Two small-scale spacecraft escape-tower combinations were launched successfully at Wallops Island. On the next day a full-scale spacecraft escape system was launched. The complete sequence of events - escape system firing, escape tower jettisoning, parachute deployment, landing, and helicopter recovery - was satisfactory.

An Air Force Thor/Agena A booster vehicle lifted Discoverer II into orbit from Vandenberg AFB. Discoverer II became the world's first satellite to be stabilized in orbit in all three axes, to be maneuvered on command from earth, to separate a reentry vehicle on command, and to send its reentry vehicle back to earth. The capsule ejector system malfunctioned, causing the capsule to impact near Spitsbergen on 14 April rather than near Hawaii as planned. KH-1 prototype; tested capsule recovery techniques; did not carry camera; capsule recovery failed. Because of a timing error, the US believed that the capsule landed somewhere on the island of Spitsbergen, north of Norway, instead of landing in the recovery zone near Hawaii. The capsule was never found; and CIA officials suspect it may have been snatched by the Soviets. The search for this capsule formed the basis of the book and film 'Ice Station Zebra'.

In the winter of 1960/1961, a US Discovery spy satellite capsule was found by loggers near Kalinin, 200 km north of Moscow. The loggers cracked it open with an axe. Sergei Khrushchev believed this to be the Discoverer 2 capsule. What was left was examined by Soviet engineers but didn't reveal much information - it was a polished aluminium sphere, 30 cm in diameter, gilded on the exterior. Some said it was found as early as the winter of 1959.

The first Thor/Ablestar launched from Cape Canaveral placed the Navy's Transit IB navigation satellite into orbit. This was the first navigation satellite to be placed in orbit. The Ablestar upper stage demonstrated the first engine restart in space. The Able-Star second stage demonstrated the first engine restart in space and the feasibility of using satellites as navigational aids. The first experimental Transit satellite to achieve orbit operated for 89 days. It transmitted on two frequency pairs to test the technique for refraction correction and to determine if the transmitted frequencies should be close together or far apart. It also tested a magnetic torque device for spacecraft attitude control - the first satellite to do so.

The commission meets from 09:30 to 12:00, making the official interview of Gagarin on his flight. There are unending questions. Afterwards Gagarin fields more questions by phone from the press. In the second half of the day he is readied for the return to Moscow. He has to make a half-hour speech to Khrushchev, but he hurries through the prepared text. Two or three trainers had noted this impatience of his, but Kamanin had already decided before the flight that Gagarin had the makings of a good orator. In the evening Brezhnev calls twice, and Vershinin several more times, coordinating things for Gagarin's return to Moscow. Bad weather is predicted for the next day and it is decided that Gagarin's airplane will arrive at Vnukovo. Gagarin is to exit the aircraft and walk alone to the reviewing stand. For this performance he is measured for a new uniform and great coat. He rehearses the speech twice, with Kamanin playing the part of Khrushchev in posing impromptu questions.

Central Committee of the Communist Party and Council of Soviet Ministers Decree 'On approval of work on four Voskhods and five EVA-equipped Vykhods' was issued. Work on the 3KV (three crew) and 3KD (two crew plus inflatable airlock) versions of the basic Vostok spacecraft began.

Headquarters USAF issued a Minuteman system program directive (SPD) that established an operational force of 1,000 missiles by the end of FY1967. It also directed implementation of the Force Modernization Program to configure the entire force with Minuteman II (LGM-30F) missiles by FY 1972.

Nikolayev and others are flying to the cosmodrome. All of the cosmonauts except Volynov will be present for the historic launch of the first space station., the first crew to the station, and the N1 launch planned for 1 May. Kamanin has an argument with the cosmonauts on the necessity of working out on the KTF trainer during the mission.

Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Americas at 99 deg W in 1974-1982; over the Americas at 100 deg W in 1982; over the Americas at 97 deg W in 1982; over the Americas at 79 deg W in 1982-1983 As of 5 September 2001 located at 85.83 deg W drifting at 1.372 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 89.54E drifting at 1.381W degrees per day.

Space Test Program flight P72-2 was launched; it carried two infrared radiometers and three other payloads. The launch failed when the Atlas F launch vehicle malfunctioned. A lack of deluge water and collection in the flame bucket of a kerosene/liquid oxygen gel led to the explosion of the gel on lift-off, damaging one of the Atlas engines and leading to complete engine failure during the ascent.

Refurbished Palapa B2 retrieved by STS-51A; 107.7 deg E. Communication services for Indonesia, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Papua New Guinea. Launch time 2227:59.719 Z. Launch complex 17, ETR. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 108 deg E in 1990-1999 As of 29 August 2001 located at 42.49 deg E drifting at 0.002 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 163.55E drifting at 2.663W degrees per day.

Commercial business communications; stationed at 101 deg W. C, Ku band communications satellite. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 101 deg W in 1991-1999; 81 deg W in 2000. As of 6 September 2001 located at 172.04 deg E drifting at 0.007 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 34.51E drifting at 2.539W degrees per day.

Geostationary Environmental Satellite. Stationed at 75 deg W. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). Launch vehicle put payload into supersynchronous earth orbit with MRS trajectory option. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 90 deg W in 1994-1995; 75 deg W in 1995-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 74.78 deg W drifting at 0.019 deg E per day. NASA announced that GOES-8 was "de-orbited" (presumably moved to a sub-synchronous orbit) on May 5, 2004 after 10 years of service. As of 2007 Mar 11 located at 87.46E drifting at 4.935W degrees per day.

This freighter linked up with the Mir-complex on 4.04.1999 at 12.46.49 UTC. The docking was executed in the automatic mode by the system Kurs. (More or less a tragedy for me was the fact that when this operation was going on I drove along the Yaroslavskoye Shosse in Korolyov in a short distance from the building of TsUP! Theoretically I could have been in time in TsUP, if I had been allowed to enter that building, but my arrival by KLM on Sheremetevo was delayed due to a nearly fatal landing attempt. Heavy turbulence and side wind within a few meters from touchdown forced our captain to execute an emergency restart. So Progress-M41 successfully arrived at the first attempt, I did this only on the 2nd ) Two days later I did manage to visit TsUP and to monitor 1 one of the communication sessions with Mir in which one of the subjects was the mini Sputnik which will be launched during the first EVA.

1st Spacewalk (EVA) crew 27th Main Expedition Mir:

This EVA to be executed by commander Afanasyev and CNES cosmonaut Haignere will start on 16.04.1999 at 0430 UTC, when they open the outer hatch of the airlock (Sh.S.O.) of Module-D. The planned duration of the EVA is 5 hours and 12 minutes. The cosmonauts will install experiments at the outer surface of the complex and retrieve experiments which had been installed in the past from there. The whole day of 13.04.1999 the crew was working on the spacesuits. They checked the air-tightness and all technical systems. The air-tightness gave no problems, but from the spacesuit of Afanasyev the medical data did not reach the telemetry. TsUP presumed that there was something wrong with the medical data processing unit in Afanasyev's suit. Afanasyev suggested not to bother about this problem, but the medical group was not willing to give permission for the EVA if the problem would not be solved. If such a failure might arise during the EVA they could bear this for it would be difficult to stop the EVA, but they needed medical data at the beginning. So the management ordered Afanasyev to use spacesuit number 5 for the EVA. This means that a part of the checks will have to be repeated and that there is little time to train for the EVA.

Communications:

On 12.04.1999 Viktor D. Blagov congratulated the crew with the Cosmonauts Day. He expressed the wish that Russian spaceflight would be able to survive and that he hoped the same with the Mir space station. He told the crew that the Service Module for the I.S.S. would be transported to Baykonur in May to enable the launch in late October \ begin November this year. Towards the end of the communication session he informed them about a message he just got from Krasnoyarsk in which was reported that the only geostationary satellite available for Mir-communications, the Luch-1/Gelios standing over 77 degrees East , was unserviceable due to a technical failure. Until the beginning of next year TsUP and Mir do not have such an in fact necessary facility. In the beginning of 2000 TsUP again hopes to be able to make use of a new Luch or Altair, which has to be placed over 16 degrees West.

During a meeting in the Russian Space agency (RKA) in which I took part I asked one of the deputies of Mr. Koptev whether there were plans for such a satellite. He confirmed my question. This geostationary communications satellite will be launched in November or December this year.

Private situation:

I did not cancel my tour to Moscow because of the fact that the doctors and other experts advised me to go and thus to gain strength and relax after the hectic months. And indeed they were right, I now feel better than before my trip. Regretfully the status of my wife who is still in hospital has not changed and predicting the near future is almost impossible.

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.

Atlantis' STS-101 mission remains scheduled for launch at about 4:15 p.m. Eastern time on April 24 with the mission's major goals to accomplish the complete restoration of the electrical power system on the Zarya module and raising the Station's altitude in preparation for Zvezda's arrival in late July. Additional Details: here....

A two-stage SR19 rocket was flown from the Kaui Test Facility in the Pacific Missile Range Facility. The payload included the deployment of complex countermeasures, a mock reentry vehicle, an onboard sensor package. This series of radar certification flight was initially part of the Block 2004 effort.

Two Expedition 15 cosmonauts spent much of the week in handover activities with their Expedition 14 predecessors. Their new crewmate, Sunita Williams who has been aboard the International Space Station for more than three months, also is helping them learn the ropes. Additional Details: here....