STS-52 [SEP] time of spacecraft launch
[{"answer": "22 October 1992", "provenance": [{"wikipedia_id": "502167", "title": "STS-52", "start_paragraph_id": 1, "start_character": 0, "end_paragraph_id": 1, "end_character": 131, "bleu_score": 1.0, "meta": {}, "section": "Section::::Abstract."}]}]
Solar electric propulsion


Solar electric propulsion (SEP) typically refers to the combination of solar cells and an ion drive to propel a spacecraft through outer space. This technology has been exploited in a variety of spacecraft by the European Space Agency, the Japanese Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation and NASA. SEP is valued for its potential for a high specific impulse, thus allowing less mass for propellant to be launched with a spacecraft and it has been evaluated for mission to Mars. Solar electric propulsion combines solar panels on spacecraft and ion thrusters,
19663908
Kosmos 52


Kosmos 52 ( meaning "Cosmos 52") or Zenit-2 No.26 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1965. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 52 was the twenty-fifth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of . Kosmos 52 was launched by a Vostok-2 rocket, serial number R15002-03, flying from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch took place at 09:36 UTC on 11 January 1965, with the spacecraft receiving its Kosmos designation - along with the International Designator
17726409
Progress M-52


Progress M-52 (), identified by NASA as Progress 17 or 17P, was a Progress spacecraft used to resupply the International Space Station. It was a Progress-M 11F615A55 spacecraft, with the serial number 352. Progress M-52 was launched by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Launch occurred at 19:09:18 GMT on 28 February 2005. The spacecraft docked with the Aft port of the "Zvezda" module at 20:10:08 GMT on 2 March. It remained docked for three and a half months before
4453823
STS-52


STS-52 was a "Space Transportation System" (NASA Space Shuttle) mission using orbiter Columbia, and was launched on 22 October 1992. Primary mission objectives were deployment of the Laser Geodynamics Satellite II (LAGEOS-II) and operation of the U.S. Microgravity Payload-1 (USMP-1). LAGEOS-II, a joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), was deployed on day 2 and boosted into an initial elliptical orbit by ASI's Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS). The spacecraft's apogee kick motor
19429303
Albert Einstein ATV


were constructed in Turin, Italy, and Bremen, Germany, and underwent final assembly and testing in Bremen in 2012. The spacecraft left Bremen for Kourou on 31 August 2012 to begin launch preparations. "Albert Einstein" was launched on an Ariane 5ES rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana at 21:52:11 UTC on 5 June 2013. The launch was conducted by Arianespace on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). At the time of its launch, "Albert Einstein" was the heaviest spacecraft ever
11266157
GLONASS


As with the previous generation, the second generation spacecraft were launched three at a time using Proton-K Blok-DM-2 or Proton-K Briz-M boosters. Some where launched alone with Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat On July 30, 2015, ISS Reshetnev announced that it had completed the last GLONASS-M (No. 61) spacecraft and it was putting it in storage waiting for launch, along with eight previously built satellites. As on September 22, 2017, GLONASS-M No. 52 satellite went into
2195514
USA-212


the spacecraft would "demonstrate various experiments and allow satellite sensors, subsystems, components, and associated technology to be transported into space and back." USA-212 was launched on an Atlas V 501 rocket, tail number AV-012, from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch, which was conducted by United Launch Alliance, occurred at 23:52 UTC on 22 April 2010, placing the spacecraft into low Earth orbit for testing. The X-37B spacecraft was originally intended to be deployed from the payload bay
16103912
Progress M-20M


Progress M-20M (), identified by NASA as Progress 52 or 52P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) during 2013. Progress M-20M was built by RKK Energia. Progress M-20M was launched on a 6-hours rendezvous profile towards the ISS. The 20th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, it had the serial number 420 and was built by RKK Energia. The spacecraft was launched on 27 July 2013 at 20:45 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The
16980093
Kosmos 107


Kosmos 107 ( meaning "Cosmos 107") or Zenit-2 No.34 was a Soviet optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1966. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 107 was the thirty-fifth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of . Kosmos 107 was launched by a Vostok-2 rocket flying from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch took place at 08:52 UTC on 10 February 1966, and following its successful arrival in orbit the spacecraft received its Kosmos designation; along with the International Designator 1966
20164936
List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches


cargo to the ISS, but a secondary payload was stranded in a lower-than-planned orbit), and one failure (the CRS-7 spacecraft was lost in flight). Additionally, one rocket and its payload Amos-6 were destroyed before launch in preparation for an on-pad static fire test. The first rocket version Falcon 9 v1.0 was launched five times from June 2010 to March 2013, its successor Falcon 9 v1.1 15 times from September 2013 to January 2016, and the latest upgrade Falcon 9 Full Thrust 52 times from
9088739
Galileo (spacecraft)


on the spacecraft began at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1977, while the "Voyager 1" and "2" missions were still being prepared for launch. Early plans called for a launch on on what was then codenamed STS-23 in January 1982, but delays in the development of the Space Shuttle allowed more time for development of the probe. As the shuttle program got underway, "Galileo" was scheduled for launch in 1984, but this later slipped to 1985 and then to 1986. The mission was initially called the "Jupiter
12826621
Progress M-57


Progress M-57 (), identified by NASA as Progress 22 or 22P, was a Progress spacecraft used to resupply the International Space Station. It was a Progress-M 11F615A55 spacecraft, with the serial number 357. Progress M-57 was launched by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Launch occurred at 15:08:18 GMT on 24 June 2006. The spacecraft docked with the "Pirs" module at 16:25 GMT on 26 June. It remained docked for five and a half months before undocking at 23:23:52 GMT
4239863
Automated Transfer Vehicle


launched by Ariane at the time and lifted off at 21:52:11 GMT on 5 June 2013. It docked with the ISS on 15 June 2013 at 14:07 GMT. Named after the Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaître. The spacecraft launched during the night of 29 July (23:44 GMT, 20:44 local time, 30 July 01:44 CEST), 2014, on a mission to supply the International Space Station (ISS) with propellant, water, air, and dry cargo, and an artwork by artist Katie Paterson. It docked with the ISS on
6696102
STEREO


STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched in 2006 into orbits around the Sun that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This enables stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections. The two STEREO spacecraft were launched at 00:52 UTC on October 26, 2006, from Launch Pad 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a Delta II 7925-10L launcher into highly elliptical geocentric orbits
19121224
Mars 4


Mars 4 (), also known as 3MS No.52S was a Soviet spacecraft intended to explore Mars. A 3MS spacecraft launched as part of the Mars programme, it was intended to enter orbit around Mars in 1974. However, computer problems prevented orbital insertion from occurring. The Mars 4 spacecraft carried an array of instruments to study Mars. In addition to cameras, it was equipped with a radio telescope, an IR radiometer, multiple photometers, polarimeters, a magnetometer, plasma traps, an electrostatic analyzer, a gamma-ray
13443370
Nimbus 4


Nimbus 4 (also called Nimbus D) was a meteorological satellite. It was the fourth in a series of the Nimbus program. Nimbus 4 was launched on April 8, 1970, by a Thor-Agena rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, CA. The spacecraft functioned nominally until 30 Sep 1980. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 1 hour and 47 minutes, at an inclination of 80°. Its perigee was and apogee was . Nimbus 4, the fourth in a series of second-generation meteorological
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Fyodor Yurchikhin


mission he was launched with the spacecraft Soyuz TMA-19, and he landed in November 2010, also with the TMA-19 spacecraft. He served as Soyuz Commander for his fourth mission aboard Soyuz TMA-09M, as Flight Engineer for Expedition 36 and ISS Commander for Expedition 37. In April 2017, Yurchikhin launched on Soyuz MS-04 for the fifth spaceflight of his career, a six-month mission to the ISS as part of Expedition 51 and 52, for which he was the Commander. Yurchikhin was born in Batumi, Adjar ASSR, Georgian
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Elliot See


, Armstrong and See were in line for prime crew of Gemini 8. From the spring to the fall of 1965, Armstrong and See trained for the Gemini 5 mission. They spent a significant amount of time training in the spacecraft simulators. They flew back and forth to Kennedy Space Center, from which their spacecraft would be launched; to North Carolina to develop experiments to be conducted during the flight; and to McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, where the Gemini spacecraft was made. Contrary to Slayton's typical crew rotation,
15925698
Paolo Nespoli


Paolo Angelo Nespoli (born 6 April 1957) is an Italian astronaut and engineer of the European Space Agency (ESA). In 2007, he first traveled into space aboard the Space Shuttle "Discovery" as a mission specialist of STS-120. In December 2010 he again traveled into space aboard the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft as an Expedition 26/27 flight engineer. Nespoli's third spaceflight was onboard Soyuz MS-05 which launched in July 2017 for Expedition 52/53. He was also the European Space Agency's oldest active astronaut prior to his retirement in 2019
21062851
SpaceX CRS-11


that a Dragon spacecraft has been reused, helping SpaceX to scale back its production line and shift focus to Dragon 2. CRS-11 launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on 3 June 2017 at 21:07 UTC from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A. The spacecraft rendezvoused with the station on 5 June and conducted a series of orbit adjustment burns to match speed, altitude, and orientation with the ISS. After arriving at the capture point at 13:37 UTC, the vehicle was snared at 13:52 UTC by the Canadarm2, operated by Peggy Whitson and Jack
8254365
Soyuz-2-1v


UTC (16:30 local time), at which time the launch took place successfully. Spacecraft separation occurred 100 minutes later, at 14:10 UTC. The second launch of the vehicle on December 5, 2015 carried two payloads Kanopus-ST and KYuA-1, while the Kanopus-ST failed to separate from the final stage. An unannounced launch carried a secret military payload on June 23, 2017. The next flight was on 29 March 2018. The latest flight took place on 10 July 2019 carrying four military satellites, Kosmos-2535, Kosmos-2536
9462536
SpaceX CRS-12


under the CRS contract. Originally scheduled for December 2016, the flight was delayed multiple times to August 2017. Launch occurred on 14 August 2017 at 16:31:37 UTC from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After Dragon rendezvoused with the ISS on 16 August 2017, the station's Canadarm2 grappled the spacecraft at 10:52 UTC. It was then berthed to the "Harmony" module at 13:07 UTC. Having been at the ISS for a month, the CRS-12 Dragon capsule was unberthed in the late hours of
8254370
Magellan (spacecraft)


the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from KSC Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard Space Shuttle "Atlantis" during mission STS-30. Once in orbit, the "Magellan" and its attached Inertial Upper Stage booster were deployed from "Atlantis" and launched on May 5, 1989 01:06:00 UTC, sending the spacecraft into a Type IV heliocentric orbit where it would circle the Sun 1.5 times, before reaching Venus 15 months later on August 10, 1990. Originally, the "Magellan" had been scheduled for
16234096
Mir


The expedition's crew returned to Earth aboard following the first Shuttle–"Mir" docking mission, STS-71. "Atlantis", launched on 27 June 1995, successfully docked with "Mir" on 29 June becoming the first US spacecraft to dock with a Russian spacecraft since the ASTP in 1975. The orbiter delivered the EO-19 crew and returned the EO-18 crew to Earth. The EO-20 crew were launched on 3 September, followed in November by the arrival of the docking module during STS-74. The two-man EO-21 crew was launched on 21
3204361
Space Shuttle Discovery


" flew STS-134 and "Atlantis" performed STS-135, NASA's last Space Shuttle mission. On February 24, 2011, Space Shuttle "Discovery" launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A to begin its final orbital flight. The Flow Director was responsible for the overall preparation of the shuttle for launch and processing it after landing, and remained permanently assigned to head the spacecraft's ground crew while the astronaut flight crews changed for every mission. Each shuttle's Flow Director was supported by a Vehicle Manager for the same spacecraft
8585735
Apollo (spacecraft)


the S-IVB stage could leave the crew stranded in orbit, the separation system used multiple signal paths, multiple detonators and multiple explosive charges where the detonation of one charge would set off another even if the detonator on that charge failed to function. Once in space, the astronauts pressed the 'CSM/LV Sep' button on the control panel to separate the CSM from the launch vehicle. Detonating cord was ignited around the flange between the SM and SLA, and along the joints between the four SLA panels, releasing
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STS-5


STS-5 was the fifth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle "Columbia". It launched on 11 November 1982 and landed five days later on 16 November. STS-5 was the first shuttle mission to deploy communications satellites into orbit, and the first officially "operational" shuttle mission. "Columbia" launched on schedule from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 7:19 am EST, 11 November 1982. The shuttle carried a crew of four – the largest spacecraft crew up to that time – and the first
13120762
Explorer 52


Explorer 52 was an American satellite launched on June 3, 1974 from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Scout booster. This satellite was also known as: The primary mission objective of Hawkeye 1 (Explorer 52) was to conduct particles and fields investigations of the polar magnetosphere of the earth out to 21 earth radii. Secondary objectives were to make magnetic field and plasma distribution measurements in the solar wind, and to study Type-3 radio emissions caused by solar electron streams in the interplanetary medium. To accomplish these objectives, the spacecraft was
17091375
2011 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election


to the UK Conservative Party. This prompts mixed reactions from senior party figures. 4 Sep – Ruth Davidson formally announces that she will stand in the contest. 5 Sep – Murdo Fraser launches his campaign in Edinburgh. 8 Sep – Ruth Davidson launches her campaign in Edinburgh. 11 Sep – Lord Forsyth, at one point a suggested leadership candidate, declares his backing for Ruth Davidson. 23 Sep – Nominations for leadership close. Margaret Mitchell confirms she will stand in the election. 2 Oct – David Mundell MP declares his backing
10722174
STS-41-D


launch abort at T-6 seconds on 26 June 1984. The launch was originally planned for 25 June 1984, but because of a variety of technical problems, including rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building to replace a faulty main engine, the launch was delayed by over two months. The 26 June launch attempt marked the first time since Gemini 6A that a manned spacecraft had experienced a shutdown of its engines just prior to launch. During the 26 June launch attempt, there was a launch abort at T-6 seconds, followed by a pad
18514603
Soyuz T-13


Soyuz T-13 was a Soyuz mission, transporting personnel to the Soviet space station Salyut 7. The eighth expedition to the orbital station, the mission launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, atop a Soyuz-U2 carrier rocket, at 06:39:52 UTC on 1985-06-06. It is of note because it marked the first time a spacecraft had docked with a 'dead' space station, and the first time such a station had been returned to operational status following repairs. Soyuz T-13 was the 8th expedition to Salyut 7. Vladimir Dzhanibekov
12031462
Mir


an error in setting up the control system, the spacecraft struck the station a glancing blow during the manoeuvre, scratching the exterior of "Kristall". On 3 February 1994, "Mir" veteran Sergei Krikalev became the first Russian cosmonaut to launch on a US spacecraft, flying on during STS-60. The launch of Soyuz TM-19, carrying the EO-16 crew, was delayed due to the unavailability of a payload fairing for the booster that was to carry it, but the spacecraft eventually left Earth on 1 July 1994 and docked two
3204358
Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit


. On March 13, 2010, the first stage engines successfully underwent a 3.5 second static test firing, having failed a previous attempt the day before. SpaceX announced in September 2009 that the Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit would be the payload for the first Falcon 9 launch. At the time, launch was scheduled to occur no earlier than November 2009. The launch date had been delayed several times for various reasons, The spacecraft was launched and entered orbit on June 4, 2010. The first actual launch attempt targeted a four-
616394
Kosmos 472


Kosmos 472 ( meaning "Cosmos 472"), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.52, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1972 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests. Kosmos 472 was successfully launched into low Earth orbit on 25 January 1972, with the rocket lifting off at 11:15:01 UTC. The launch took place from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,
7287943
2010 in spaceflight


rocket was used for the launch, which occurred from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The spacecraft conducted a mission similar to that of the earlier Chang'e-1 spacecraft, but with a focus on mapping potential landing sites in preparation for the Chang'e-3 unmanned lunar lander. Seven manned launches were planned for 2010, with three Space Shuttle missions and four Soyuz flights for International Space Station (ISS) crew rotation. STS-130, using orbiter "Endeavour", was the first manned flight of the year, launching on 8 February with the "Tranquility
361409
Progress (spacecraft)


launched 24 July 2009 on a Soyuz-U. More recently, on the 9th of July 2018, Progress MS-09 broke a previous record by reaching the International Space Station in 3 hours and 48 minutes with a 3-ton payload of propellant, oxygen, food, and other supplies. After the spacecraft docks, the six crewmembers of Expedition 56 will spend the next few months unloading the cargo, which includes 1,170 lbs. (530 kilograms) of propellant, 115 lbs. (52 kg) of oxygen gas, 930 lbs. (
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Voyager 1


Solar System at about . NASA says that "The "Voyagers" are destined—perhaps eternally—to wander the Milky Way." In 300,000 years it will pass within less than 1 light year of the M3V star TYC 3135-52-1 Provided "Voyager 1" does not collide with anything and is not retrieved, the "New Horizons" space probe will never pass it, despite being launched from Earth at a faster speed than either Voyager spacecraft. The Voyager spacecraft benefited from multiple planetary flybys to increase their
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Deep Impact (spacecraft)


Deep Impact was a NASA space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on January 12, 2005. It was designed to study the interior composition of the comet Tempel 1 (9P/Tempel), by releasing an impactor into the comet. At 05:52 UTC on July 4, 2005, the Impactor successfully collided with the comet's nucleus. The impact excavated debris from the interior of the nucleus, forming an impact crater. Photographs taken by the spacecraft showed the comet to be more dusty and less icy than had been
14657488
Goodyear Meteor Junior


The Goodyear Meteor Junior was a 1954 concept for a fully reusable spacecraft and launch system designed by Darrell C. Romick and two of his colleagues employed by Goodyear Aerospace, a subsidiary of the American Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Darrell Romick originally estimated that the craft would cost about the same as an intercontinental B-52 bomber. The concept was introduced in 1954, before the dawn of human spaceflight, to be displayed at the annual conference of the American Rocket Society. The design called for a winged spacecraft piloted by a crew of three
3725424
LKS (spacecraft)


designer” Valentin Glushko to proceed with the Buran project, which was intended to simply copy the Space Shuttle. The Buran project and its massive launch vehicle "Energia" were the targets of several critics among Russian space designers and scientists. One of them was Vladimir Chelomey, Glushko's former ally, who was responsible for the famous OKB-52 NPO Mashinostroyeniya (from which came the Proton rocket, the TKS spacecraft, and the Almaz and Salyut space stations). In 1979, Chelomey affirmed that the Buran project was too big,
7077644
Launch window


point. It may be continuous (i.e. able to launch every second in the launch window) or may be a collection of discrete instantaneous points between the open and close. Launch windows and days are usually calculated in UTC and then converted to the local time of where the rocket and spacecraft operators are located (frequently multiple time zones for USA launches). For trips into largely arbitrary Earth orbits, no specific launch time is required. But if the spacecraft intends to rendezvous with an object already in orbit, the launch must
20951574
Asteroid Redirect Mission


that pushes the spacecraft forward. The spacecraft concept would have a dry mass of 5.5 tons, and could store up to 13 tons of xenon propellant. Each thruster would have a 30- to 50-kilowatt power level, and several thrusters can be combined to increase the power of an SEP spacecraft. This engine, which is scalable to 300 kilowatts and beyond, is being researched and developed by Northrop Grumman with Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Michigan. NASA Glenn Research Center is managing the project. Even at a destination, the
17356108
Explorer 52


. Data were obtained in real time only, at frequencies of 136 and 400 MHz at 100 bit/s (or 200 bit/s with convolutional coding) plus wideband VLF data. It was designed, built, and tracked by personnel at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa whose sports teams are the Hawkeyes. The spacecraft was launched on June 3, 1974 into a polar orbit with initial apogee over the North Pole and re-entered on April 28, 1978 after 667 orbits or nearly four years
17091378
Space Shuttle external tank


the ET to increase overall efficiency. For each pound of weight reduction, the cargo-carrying capability of the shuttle spacecraft was increased almost one pound. The original ET is informally known as the Standard Weight Tank (SWT) and was fabricated from 2219, a high-strength aluminum-copper alloy used for many aerospace applications. The first two, used for STS-1 and STS-2, were painted white to protect the tanks from ultraviolet light during the extended time that the shuttle spends on the launch pad prior to launch. Because
10919417
List of human spaceflight programs


The spacecraft was designed by Max Faget and NASA's Space Task Group. NASA ordered 20 production spacecraft, numbered 1 through 20, from McDonnell Aircraft Company, St. Louis, Missouri. Five of the twenty spacecraft, #10, 12, 15, 17, and 19, were not flown. Spacecraft #3 and #4 were destroyed during unmanned test flights. Spacecraft #11 sank and was recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean after 38 years. Some spacecraft were modified after initial production (refurbished after launch abort
19978340
Soyuz TM-31


Soyuz TM-31 was the first Soyuz spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). This Soyuz-TM spacecraft carried the members of Expedition 1, the first long-duration ISS crew. It was launched from Russia at 07:52 UT on October 31, 2000 by a Soyuz-U rocket. The crew consisted of Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, and American William Shepherd. Gidzenko was Commander of the flight up, but once aboard the station, Shepherd became Commander of the long-duration mission Expedition 1
12235289
Soyuz flight VS22


launch by Arianespace. They were also the 156–159th spacecraft launched by Arianespace to be manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and its predecessors. Soyuz flight VS22 was delayed twice from its intended launch date on 26 March 2019 – first to 29 March and later to 4 April. The Soyuz-ST-B launch vehicle was rolled out to Kourou's ELS launch pad on 1 April. After a 33-minute delay to allow for further checks on ground systems, it lifted off at 17:03:37 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on 4 April 2019,
9767682
Soyuz MS-04


Soyuz MS-04 is a Soyuz spaceflight that launched on 20 April 2017 to the ISS. It transported two members of the Expedition 52 crew to the International Space Station. MS-04 is the 133rd flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew consists of a Russian commander and an American flight engineer. It is the first of the Soyuz MS series to rendezvous with the Station in approximately 6 hours, instead of the 2 day orbital rendezvous used for the previous launches. It was also the first Soyuz to launch with only 2 crew members since
5500405
STS-71


straight missions to "Mir" flown by "Atlantis". For the five days the shuttle was docked to "Mir" they were the largest spacecraft in orbit at the time. STS-71 marked the first docking of a space shuttle to a space station, the first time a shuttle crew switched members with the crew of a station, and the 100th manned space launch by the United States. The mission carried Spacelab and included a logistical resupply of "Mir". Together the shuttle and station crews conducted various on-orbit
3172553
Interplanetary spaceflight


reaction products (propellant) on the Solar System body until such time as a vehicle needs to be loaded for launch. SpaceX is currently developing a system in which a reusable first stage vehicle would transport a manned interplanetary spacecraft to earth orbit, detach, return to its launch pad where a tanker spacecraft would be mounted atop it, then both fueled, then launched again to rendezvous with the waiting manned spacecraft. The tanker would then transfer its fuel to the manned spacecraft for use on its interplanetary voyage. The SpaceX "Interplanetary
15258553
Explorer 52


instrumented with following instruments: The spacecraft was spin stabilized with a nominal rotational period of 11 s. In celestial coordinates, the positive spin axis coordinates were right ascension 299.4 degrees (plus or minus 1.1 deg) and declination 8.6 deg (plus or minus 1.5 deg). There was no onboard orientation or spin rate control, but the orientation of the spin axis was stable. An optical aspect system operated from launch until September 3, 1974 at which time the optical aspect system was turned off and failed to turn back on.
17091376
STS-3xx


running through 30 September 2011 ended all concerns about funding the STS-135 mission. With the successful completion of STS-134, STS-335 was rendered unnecessary and launch preparations for STS-135 continued as Atlantis neared LC-39A during her rollout as STS-134 landed at the nearby Shuttle Landing Facility. For the STS-135, no shuttle was available for a rescue mission. A different rescue plan was devised, involving the four crew members remaining aboard the International Space Station, and returning aboard Soyuz spacecraft one at a time over the next year. That contingency was not required.
5219855
TKS (spacecraft)


Bugayskiy (the FGB block) as a manned spacecraft launched with Proton rocket alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft for use with "Almaz" space stations. Development began in 1965; the "Almaz programme" had been abandoned by the time the first TKS spacecraft flew in 1977. The VA spacecraft (""Vozvrashaemiy Apparat"") was flown separately on four test missions with two craft per launch to test the design, as well as one "all-up" test mission and three resupply missions. The project had further
2352649
McDonnell Douglas DC-X


Earth orbit takes about 90 to 120 minutes, the Earth will rotate to the east about 20 to 30 degrees in that time; or for a launch from the southern United States, about . If the spacecraft is launched to the east this does not present a problem, but for the polar orbits required of military spacecraft, when the orbit is complete the spacecraft overflies a point far to the west of the launch site. In order to land back at the launch site, the craft needs to have considerable cross-range
15420682
Sep Lambert


Septimus Drummond "Sep" Lambert (3 August 1876 in Dublin, Ireland – 21 April 1959 in Dublin) was an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, he played 14 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1896 and 1921, including seven first-class matches. Lambert was educated at Rathmines School and Wesley College in Dublin and at St John's College in Preston before qualifying as a solicitor in Dublin. Sep Lambert made his debut for Ireland against I Zingari in August 1896. Never a
17780527
Yuri Gidzenko


the Soyuz TM-22 capsule which landed at 10:42 UTC, 105 km northeast of Arkalyk. From November 2000 to March 2001, Gidzenko was part of the first permanent ISS resident crew, the Expedition 1. He along with cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and NASA astronaut William Shepherd was launched into space on board the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft which lifted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome on October 31, 2000 at 07:52:47 UTC. Gidzenko served as the Soyuz commander. After two days of solo flight, on November 2, the Soyuz spacecraft docked with the aft
19731185
Timeline of Cassini–Huygens


. The purpose of this phase was to maximize "Cassini" scientific outcome before the spacecraft was destroyed. The atmospheric entry of "Cassini" effectively ended the mission, although data analysis and production is still ongoing. 15 October 1997 01:43 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) – "Cassini" launched at 08:43 UTC inside Titan IVB/Centaur rocket. 26 April 1998 06:52 PDT – Gravity-assisted flyby of Venus at 284 km, receiving a boost in speed of about 7 kilometers per second. 3 December 1998 22:06 PST –
1853647
Cygnus CRS Orb-2


Cygnus CRS Orb-2, also known as Orbital Sciences CRS Flight 2, was the third flight of the Orbital Sciences' unmanned resupply spacecraft Cygnus, its third flight to the International Space Station, and the fourth launch of the company's Antares launch vehicle. The mission launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on 13 July 2014 at 12:52 PM. This was the second of eight scheduled flights by Orbital Sciences under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. It was the last planned usage of the enhanced Castor 30B second stage for
15694792
Commercial Crew Development


astronauts was announced on 3 August 2018. Key high-level requirements for the Commercial Crew vehicles include: After the retirement of STS in 2011, the US had no domestic vehicles capable of launching astronauts to space. The next major human spaceflight initiative will launch in 2021 as Artemis 2 on the Space Launch System. In the meantime, NASA continued to send astronauts to the ISS on Soyuz spacecraft seats purchased from Russia. The price has varied over time, with the batch of seats from 2016 to 2017 costing 70.7 million per
10700036
Galileo (spacecraft)


Orbiter Probe"; it was christened "Galileo" in 1978. Once the spacecraft was complete, its launch was scheduled for STS-61-G on-board in 1986. The Inertial Upper Stage booster was going to be used at first, but this changed to the Centaur booster, then back to IUS after "Challenger". The Centaur-G liquid hydrogen-fueled booster stage allowed a direct trajectory to Jupiter. The mission was further delayed by the hiatus in launches that occurred after the Space Shuttle "Challenger" disaster. New
12826622
Sidney M. Gutierrez


for Shuttle software development, verification, and future requirements definition. In 1989 he supported launches of STS-28, 30, 32, 33 and 34 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A veteran of two space flights, he has logged over 488 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-40 (June 5–June 14, 1991) and was the spacecraft commander on STS-59 (April 9–April 20, 1994). After his first flight, Gutierrez served as spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) - the voice link between the flight crew
18738147
2008 in spaceflight


"Jules Verne" Automated Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned European spacecraft which was used to resupply the space station. Also in March, Space Shuttle launched on STS-123 with the first component of the Japanese Experiment Module, the Experiment Logistics Module. STS-123 marked the final flight of the Spacelab programme, with a SpaceLab pallet used to carry the Canadian-built "Dextre" RMS extension. The second JEM component, the main pressurised module, was launched by STS-124, flown by in May. In November, "Endeavour" launched on the
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Progress M-16M


Progress M-16M (), identified by NASA as Progress 48 or 48P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station during 2012. The sixteenth Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft, it has the serial number 416 and was built by RKK Energia. It was the 126th launch to the ISS and the fifteenth Russian space launch in 2012. It was also the seventh mission for the Soyuz family of rockets since the beginning of the year. The spacecraft was launched on time at 19:35:13 GMT from the Baikonur
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Progress M-27M


to be fully controlled. The spacecraft was deemed to be a total loss. On 8 May 2015 at 02:20 UTC, the spacecraft was confirmed to have undergone destructive reentry over the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Progress M-27M was the 27th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft, with the serial number 426. It was built by RKK Energia and was operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency. This was the second time the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a rocket was used for an ISS mission launch. The spacecraft was launched on 28 April 2015 at
18685709
Soyuz 7K-ST No. 16L


Soyuz 7K-ST No.16L, sometimes known as Soyuz T-10a or T-10-1, was an unsuccessful Soyuz mission intended to visit the Salyut 7 space station, which was occupied by the Soyuz T-9 crew. However, it never finished its launch countdown; the launch vehicle was destroyed on the launch pad by fire on September 26, 1983. The launch escape system of the Soyuz spacecraft fired two seconds before the launch vehicle exploded, saving the crew. It is the first case in which a launch escape system has been fired
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Tianzhou 1


braking maneuvers under ground control. It uses the first flight model of the Tianzhou. It is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from the Tiangong-1 to resupply its future modular space station. Tianzhou 1 launched successfully on 20 April 2017 at 7:41pm local time, from the Wenchang space center. This marked the second time a Long March 7 has been used, and the first one for a mission. Tianzhou-1 became the heaviest Chinese spacecraft ever launched, at that time. This mission demonstrated the Tianzhou spacecraft and its capabilities. It critically
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Mir EO-19


systems of Mir and the Soyuz-TM spacecraft in 1993. Both spent just over 75 days in space during EO-19 and completed 1194 orbits of the Earth. The crew of Mir EO-19 launched aboard the Space Shuttle "Atlantis" on June 27, 1995 as part of the STS-71 mission. STS-71 was the first docking of a Space Shuttle to the Mir space station and the first docking of an American and Russian spacecraft in 20 years. STS-71 docked with Mir on June 29 and performed a crew exchange between the EO-19 and EO-18
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STS-1


STS-1 (Space Transportation System-1) was the first orbital spaceflight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The first orbiter, "Columbia", launched on 12 April 1981 and returned on 14 April, 54.5 hours later, having orbited the Earth 36 times. "Columbia" carried a crew of two – mission commander John W. Young and pilot Robert L. Crippen. It was the first American manned space flight since the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project in 1975. STS-1 was also the only maiden test flight of a new American spacecraft to
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Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz


The Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz (ELS) (in English Soyuz Launch Complex) is a launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou/Sinnamary, French Guiana. It is used by Soyuz-ST rockets: modified versions of the Soyuz-2 optimised for launch from Kourou under Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre programme. The first launch to use the complex occurred on 21 October 2011, when a Soyuz ST-B launched the first two Galileo In Orbit Validation spacecraft. The site's equatorial latitude allows a greater payload mass to
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Shenzhou 1


Shenzhou 1 () launched on November 19, 1999, was the first unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The spacecraft used was not equipped with a life support system or an emergency escape system. After orbiting the Earth 14 times, the command for retrofire was sent by the "Yuanwang 3" tracking ship off the coast of Namibia at 18:49 UTC. After a successful reentry it landed about 415 km east of its launch pad and 110 km north-west of Wuhai, Inner Mongolia. The first Shenzhou spacecraft was different
15520820
Progress M-25M


Progress M-25M (), identified by NASA as Progress 57 or 57P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) during 2014. Progress M-25M was launched on a 6-hours rendezvous profile towards the ISS. The 25th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, it had the serial number 424 and was built by RKK Energia. The spacecraft was launched on 29 October 2014 at 07:09 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This was the first time the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a rocket was
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STS-72


STS-72 was a Space Shuttle "Endeavour" mission to capture and return to Earth a Japanese microgravity research spacecraft known as Space Flyer Unit (SFU). The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 11 January 1996. STS-72, the 74th flight of the Space Shuttle program and the 10th of the orbiter "Endeavour" was launched at 4:41AM EST January 11, 1996 after a brief hold at the T-5 minute mark due to communication issues. The nighttime launch window was in support of the mission's primary objective, the
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Mercury-Atlas 6


as the Soviets did), but by early December it was apparent that the mission hardware would not be ready for launch until early 1962. Mercury spacecraft #13 began taking form on McDonnell's St. Louis, Missouri assembly line in May 1960. It was chosen for the MA-6 mission in October 1960 and delivered to Cape Canaveral on August 27, 1961. Mercury spacecraft #13 and Atlas #109-D were stacked on the pad at Launch Complex 14 on January 2, 1962. As the effects of orbital space flight on humans
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Intelsat VI


be launched by the Space Transportation System (STS, US Space Shuttle). Thus the Intelsat VI satellite were of a wide body spinning design with a larger solar array, due to the deploy-able array. The later HS393 series of satellites also used the wide body and extended solar array design. This resulted in a spacecraft that was in diameter and approximately tall as configured for launch on an Ariane 4 rocket. When the spacecraft had arrived at its assigned orbital location, the concentric solar array would be extended (deployed
6868762
John Casper


USAF positions on requirements, operational concepts, policy and force structure for tactical and strategic programs. Colonel Casper has logged over 10,000 flying hours in 52 different aircraft. Selected by NASA in May 1984, Casper became an astronaut in June 1985. A veteran of four space flights, he has logged over 825 hours in space. He was the pilot on mission STS-36, and spacecraft commander on missions STS-54, STS-62 and STS-77. His technical assignments while assigned to the Astronaut Office included Chief of the Operations Development Branch; lead for
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ST-2


"ST-2" is a telecommunications satellite made by Mitsubishi Electric. It was launched on May 20, 2011 atop an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from ESA's Guiana Space Centre in a dual-launch mission with GSAT-8. a ST-2 is a replacement for the ST-1 satellite. It is built around the DS2000 spacecraft bus. It is in geosynchronous orbit at 88 deg. East, and is operated by the ST-2 Satellite Ventures joint company of Singapore Telecommunications(SingTel) and Chunghwa Telecom. It provides relay services over the Middle East, Central Asia
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Soyuz TM-2


Soyuz TM-2 was the spacecraft used to launch a long duration crew to the Soviet space station Mir, which was unmanned at the time. TM-2 was launched in February 1987, and it was first manned spaceflight of the Soyuz-TM spacecraft, and the second manned spaceflight to Mir (the first being Soyuz T-15). The crew of the long duration expedition, Mir EO-2, who were launched by TM-2 consisted of Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Aleksandr Laveykin. The spacecraft remained docked to Mir, functioning as a lifeboat for the
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Superbird-C2


companies dissolved. Thus, by the time of launch, Superbird-7 was a JSAT spacecraft. Superbird-7 was successfully launched along AMC-21 by an Ariane 5 ECA on August 14, 2008, at 20:44 UTC. It separated from the spacecraft at 21:09 UTC and less than an hour later, at 22:03 UTC, it had already spread its solar panels. After the successful launch, Superbird-7 was renamed as Superbird-C2. On October 17, 2008 MELCO announced that they had performed the final handover of the spacecraft to JSAT. They had
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Deep Impact (spacecraft)


integrated by Ball Aerospace & Technologies in Boulder, Colorado. Developing the software for the spacecraft took 18 months and the application code consisted of 20,000 lines and 19 different application threads. The total cost of developing the spacecraft and completing its mission reached . The probe was originally scheduled for launch on December 30, 2004, but NASA officials delayed its launch, in order to allow more time for testing the software. It was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on January 12, 2005 at 1:47 pm EST (1847 UTC) by a
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Progress M-19M


Progress M-19M (), identified by NASA as Progress 51 or 51P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station during 2013. Progress M-19M was launched on a standard 2-day rendezvous profile towards the ISS. The 19th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, it had the serial number 419 and was built by RKK Energia. The spacecraft was launched on time at 10:12 UTC on 24 April 2013 by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
20140428
DAVE (CP-7)


was launched into a high-inclination orbit as a secondary payload on the final flight of the Delta II launch vehicle as part of the ELaNa-18 ride-share mission with NASA's ICESat-2 primary payload. The launch occurred out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on September 15 at 6:02 AM local time. DAVE was deployed alongside three other CubeSat spacecraft: University of Central Florida's SurfSat, and two ELFIN spacecraft from University of California, Los Angeles. As of November 2018, the spacecraft is active and in good health.
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Advanced Gemini


proposal for a manned spacecraft for astronomical or solar observation. It would have used the larger reentry module which was also proposed for the Big Gemini spacecraft, and would have been launched on a Saturn IB. The enlarged reentry module was also considered for a spacecraft proposed at the same time, which would have been used to rescue the crews of manned spacecraft that were stranded in low Earth orbit. It would have launched atop a Titan IIIC, once in orbit it would have maneuvered by means of a Transtage integrated into the equipment
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Progress M-66


Progress M-66 (), identified by NASA as Progress 32 or 32P, was a Progress spacecraft used to resupply the International Space Station. It was the penultimate flight of the Progress-M 11F615A55 spacecraft, using the spacecraft with the serial number 366. Progress M-66 was launched at 05:49 GMT on 10 February 2009, by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket flying from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This was the first time Site 31 had been used for a Progress launch since Progress M-15 in 1992. The spacecraft docked with
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Charles D. Gemar


the Space Shuttle Program, including flight software testing in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); launch support activities at the Kennedy Space Center; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in mission control during Space Shuttle missions; Chief of Astronaut Appearances. Gemar has flown three times and has logged over 580 hours in space. He flew on STS-38 (November 15–20, 1990), STS-48 (September 12–18, 1991), and STS-62 (March 4–18, 1994). On his first mission, Gemar served on the five-man
18737924
Mylswamy Annadurai


to the Moon launched by India's national space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The unmanned lunar exploration mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft by a modified version of the PSLV C11 on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh about 80 km north of Chennai at 06:22 IST (00:52 UTC). The mission was a major boost to India's space program, and India joined a band of Asian nations (China and Japan
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Chandrayaan-1


Chandrayaan-1 (, 'Moon craft' ) was the first Indian lunar probe under Chandrayaan program. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XL rocket, serial number C11, on 22 October 2008 at 00:52 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota about north of Chennai. The mission was a major boost to India's space program, as India researched and developed its
17142436
Donald E. Williams


in 1985, and was the spacecraft commander on STS-34 in 1989. STS-51-D (April 12–19, 1985) was launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the mission, the crew deployed ANIK-C for Telesat Canada, and Syncom IV-3 for the U.S. Navy. A malfunction in the Syncom spacecraft resulted in the first unscheduled EVA, rendezvous and proximity operations for the Space Shuttle in an attempt to activate the satellite. Additionally, the crew also conducted several medical experiments, two student experiments,
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Asteroid Redirect Mission


-site check-out of critical systems before the crew departs. Not only would the solar electric propulsion (SEP) technologies and designs be applied to future missions, but the ARRM spacecraft would be left in a stable orbit for reuse. The project has baselined any of multiple refueling capabilities; the asteroid-specific payload is at one end of the bus, for possible removal and replacement via future servicing, or as a separable spacecraft, leaving a qualified space tug in cislunar space. The robotic and crewed missions would demonstrate
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STS-44


STS-44 was a Space Shuttle mission using "Atlantis" that launched on 24 November 1991. It was a U.S. Department of Defense space mission. The launch was on 24 November 1991 at 6:44:00 pm EST. A launch set for 19 November was delayed due to replacement and testing of a malfunctioning redundant inertial measurement unit on the Inertial Upper Stage booster attached to the Defense Support Program satellite. The launch was reset for 24 November and was delayed by 13 minutes to allow an orbiting spacecraft to pass and to allow external tank liquid oxygen
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Donald A. Thomas


Safety, Operations Development, and Payloads Branches of the Astronaut Office. He was CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator) for Shuttle missions STS-47, 52 and 53. From July 1999 to June 2000 he was Director of Operations for NASA at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, Russia. A veteran of four space flights, he logged over 1,040 hours in space. He was a mission specialist on STS-65 (July 8, 1994 – July 23, 1994), STS-70 (July 13, 1995 – July 22,
10593627
ASTRO (satellite)


, from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch was contracted by the Space Test Program to launch the STPSat-1 spacecraft, and was named STP-1. It also deployed NEXTSat; as well as FalconSAT-3, CFESat and MidSTAR-1. The launch marked the first time United Launch Alliance had launched an Atlas V, the type having previously been operated by International Launch Services. ASTRO was a spacecraft, which was built by Boeing. It was operated in low Earth orbit. On 9 March 2007, it had
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NEXTSat


from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch was contracted by the Space Test Program to launch the STPSat-1 spacecraft, and was named STP-1. It also deployed ASTRO; as well as FalconSAT-3, CFESat and MidSTAR-1. The launch marked the first time United Launch Alliance had launched an Atlas V, the type having previously been operated by International Launch Services. NEXTSat is a spacecraft, which was built by Ball Aerospace around the RS-300 satellite bus. It was operated in low Earth orbit; on 9
14097207
Gemini 9A


unknown reason, and the 40 second launch window opened and closed without launch. This earned Tom Stafford the title of "Mayor of Pad 19". The second launch attempt on June 3 went perfectly, with the spacecraft entering into orbit. With this launch, Stafford could say that he had been strapped into a spacecraft six times for only 2 launches. Launch vehicle performance was very close to nominal. Two small roll transients were evident at liftoff and pogo effects were the lowest yet recorded on a Gemini launch. Stafford made
7328995
SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1


successfully deployed. SpaceX reported that all test objectives were completed, and the recovery craft arrived to retrieve the spacecraft within 20 minutes of splashdown. The craft landed within of the targeted location, well within the recovery zone. From launch to splashdown, the demonstration flight lasted for 3 hours, 19 minutes, 52 seconds. The second stage engine was reignited in orbit after separation from the Dragon capsule. This allowed SpaceX to work on a secondary mission objective of expanding the launch capability envelope by testing in-space engine reignition and
439755
INSAT-1B


INSAT-1 series of satellites. It had a mass at launch of , and was expected to operate for seven years. The spacecraft carried twelve C and three S band transponders, powered by a single solar array. A stabilisation boom was used to counterbalance radiation torques from the satellite's asymmetrical design. The spacecraft was propelled by an R-4D-11 apogee motor. INSAT-1B was deployed by during the STS-8 mission. "Challenger" lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 06:32:00 UTC on 30 August 1983. INSAT-1B was deployed
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Mission Mars (film)


Mission Mars is a 1968 American science fiction film. It was produced by Everett Rosenthal, with a screenplay by Mike St. Clair from a story by Aubrey Wisberg, and directed by Nick Webster. The United States launches three astronauts on a mission to land on Mars at around the same time that the Soviet Union launches its own secret Mars mission. On their way to Mars, the American astronauts encounter the drifting bodies of two Soviet cosmonauts, whom they realize must have been buried in space. The American spacecraft lands safely on
21739133
George Diller


George Diller is a retired public relations specialist who worked in the NASA Public Affairs Office (PAO) at the Kennedy Space Center. He provided public announcements and commentary before and during launches from the Kennedy Space Center, including the space shuttle and unmanned spacecraft such as the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Diller provided launch commentary from the launch of STS-27 through STS-135 the final launch of the program. He is also known for his "liftoff line" he gave as the shuttle and other vehicles lifted off the pad. In addition
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Luna 1


Luna 1, also known as Mechta ( , "lit.": "Dream"), E-1 No.4 and "First Lunar Rover ", was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Earth's Moon, and the first spacecraft to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as an impactor, "Luna 1" was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme in 1959, however due to an incorrectly timed upper stage burn during its launch, it missed the Moon, in the process becoming the first spacecraft to
3607446
Space weather


CMEs), their associated shock waves and coronal clouds are also important drivers of space weather as they can compress the magnetosphere and trigger geomagnetic storms. Solar energetic particles (SEP) accelerated by coronal mass ejections or solar flares can trigger solar particle events (SPEs), a critical driver of human impact space weather as they can damage electronics onboard spacecraft (e.g. Galaxy 15 failure), and threaten the lives of astronauts as well as increase radiation hazards to high-altitude, high-latitude aviation. Some spacecraft failures can be
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SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure


on-orbit propellant refill via "ITS tanker"—were to begin no earlier than 2022. At the time, the company was planning for launches of research spacecraft to Mars using Falcon Heavy launch vehicles and specialized modified Dragon spacecraft, called "Red Dragon". Due to planetary alignment in the inner Solar System, Mars launches are typically limited to a window of approximately every 26 months. As announced in June 2016, the first launch was planned for Spring 2018, with an announced intent to launch again in every Mars launch window thereafter
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