Archive for the 'Launch' Category

A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH ON THIS DAY IN 1970

The Apollo 13 astronauts

NASA Marks 50 Years Since Apollo 13 Mission

On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13, the third lunar landing mission,
was
successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida,
carrying astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert and
Fred W. Haise.

The spacecraft’s destination was the Fra Mauro highlands
of the moon, where the astronauts were to explore the
Imbrium Basin and conduct geological experiments.

After an oxygen tank exploded on the evening of April 13,
however, the new mission objective became to get the
Apollo 13 crew home alive.

Lunar Pioneer: Forty years after Apollo 13

Behind the Scenes of Apollo 13 » Richard Nixon Foundation

Newspapers.com on X: "#OTD 50 years ago, Apollo 13 launched from Cape  Canaveral in what was supposed to be the US's third lunar landing mission.  This newspaper front page from Hawaii captures

                                         Apollo 13 - Wikipedia

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SPACE PROBE WAS LAUNCHED ON THIS DAY

Pioneer 10 Launch - NASA Science

Pioneer 10, the world’s first outer-planetary probe, was launched
from Cape Canaveral,
Florida, on a mission to Jupiter, the solar
system’s largest planet.

In December 1973, after successfully negotiating the asteroid belt
and a distance of 620 million miles, Pioneer 10 reached Jupiter
and sent back to Earth the first close-up images of the spectacular
gas giant.

In June 1983, the NASA spacecraft left the solar system and the
next day radioed back the first scientific data on interstellar space.

NASA officially ended the Pioneer 10 project on March 31, 1997,
with the spacecraft having traveled a distance of some six billion
miles.

Pioneer 10, the Pioneer Plaque & the Pioneer Anomaly | Space

Launched March 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel to Jupiter and send back data ...

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“OLD IRONSIDES” LAUNCHED ON THIS DAY

History and Career of the USS Constitution - History of Massachusetts Blog

After two unsuccessful attempts, the USS Constitution was
launched
in Boston Harbor. The a 44-gun U.S. Navy frigate,
built to fight Barbary pirates off the coast of Tripoli, performed commendably during those conflicts, and in 1805 a peace treaty
with Tripoli was signed on the Constitution‘s deck.

The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval
warship still afloat. 

 A painting depicting Constitution at sail. The bow of the ship points to the right of the frame   
   
Constitution Museum, Boston, Ma Digital Art by Lumiere


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Constitution fires her cannons as she is tugged through
Boston Harbor in 2021.

A postage stamp accurately depicts Constitution at sail. The ship sails to the right side of the stamp.

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APOLLO FIRST MANNED MISSION LAUNCH

Apollo 7 - Apollo11Space

Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission,was launched with
astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr.; Donn F. Eisele; and Walter
Cunningham aboard.

Under the command of Schirra, the crew of Apollo 7 conducted
an 11-day orbit of Earth, during which the crew transmitted the
first live television broadcasts from orbit.

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The prime crew of the first manned Apollo space mission
from left to right are: Command Module pilot, Don F. Eisele, Commander, Walter M. Schirra Jr. and Lunar Module pilot,
Walter Cunningham.

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LAUNCH OF EXPLORER 6 ON THIS DAY IN 1959

Se cumplen 60 años del Explorer 1, primer satélite de Estados Unidos

From the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida,
the U.S. unmanned spacecraft Explorer 6 atop a Thor-Able
rocket was launched into an orbit around the earth.

The spacecraft, commonly known  as the “Paddlewheel”
satellite, featured a photocell scanner that transmitted a
crude picture of the earth’s surface and cloud cover from
a distance of 17,000 miles. The photo, received in Hawaii,
took nearly 40 minutes to transmit.

 

 
 Mission Profile - 1959-08-07 - Explorer 6 - YouTube

60 Years Ago: First Satellite Image of Earth
The first satellite image of Earth captured by Explorer 6 on August 14, 1959.


 

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