Chronology - Quarter 2 1948

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Previous Home Next 1948 April 2 - 13:47 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 25. UM-1 Aeronomy / ionosphere / solar ultraviolet mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/UM. Apogee: 144 km (89 mi). Launched 06:40 local time. Reached 144.4 km. Carried Density, pressure, temperature, composition, cosmic and solar radiation (Naval Research Lab) experiments for Signal Corps Engineering Lab, University of Michigan. References: 2. 1948 April 5 - XS-1 Flight 80 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 35. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lilly. NACA flight 15. Engine failed to ignite. Propellants jettisoned, completed as glide flight. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 6 - XS-1 Flight 81 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 46. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Fitzgerald. AF flight 24. Pilot-check flight. Mach 1.1, during 4-cylinder run at 12505 m. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 7 - XS-1 Flight 82 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 47. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lundquist. AF flight 25. Glide flight only. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 8 - XS-1 Flight 83 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 48. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Fitzgerald. AF flight 26. Familiarization flight. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 9 - XS-1 Flight 84 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 36. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lilly. NACA flight 16. Stability and loads investigation. Mach 0.89. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 9 - XS-1 Flight 85 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 49. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lundquist. AF flight 27. Powered pilot-check flight. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 13 - 21:41 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC35. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 A6. B field Magnetosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 114 km (70 mi). Magnetic field research. Launched at 1551 local time. Reached 114.3 km. References: 2. 1948 April 14 - Launch Vehicle: R-1, R-2, R-3. Decree for production of R-1 and R-2 missiles, design of R-3. Nation: USSR. Decree 'On work on the R-1 and R-2 missiles' was issued. To accomplish putting the R-1 into production the resources of 13 research institutes and 35 factories were tapped. Glushko was tasked with producing the RD-100 copy of the V-2 engine. R-1 stand tests began the same day the decree was issued (Prototypes had already begun factory tests at the end of 1947). The decree also set forth design goals for the R-3.The specification was an order of magnitude leap from the other vehicles - to deliver a 3 tonne atomic bomb to any point in Europe from Soviet territory - a required range of 3000 km. References: 474. 1948 April 16 - XS-1 Flight 86 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 37. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lilly. NACA flight 17. Stability and loads investigation. Plane's nosewheel collapsed on landing. Moderate damage. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 16 - XS-1 Flight 87 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 50. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lundquist. AF flight 28. Pressure distribution survey. Only cylinders 2 and 4 ignited. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 19 - 19:54 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 38. FAILURE: Failure. Solar ultraviolet / ionosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/NRL. Apogee: 56 km (34 mi). Launched 12:54 local time. Reached 56.1 km. Carried cosmic and solar radiation, pressure, temperature experiments for Naval Research Lab. References: 2. 1948 April 26 - XS-1 Flight 88 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 51. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Fitzgerald. AF flight 29. Aborted because of inconsistent rocket operation. Reached mach 0.9. References: 49, 97. 1948 April 29 - XS-1 Flight 89 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 52. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lundquist. AF flight 30. Pressure distribution survey. Attained mach 1.18. References: 49, 97. 1948 May - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. Model: Navaho SSM-A-2. XSSM-A-2 stellar-inertial navigation Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. Preliminary design review of North American's XN-2 navigation platform, which coupled the XN-1 inertial system with a star tracker to ensure continued accuracy even in long flights. References: 221. 1948 May 4 - XS-1 Flight 90 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 53. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Fitzgerald. AF flight 31. Pressure distribution survey. Mach 1.15. References: 49, 97. 1948 May 6 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. MX-774 static firing tests at Pt Loma completed. Nation: USA. References: 4460. 1948 May 13 - 13:43 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. Model: Bumper-WAC. LV Configuration: Bumper-WAC Bumper 1. Test / solar / ionosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Apogee: 127 km (78 mi). First two-stage Bumper-Wac fired. Short duration Wac Corporal test; round successful. V-2 reached 112.4 km, 1220 m/s; Wac Corporal 127.6 km, 1345 m/s. References: 2. 1948 May 21 - XS-1 Flight 91 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 54. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lundquist. AF flight 32. Stability and control and buffeting investigation. Mach 0.92. References: 49, 97. 1948 May 25 - XS-1 Flight 92 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 55. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Fitzgerald. AF flight 33. Buffet investigation, wing and tail loads. Mach 1.08. References: 49, 97. 1948 May 26 - XS-1 Flight 93 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 56. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 34. Buffet investigation, wing and tail loads. Mach 1.05. References: 49, 97. 1948 May 26 - Launch Site: Holloman. Launch Complex: NATIV. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Navaho. Model: Nativ. FAILURE: Failure. Nativ first attempted launch Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). First launch attempt of MX-770 technology demonstrator. Seven rockets were built in total. There is very inconsistent information on the flight series. One source speaks of six launches, another of four, and a third of three. It seems that there were six launch attempts, three of which never made it very far off the pad, two made it some distance aloft, and only one was considered somewhat successful (reaching Mach 2.23 and an altitude of 18 km). References: 2. 1948 May 27 - 14:15 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 35. Solar ultraviolet / chemical release mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/APL. Apogee: 140 km (80 mi). Launched 07:16 local time. Reached 140 km. Carried cosmic and solar radiation, photo, composition (Signal Corps Engineering Lab, University of Michigan) experiments for Applied Physics Lab, John Hopkins University. References: 2. 1948 June 1 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: HVAR. Model: HVAR FFAR. Rascal Model test flight Nation: USA. Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). References: 2. 1948 June - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. First MX-774 arrives at White Sands Proving Ground Nation: USA. References: 4460. 1948 June - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. Advanced Navaho concept Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. North American began study of an advanced version of the Navaho, which would use a separate, jettisonable rocket booster. This would allow the cruise stage to be ignited at near-cruise velocity, and to be filled with only ramjet fuel, which would vastly extend the range. In this same month design of the XN-1 inertial navigator is completed. References: 221. 1948 June 3 - XS-1 Flight 94 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 57. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Lundquist. AF flight 35. Left main gear door opened in flight. Nosewheel collapsed on landing. References: 49, 97. 1948 June 11 - Zagorsk rocket engine test site authorised. Nation: USSR. Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 2018-791 'On construction of a test site to ground-test rocket engines.' was issued. References: 474. 1948 June 11 - 10:22 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 37. Blossom III Biological/Ionosphere/Aeronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/ARDC. Apogee: 63 km (39 mi). Launched 03:22 local time. Reached 62.4 km. Carried pressure, temperature, composition, ionosphere, sky brightness, solar radiation experiments for Air Research and Development Command. Also carried Albert, the first American primate in space, who died of suffocation. References: 2. 1948 June 24 - Berlin blockade begins Nation: Germany. 1948 June 28 - Stalin and Tito break Nation: USSR. 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.