Chronology - Quarter 3 1947

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Previous Home Next 1947 July 1 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. MX-774 cancelled. Nation: USA. Contract with Convair for the MX-774 "Upper Air Test Vehicle," predecessor of the Atlas ICBM, was cancelled by the AAF. However the service approves Convair use of unexpended MX-774 funds to launch the MX-774 test vehicles already built. The decision made to move Vultee operations to San Diego. References: 17, 4460. 1947 July - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. MX-770 redirection Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The concentration on fhe 800-km range missile was to be abandoned. Prototype missiles were now to be produced in three phases. Phase I would produce a missile with a range of 280 to 800 km; Phase II, one of 800 to 2400 km; and Phase III one of 2400 to 8000 km. References: 44. 1947 July 10 - 19:18 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 29. FAILURE: Failure. Aeronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/NRL. Apogee: 16 km (9 mi). Launched 12:18 local time. Reached 16.1 km. Carried cosmic radiation, pressure, temperature, ionosphere, biological (Harvard) experiments for Naval Research Lab. References: 2. 1947 July 17 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Corporal. Model: Corporal E. LV Configuration: Corporal E 2 33E. FAILURE: Failure. 33E test Nation: USA. Agency: USA OR. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). References: 2. 1947 July 26 - Launch Vehicle: V-2. V-2's to be tested in Soviet Union. Nation: Germany. Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 2643-818ss 'On testing of two series of A-4 rockets in 1947' was issued. The missiles were to be fired at the new rocket test ground at Kapustin Yar ('Volgograd Station') . References: 474. 1947 July 27 - Kapustin Yar established. Nation: USSR. Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 'On establishment of GTsP-4 at Kapustin Yar' was issued. References: 474. 1947 July 30 - 00:55 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 30. Chemical release / solar ultraviolet mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/APL. Apogee: 159 km (98 mi). Launched 05:55 local time. Reached 161.1 km. Carried cosmic and solar radiation, photo experiments for Applied Physics Lab, John Hopkins University. References: 2. 1947 August 6 - XS-1 Flight 38 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 20. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF glide flight 1. Pilot familiarization. References: 49, 97. 1947 August 7 - XS-1 Flight 39 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 21. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF glide flight 2. References: 49, 97. 1947 August 8 - XS-1 Flight 40 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 22. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF glide flight 3. References: 49, 97. 1947 August 29 - XS-1 Flight 41 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 23. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF powered flight 1. Mach 0.85. References: 49, 97. 1947 Sept - Launch Vehicle: G-1. G-1 design completed by Groettrup team. Nation: USSR. The selected design was 14.2 m x 1.62 m, 18,400 kg gross weight, empty weight 1,960 kg, 32,000 kgf thrust, LOX/alochol propellants, 20 atm pressure thrust chamber, integral tanks, turbine driven by exhaust gases, control section in back, radio beam guidance, 900 km range, accuracy - 25% in a 1.0 km box. References: 86. 1947 September 4 - XS-1 Flight 42 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 24. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 2. About mach 0.89. Telemeter failure required repeat of this flight. References: 49, 97. 1947 September 6 - Launch Site: Atlantic Ocean. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: 27.0 N x 60.0 W. Launch Vehicle: V-2. FAILURE: Exploded prematurely after a 10 km flight. Operation Sandy test Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). Operation Sandy - German V-2 rocket launched from U.S. aircraft carrrier Midway in Atlantic tests, exploding prematurely after a 10 km flight. This had been preceded by Operation Pushover - the deliberate explosion of a fully tanked V-2 on a dummy shipdeck at White Sands to determine its effect on shipboard launching. Launched from Atlantic Ocean Launch Site 10 "several hundred mi SE Bermuda" - Latitude: 27.00 N, Longitude:60.00 W. References: 2. 1947 September 8 - XS-1 Flight 43 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 25. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 3. References: 49, 97. 1947 September 10 - XS-1 Flight 44 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 26. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 4. Mach 0.91. Stability and control investigation. References: 49, 97. 1947 September 12 - XS-1 Flight 45 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 27. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 5. Mach 0.92. Check of elevator and stabilizer effectiveness. Also buffet investigation. References: 49, 97. 1947 September 15 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas, Navaho, Snark. US Army Air Corps assigned control of surface-to-surface strategic missiles Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. References: 4460. 1947 September 18 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas, Matador, Navaho, Snark. U.S. Army Air Corps becomes U.S. Air Force Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The Air Force was now a separate service from the US Army. The agreement was made that the Air Force would only handle missiles with ranges over 1600 km. So the range requirement for the MX-770 (later the Navaho) was increased to 1600 km, while carrying a 1350-kg payload with an 800 m CEP, and it became an Air Force missile. The 800-km MX-771 (later Matador) became an Army missile. The MX-775 Snark already had an intercontinental range requirement, and became an Air Force missile. References: 4460. 1947 September 25 - XS-1 Flight 46 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 19. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. NACA acceptance flight. Number 4 cylinder burned out. References: 49, 97. 1947 September 25 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC35. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 A1. Dummy launch Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). Dummy firing, no upper-air research experiment. References: 2. Previous Home Next Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments. Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site.. To contact astronauts or cosmonauts. © Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.