Chronology - Quarter 1 1948

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Previous Home Next 1948 January - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Second MX-774 static firing Nation: USA. Successful, at Point Loma. References: 4460. 1948 January - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. Model: Navaho SSM-A-2. MX-770 redesignated XSSM-A-2 Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The design had reached 100% drawing release. It consisted of an integrated rocket booster, two ramjets for cruise, and XN-1 inertial navigation with a final dive on the target. But the inertial navigator drifted 1.6 km in accuracy for each hour of flight, which meant the missile could not meet the USAF 800 m CEP requirement. References: 221. 1948 January 6 - XS-1 Flight 61 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 23. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 3. Turns and pull-ups to buffet. Mach 0.74. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 8 - XS-1 Flight 62 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 24. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 4. Turns and pull-ups to buffet. Mach 0.83. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 9 - XS-1 Flight 63 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 25. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lilly. NACA flight 5. Pilot familiarization. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 12 - Test vehicles reach 1,019 mph. Nation: USA. Northrop Aircraft Co. announced that rocket-powered test vehicles at Muroc Air Base, Calif., had attained a speed of 1,019 mph. References: 17. 1948 January 15 - XS-1 Flight 64 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 26. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lilly. NACA flight 6. Turns and pull-ups to buffet. Sideslips. Mach 0.76. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 15 - USAF policy for development of earth satellites 'at the proper time'. Nation: USA. General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Vice Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, approved a policy calling for the development of earth satellites at the proper time. References: 483. 1948 January 16 - XS-1 Flight 65 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 39. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 17. Airspeed calibration. Mach 0.9. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 21 - XS-1 Flight 66 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 27. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 7. Stabilizer effectiveness investigation. Mach 0.82 at 8845 m. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 22 - XS-1 Flight 67 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 40. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 18. Pressure distribution survey. Mach 1.2. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 22 - 20:12 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 34. Chemical release / aeronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/NRL. Apogee: 159 km (98 mi). Launched 13:12 local time. Reached 159.7 km. Carried cosmic radiation, pressure, temperature, ionosphere experiments for Naval Research Lab. References: 2. 1948 January 23 - XS-1 Flight 68 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 28. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 8. Attempted high-speed run aborted at mach 0.83, drop in chamber pressure. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 27 - XS-1 Flight 69 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 29. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 9. High-speed run to mach 0.925 at 11590 m. Cylinders 2 and 3 failed to fire. References: 49, 97. 1948 January 30 - XS-1 Flight 70 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 41. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 19. Pressure distribution survey. Mach 1.1. References: 49, 97. 1948 February 4 - Launch Site: Edwards. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. D-558-II first flight. Nation: USA. Crew: Martin. First flight of reseach airplane Douglas D-558-II (No. 1), John Martin of Douglas as pilot. Airplane had both jet and rocket engines and was flown from ground takeoff. References: 17. 1948 February 6 - 17:17 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 36. Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: GE. Apogee: 113 km (70 mi). Launched 10:15 local time. Reached 111.3 km. Carried No upper atmosphere experiments. Technology flight for General Electric. Successful electronic flight control demonstrated by General Electric technicians for Army Ordnance. References: 2. 1948 February 16 - Gerard Kuiper's Discovery of Uranus Moon Miranda Nation: USA. 1948 February 24 - XS-1 Flight 71 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 42. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Fitzgerald. AF flight 20. Engine fire after launch forced jettisoning of propellants, completed as a glide flight. However Fitz-Gerald reached 12.1 km and reached Mach 1.10 before the engine was shut off, in the process becoming the second person to break the sound barrier. References: 49, 97. 1948 February 25 - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. USAF wishes to concentrate on longer-range Navaho. Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The Navaho was redefined by the customer in a revised three-phase program using a rocket booster and ramjet cruise. Track, air, and vertical pad launch were to be studied. The first phase would produce a missile with a range of 1600 km while carrying a 1350 kg warhead. Phase two would produce a missile that could carry a 1350 kg warhead to a 3200 to 4800 km range. Phase 3 would be the intercontinental version, carrying a 4500 kg nuclear warhead to an 8000 km range. References: 221. 1948 March 4 - XS-1 Flight 72 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 30. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 10. High-speed run to mach 0.943 at 12200 m. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 5 - 22:51 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC35. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 A5. Particles Chemical release mission Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 118 km (73 mi). Cosmic radiation research. Launched at 1020 local time. Reached 117.5 km. References: 2. 1948 March 10 - XS-1 Flight 73 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 31. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 11. First NACA supersonic flight. First civilian supersonic flight. Mach 1.065. Nosewheel failed to extend for landing. Minor damage. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 11 - Disagreement within US military on rocket roles Nation: USA. Key West Agreement formulated by military service chiefs which delineated respective service roles and missions. It did not clearly assign military aeronautical and rocket research and development responsibilities to the services. References: 17. 1948 March 11 - XS-1 Flight 74 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 43. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 21. Attained mach 1.25 in dive. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 18 - Launch Vehicle: V-2. V-2 project winding down. Nation: Germany. V-2 Upper Atmosphere Research Panel, representing all U.S. interested agencies, was renamed the Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel. References: 17. 1948 March 19 - 23:10 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 39. FAILURE: Failure. Blossom IIA Aeronomy / fields mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/GE. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). Launched 16:10 local time. Reached 5.5 km. Carried Magnetic field, composition, winds, temperature (Signal Corps Engineering Lab, University of Michigan) experiments for General Electric. References: 2. 1948 March 22 - XS-1 Flight 75 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 32. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 12. Stability and loads investigation. Mach 1.12. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 26 - XS-1 Flight 76 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 44. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 22. Attained mach 1.45 at 12239 m during dive. Fastest flight ever made in original XS-1 aircraft. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 30 - XS-1 Flight 77 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 33. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Hoover. NACA flight 13. Stability and loads investigation. Mach 0.90. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 31 - XS-1 Flight 78 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 34. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lilly. NACA flight 14. Stability and loads investigation. Plane attained mach 1.1. References: 49, 97. 1948 March 31 - XS-1 Flight 79 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 45. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 23. Engine shutdown after launch. Propellants jettisoned, completed as glide flight. References: 49, 97. 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.