves can bebounced for communication.


39/76

Engineers test model of second U . K . - U s .satellite. A thi rd is planned as are satelliteexperiments with other nations.

Artist's conception of ANNA IB, a joint proj-ect of the Army, Navy, NASA, an d Air Force . Itwas lauoched October 31, 1962, to makemeasurements of the earth's size an d shape an dsupply other geodetic data.

NASA soun ding rockets have played an im-portant role in scientific programs. A Nike-Cajun, em ployed chiefly in upper atmosphereex perime nts, is prepared for launch. Nike-Cajunis used in many international space scienceprograms.


40/76

38

Aerobee sounding rocket is launched in z ero gravityex perim en t .

Artist's conc eptions of two future sate lli tes: Orbiting Geo -ph ysical Ob serva tory (a bove) which will be able to conduct asmany as fifty diff ere nt geop h ysical an d ot her scient ific exper i-ments, an d the Orbitin g Astronomical Ob servatory (below) thatwill enab le ast ronom ers to view the h eavens from beyon d th eobscuring veil of earth's atmosphere.


41/76


42/76

40

... ..'" "

. . . : J ; ~'> ~ ; ~ ~: .::.., 1 -

- 1r. /

"


43/76

A global network of giant85-foot diameter antennaslike this one at Goldstone,Calif., maintained contactwith Mariner during itsmulti-million mile flight.

41


44/76

Among the NASA s p a e e c r ~ f ttiJat ha\"C preccdedMariner II into solar orbit is Pioneer IV. Here thecone-shaped craft is installed on its Juno II boosterprior to launch on March 3, 1959.

42

RangerIII

an d V, designed to provide lunardata an d pictures before crashing on the 11100n,missed their target an d went into solar orbit.Ranger IV hit the moon bu t sent no useful information because its radio ha d died. P lans call[or additional Ranger launchings.

Another is Pioneer V, launched March 11,1960. Until the Mariner II experiment, PioneerV held the world record for long distance communications-22.5 million miles. NASA plansanother series of Pioneer craft to gather data oninterplanetary space.


45/76


46/76

APPLICATIONS


47/76

,., --.m __

*. . m

'? ~ \ \ ~ ~ ~ ~ . \~ *

PROGRAM PUTS SPACE

TECHNOLOGY TO

PRACTICAL USE

Very substantial progress in developmentof satellite systems for communications an dweather forecasting has been made in th efirst five years of the civilian space program.In its communications satellite projects ,NASA has demonstrated th e feas ibility an dpotential of a communicati ons satellite net-work for vastly increasing g lob a l commu-nications circuits to meet rapidly mount-ing demands. In met eorolo gy, NASA'sTIROS satellites have won acclaim fromwo rld weather services for the clarity ofcloud pictures and other data they provide.Th e incr ease d observation of global weath-er conditions made possib le by TIROS is a l-ready contributing to accuracy in weatherforecasts. Mo r eover, TIROS has fur-nished valuable information on snow cover,for use in predicting spring flooding, an don riv er an d sea ic e.

Th e progress in weather an d communi-cations satellite development is reflected inthe illustrations that follow.

45

A floodlit Delta poised on a launchpa d at Cape Canaveral, Fla., to hurlthe historic Echo I satellite into orbiton August 12, 1960.


48/76

46

At launch, Echo I was foldedinside this 26-inch diametercanister, shown being checkedby a technician. In orbit, EchoI unfolded an d inflated to a 100-foot diameter.

A communications satellite func

tions as a radio station for relay ofultra high-frequency ( UHF) radiosignals, in the same manner as thismicrowave tower on lonely BuckhornMountain in Colorado.

Voice an d still photograph trans-


49/76

V p g pmissions were sent via Echo I betweenBell Laboratories in Holmdel, N.J., an dNASA's Je t Propulsion Laboratory facil-ity at Goldstone, Calif.

Th e successor to Echo I is shownduring ground inflation test. Notelaunching container in foreground.Th e new Echo, 135 feet in diam eter and20 times the rigidity of Echo I, wasrocketed into orbit on January 25, 1964 .


50/76

48

Unlike passive satellites, such as Echo, that onlyreflect radio signals , active-repeater satellites ar eequipped to receive, amplify, and transmit radiosignals (upper left ) .

Telstar I is checked prior to launch July 10, 1962

(u pper right ). Telstar satellites , a cooperativeproject of NASA and the American Telephone andTelegraph Company, are financed by the company.

Major components of Telstar I (lower right) . OnJu l y 23, 1962 , the satellite relayed the first live telecast betw een Europ e an d the United States. Asecond Telstar was launched Ma y 7, 1963.


51/76

Giant horn antenna at Andover, Maine, oneof several used in communications experiments. It ca n scoop up an d amplify to usefulstrength radio signals of less than a billionthof a watt. Note man on support ( center ofphoto) .

Delta launches Relay active-repeatersatellite. Deltas orbited Relay I on De -cember 13, 1962 an d Relay II on January21, 1964. With the successful orbit ofRelay II , this launch vehicle ha d operatedflawlessly 22 consecutive times.

Relay in space (artist's conception). Relay difTers from Telstarin important structural and designfeatures an d orbiting of both permits comparison of the difTerentdesigns and acquisition of information for development of equipment

for eventual operational satellitesystems.

49


52/76

50

Many nations have participated with the UnitedStates in communications satellite experiments.Here, Brazilian engineers plan Relay experiment atground station near Rio de Janeiro.

Three fixed synchronous active-repeater satellites,equidistant around the equator, could provide globalcoverage. Such satellites ar e in orbits at a 22,300-mile altitude parallel to the equator. They appearfixed relative to a point on earth because they takeas long to go around the globe as th e earth takes torotate on its axis.

~


53/76

A technician checks Syncom (left, above), the experimental satelliteused in th e United States space project tha t could lead to a synchronoussystem.

Another view of Syncom (right) featuring th e apogee rocket. Thisrocket "kicks" the satellite from th e highest point in its original ellipticalorbit into a near-synchronous orbit.

51

S d f i h i d i fi

Syncom with apogee rocket firing (artist's conception). Syncoms I an d II ,launched February 14 an d July 23, 1963, respectively, ar e in orbits that crossrather than parallel the equator. Therefore, they move north an d southrelative to the earth's surface instead of remaining over one spot.


54/76

52

Second stage of Delta is hoisted to mate it with first stageon launch pad in background (below).

Lower right: A 30-foot diameter antenna for Syncom

commun ications experiment is housed in radome on USNSKingsport, anchored in the harbor of Lagos, Nigeria. Communications experiments with Syncom II have demonstratedfeasibility of communications satellites at synchronous altitude. (Contact with Syncom I was lo st at apogee motorfiring. )

\11

Ho w cloud pictures become weather charts: Information from a mosaic ofTIROS cloud pictures (upper right); is overlaid on ma p (center right); an dreduced to operational data for weather services (lower right) .


55/76

Vortex (storm) near Nova Scotia taken by TIROS VI on May 29, 1963( below). It is one of thousands of cloud pictures that have helped world weatherservices to increase the accuracy of their forecasts.

DEGREES170 E 180 170 160 ISO 140 130 120 110 W

60 N I ";" " ,V '='-


56/76

TIROS picture shows the Great Lakes of the United States an d Canada.

54

Many tests precede the orbiting ofTIROS satellites. This machine checksfunctioning of TIROS stabilization system

d i l t d bit l diti


57/76

under simulated orbital conditions.

Thor-Able launches TIROS I, April 1, 1960.Other TIROS launches (all by Delta ) : TIROSII , November 23, 1960; TIROS III, July 12,1961; TIROS IV, February 8, 1963; TIROS V,June 19, 1962; TIROS VI , September 18, 1962;TIROS VII, June 19, 1963; and TIROS VIII,December 21, 1963.

TIROS spin test. TIROS (an acronymfor Television and Infra-Red Observation- - - -Satellite) sends data on reflected solar7adiation and emitted terrestrial heat ra

diation in addition to cloud pictures.


58/76

56

On e of the complicated antennas em-ployed in acquirin g television an d infrareddata from TIROS. Th e antenna is locatedat NASA's Wallops Station, Va. Experim ents with TIROS have aided in de-

velopment of Nimbus, an advanced weathersatellite. Nimbu s model is low ered in spaceenviro nmental chamber for testin g.

Stabilization and contro l tests ar e ru n ona prototype Nimbus sub system ( right ) tocheck the hori zon s ensor and other equip-ment that will keep the Nimbus cameraslocked on earth.


59/76

Among the improvements that Nimbus w ill h aveover TIROS ar e cameras th at a lways point to earth

( instea d of cameras that alternate ly face toward an daway from ea rt h ) and a polar ( north-south) o rbitth at will ena bl e it to observe the entire g lob e.

57


60/76

/

00

'"

l


61/76

l

I 1 't-

I

~

,

. : ~ . HJ. I- - - - + - - ++

Il

~

ADVANCED RESEARCH

LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

Basic research , which is fundamental no t only toprogress in space bu t also to mankind's advances ,is being conducted to solve th e myriad problemsinvolved in space exploration an d aircraft develop-ment. NASA's advanced research programs touchupon a ll areas of science an d techno logy an dencompass current an d possible future NASA pro-grams. Following ar e illustrations showing aspectsof some representative investigations.

59


62/76


63/76

Artist's concept of one of th e designs, SCAT 17.Distin gui sh in g features are a lon g fuselage with afixed delta ( trian gu lar ) wing an d Cana rd cont r olsurfac es (s mall wings to stabilize th e aircraft ) we llforward of th e main wing.

Another promlsm g dc-si gn, SCAT 16, features a variable -sweep wmg.H ere th e ex tend c-d wing prov id es extra lift for take-off an d lan ding.

,..

SCAT-16 with wings swept backfor effici ent supersonic flight .

61


64/76

62

NASA is also testing various designs of Vertical an d Short Take-off an dLandings ( V I STOL) craft for civi lian and military uses. On e is th e tilt-wing:wing vertical for take-off an d landing , horizon tal f or flying.

Another experimentalluuu


65/76


66/76

The X-15 research airp lane, th e fastestan d highest flying aircraft in the world,is held to the wing of a B-5 2 a ircraftunti l separation for test flight starting at a45,OOO -foot altitude.

Th e 57,OOO-pound thrust rocket


67/76

Th e X-15 at. the moment of separation from th e B-52. A joint AirForce, NASA, and Navy project, the X-15 is a NASA-conceived rcsearch airplane that is providing valuable information for both aeronautical and space technologies.

engine of the X-1S ignites. Th eaircraft has been flown at more

than 4,000 miles per hour and hasreached altitudes of more than66 miles.

Mission completed, the X - 1S streaks in for a land in g.

65

Kiwi reactor under test. Goalof Kiwi , named for th e flightlessAu stra lian bird is to provide basic


68/76

66

Au stra lian bird, is to provide basicreactor design information for a

nuclear rocket.

PA R ASEV (Paraglider Research Vehicle) . - AdaptationS-ofthe paraglider, based on a conceptdeveloped by Francis M . Rogalloof NASA's Langley ResearchCenter, are being developed forsuch possible uses as recovery ofspacecraft an d boosters.

Mock -u p of NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket yehicle App lka -

tion ) . Power from a n uclearreactor is expected to be utilized for

extended exploration of the solar

system.


69/76

Prototype ion rocket. Th e ion rocket would elec-trically accelerate charged atomic particles to produc ethrust. Although providing only a few pounds ofthrust , an ion rocket could operate for long periodson very little fuel.

Model of hypothetical manned interplanetary spacecraftpowered by nuclear energy. Th e nuclear rocket programis being carried ou t by NASA with the Atomic Energy Com-mission having responsibility for th e reactor development.

A technician observes the glow of ionized atoms as theyrush from an operating ion rocket in laboratory. In space,where gravity is negligible, an ion rocket could accelerate aspacecraft to tremendous velocities.


70/76


71/76

Th e F -l engine , I .S mil li on-pound thrust , isground tested ( [eft ) . Intended for use in Saturn V ,each F - I generates as much thrust as all eig ht of theeng in es clustered in the Saturn I first stage.

Manufacturin g lin e for th e F - l (rig ht ) . Fi ve F - lengines will be clustered in th e first stage of Saturn V ,which will launch th e th r ee- m an Apollo spacecraftto th e moon .


72/76

Model of SNAP - 8 (System for NuclearAuxiliary Pow er) und cr dev elopment byNASA and-AEC to provide a lon g-l astinge lec tric power sourc e for spacecraft instruments.

NASA's experiments with th e laser include its


73/76

possible use in trackin g spacecraft. H ere a satelliteis fitted with highly-polish ed quartz prisms to re fl ectlaser light. LASER is an acronym for Lig ht Amplification by ~ t i m u la t ed ~ m i s s i o nof R i' diatic:n- .

Artist's sketch of laser tracking. Th e time thebeam takes for th e round trip a nd th e angl e of thebeam enable scientists to calculate the satellite'slocation.

71


74/76

72

Artist's concept of a manned orbital laboratory, oneof several pos sible [uture projects on which NASAstudies are in progress.

Explorer XVI, launched Dl'Celllber 16, 1962 , pro-\'idvd data on dangers that Il1cteroids pose to mannedspace night. This is one of many ackanced researchstlldies of the space em ironment an d space operationsthat support flight programs.

U . S . G OV E R N M E N T P RIN T I NG OF F I CE : 1964 0 - 7 3 0 - 7 0 3


75/76

Information concerning other educational publications of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration may beobtained from: Division of EducationalPrograms an d SeIVices, NASA, Washington, D.C., 20546.

Director, James DeanSupeIVising Editor, George GardnerWriter-Researcher, Vict or SeigelArt Director, Bernard Luchto n

_ _


76/76

~1

1

.1

~

~

~

u

;

-r

.~u

~:>

Id

~

~III~

& -

.

~.~

'-z