Space History News - People and events in development of space travel

Space History for June 28

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Race To Space
Someone will win the prize...
... but at what cost?
Visit RaceToSpaceProject.com to find out more!

1675
Born, Pierre Lemonnier, French astronomer, published the six volume Latin university textbook Cursus philosophicus ad scholarum usum accommodatus, father of Pierre Charles Le Monnier and Louis-Guillaume Le Monnier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Lemonnier

1851
Heinrich Ludwig d'Arrest, working at the Leipzig Observatory, discovered the short period (6.2 yrs) comet 6P/d'Arrest .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6P/d%27Arrest

1886
C. H. F. Peters discovered asteroid #259 Aletheia.

1889
Died, Maria Mitchell, astronomer, first faculty appointment at Vassar College
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Mitchell

1911 09:00:00 GMT
A dog was reportedly killed by a fragment of a meteorite in Nakhla, Egypt. About 40 pieces of the meteorite that originally weighed 10 kg (22 lbs) were recovered. It has been determined to have originated on Mars, with the first aqueous process signs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhla_meteorite

1919
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War 1, disarmed Germany of a military air force, but did not include rockets as potential weapons, thus leaving Germany free under international law to develop them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles

1939
Pan American Airways' Dixie Clipper inagurated the first regular transatlantic passenger service between the USA and Europe.
http://www.flyingclippers.com/transoceanic.html

1946
Born, John Michael "Mike" Lounge (at Denver, Colorado, USA), NASA astronaut (STS 51-I, STS 26, STS 35, over 20d 2.33h total time in spaceflight) (deceased)

Astronaut J. Mike Lounge, NASA photo (1989)
Source: Wikipedia (www.jsc.nasa.gov unavailable June 2020)
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/lounge_john_0.pdf

1956 11:15:00 GMT
The "atomic furnace" at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Armour Research Foundation, the first atomic reactor built for private research, began operations in Chicago, Illinois.
http://phys.iit.edu/~segre/atomic_furnace/unknown_chicago_2010_06.html

1960
Died, Leon A. "Jake" "The Bullfrog" Swirbul, co-founder of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Swirbul

1963 19:55:00 GMT
NASA launched the Cambridge Research Lab (CRL) Geophysical Research Satellite from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a Scout rocket to collect space gas data.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1963-026A

1965
A. R. Klemola discovered asteroid #2179 Platzeck.

1965
Intelsat I (nicknamed "Early Bird" as in "The early bird catches the worm"), the world's first commercial communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit, was placed in commercial service.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelsat_I

1971
T. Smirnova discovered asteroid #3093.

1974
Died, Vannevar Bush, developed the first electronic analog computer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vannevar_Bush

1979
NASA launched the Brazil-A geosynchronous communications satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a Delta rocket.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=BRAZL-A

1979 09:25:11 GMT
USSR launched the Progress 7 resupply vessel to the Salyut 6 space station. Included in the cargo was the KRT-10 10 meter radiotelescope, which was deployed after the Progress vessel undocked.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1979-059A

1979 20:09:00 GMT
USSR launched the Cosmos 1110 communications satellite from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1979-060A

1983 15:00:00 GMT
USSR launched the Cosmos 1407 photo surveillance satellite from the Plesetsk cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz rocket. Two film capsules and the main cabin returned the photographs to Earth.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1983-064A

1983 23:08:00 GMT
The Galaxy-A communications satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 134 deg W in 1983-1991; 133 deg W in 1991-1994.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1983-065A

1987
E. F. Helin discovered asteroid #3680 Sasha.

1991 08:09:00 GMT
USSR launched the Resurs F-11 landsat from Plesetsk for investigation of Earth resources for the USSR, solution of problems relating to ecology, and international cooperation.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1991-044A

1991 19:02:00 GMT
During the 3h 24m EVA Mir EO-9-2, cosmonauts on the Mir space station attached the University of California's TREK cosmic ray collector to the exterior of the station, and and retrieved the prototype thermomechanical joint installed on the previous EVA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mir_spacewalks#1991

2000 12:13:00 GMT
Russia made the first Sun-synchronous launch from Plesetsk, carrying the Russian Nadezhda navigation/search and rescue satellite, the Chinese Tsinghua-1 technology microsatellite, and the UK SNAP-1 Surrey Nanosatellite Applications Platform.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2000-033A

2007 15:02:00 GMT
Bigelow Aerospace successfully launched their Genesis 2 inflatable space station test article on a Dnepr rocket from southern Russia.

In NASA's view: Genesis 2 is an American (Bigelow Aerospace Corp.) inflatable craft that was launched by a Dnepr 1 rocket (a modified SS-18 ICBM) from Yasney in Orenburg region at 15:02 UT on 28 June 2007. The 1.9 m diameter, 1.36 ton craft was inflated to a diameter of 3.8 m after launch. It is a technology demonstrator envisioning an affordable space tourism market. It carried photos and other mementoes from fee-paying customers that could, in turn, be digitally photographed by 22 cameras on-board and televised to the company's website. The initial orbital parameters were period 96 min, apogee 540 km, perigee 533 km, and inclination 64.5°. (from NSSDC SPACEWARN Bulletin)

In the words of Bigelow Aerospace: Like its predecessor, Genesis II is testing and validating the technologies necessary to construct and deploy a full-scale, crewed, commercial orbital space complex.

From the perspective of the private space exploration and development community, Genesis 2 is an significant milestone: The launch of their second test article is an unprecedented leap forward toward opening the door to space for the general population. By demonstrating their continued dedication and ability to follow through on their plans, Bigelow Aerospace is breaking ground and building the foundation necessary for other commercial enterprises to build upon. Having this established lead to follow, we're inspired to move forward with our own plans, to see the fruits of space development are achievable dreams.

Genesis 2 is a successful effort in many ways: The technologies it is demonstrating are economical alternatives to the expensive ones often used in government-funded space programs. It illustrates the idea that a visionary individual can reach for goals beyond anything previously done and actually achieve them. By moving toward a commercially viable space hotel, Bigelow Aerospace is doing much to make access to space available to a broad spectrum of possibilities. In launching the photos and mementoes it carried aboard, it brought more people into the group participating in space activities, and thereby broadened the support for our future. Thus, Genesis 2 is a laudible effort all of us would do well to recognize.