Chronology - Quarter 1 1949

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Previous Home Next 1949 January 1 - Destination Moon Nation: USA. The Technicolor film "Destination Moon" went into production. The direct ascent mode was used in a four-man lunar landing mission. The movie premiered in New York City in 1950. 1949 - Sixth Directorate of the Ministry of Military Forces of the USSR Nation: USSR. To store and install the nuclear warheads special units of the Ministry of Defence were formed. 1949 During the Year - Tsien Passenger Spaceplane Nation: China. Class: Manned. Type: Spaceplane. Spacecraft: Tsien Spaceplane 1949. Tsien Hsue-shen proposed a 22,000 kg single stage winged rocket that would carry ten passengers from New York to Los Angeles in 45 minutes. 1949-1952 - Awakening public interest in the United States and in Europe in manned spaceflight. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: Von Braun Station. Awakening public interest in the United States and in Europe was manifested by publication in September 1949 of The Conquest of Space by Willy Ley. Ley featured detailed descriptions of orbital space stations and manned flights to the Moon and back as part of man's quest to conquer the frontier of space. The First Symposium on Space Flight was held 12 October 1951 at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Papers read at the Symposium were published in March 1952 by Collier's magazine under the title 'Man Will Conquer Space Soon.' Contributors were Wernher von Braun, Joseph Kaplan, Heinz Haber, Willy Ley, Oscar Schachter, and Fred L. Whipple. Topics ranged from manned orbiting space station) and orbiting astronomical observatories to problems of human survival in space, lunar space ventures, and questions of international law and sovereignty in space. Finally, Arthur C. Clarke's The Exploration of Space, first published in England in 1951 and a Book of the Month Club selection in America the following year, persuasively argued the case for orbital space stations and manned lunar and planetary space expeditions, popularizing the notion of space flight in general. 1949 January 5 - XS-1 Flight 104 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 61. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Yeager. AF flight 39. Rocket takeoff from the ground. References: 49, 97. 1949 January 11 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. First canted rocket nozzle test. Nation: USA. First launching of a rocket model employing known but nonaerodynamic torque from canted rocket nozzles, for determining damping in roll of wings, at NACA's Wallops Island, Va. References: 17. 1949 January 11 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: HVAR. D13 model test flight Nation: USA. Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). References: 2. 1949 January 13 - 20:26 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Hermes. Model: Hermes B-1. LV Configuration: Hermes B-1 B-1 No. 1. FAILURE: Failure. Hermes II test Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). References: 2. 1949 January 26 - Samolyot 5 supersonic rocketplane glide flight. Nation: USSR. Spacecraft: Samolyot 5. The 5-2 second aircraft, with rocket engine installed, made its first glide flight. 1949 January 28 - 17:20 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 45. FAILURE: Failure. Blossom Solar x-ray / ionosphere / aeronomy / biology mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/NRL. Apogee: 60 km (37 mi). Launched 10:20 local time. Reached 60 km. Carried cosmic and solar radiation, pressure, temperature, photo experiments for Naval Research Lab. References: 2. 1949 February - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. All MX-774 work shut off by Air Force Nation: USA. References: 4460. 1949 February 1 - 18:38 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC35. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 NRL 3. FAILURE: Failure. Venus 3 Solar ultraviolet and x-ray mission Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Solar radiation research. Launched at 1138 local time. Failure. References: 2. 1949 February 4 - Launch Vehicle: Eole. Eole engine bench tests begin Nation: France. The engine runs for 13.5 seconds, 4.5 seconds early, due to heavier-than-expected liquid oxygen consumption. 1949 February 17 - 17:00 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 48. Chemical release / solar extreme ultraviolet / biology mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/APL. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Launched 10:00 local time. Reached 100.8 km. Carried cosmic and solar radiation, photo (Naval Research Lab); composition (Signal Corps Engineering Lab, University of Michigan); biological experiments for Applied Physics Lab, John Hopkins University. References: 2. 1949 February 24 - 22:14 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. Model: Bumper-WAC. LV Configuration: Bumper-WAC Bumper 5. Aeronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Apogee: 393 km (244 mi). Fully fueled round used and attained highest altitude to that date. In addition to testing equipment the flight was used to measure upper air temperatures. V-2 reached 102 km, 1170 m/s; WAC 400 km, 2300 m/s. Provided information on ion densities in the F-region of the ionosphere. References: 2. 1949 March 1 - Launch Vehicle: Rockoon. Rockoon concept. Nation: USA. Concept of launching of small high-performance rockets suspended from a balloon above most of the atmosphere (later called "Rockoons"), developed by Cmdr. Lee Lewis, Cmdr. G. Halvorson, S. F. Singer, and J. A. Van Allen during Aerobee firing cruise of U.S.S. Norton Sound. References: 17. 1949 March 1 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC35. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 A9. FAILURE: Failure. Ship launch test Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). Dummy firing, no upper-air research experiment. Launched at 1715 local time. References: 2. 1949 March - Launch Vehicle: G-2. Groettrup team completes G-2 design. Nation: USSR. Groettrup completes design work on G-2, 1,000 kg warhead, 2500 km range. References: 86. During 1949 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. MX-774 unexpended funds run out in 1950. Nation: USA. Convair allocated R&D funds to ICBM studies and marketing, running into 1950 References: 4460. 1949 March 11 - XS-1 Flight 105 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 62. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Ridley. AF flight 40. Familiarization flight. Mach 1.23 at 10675 m. Small engine fire due to loose igniter. References: 49, 97. 1949 March 16 - XS-1 Flight 106 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 63. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Boyd. AF flight 41. Familiarization flight. Inflight engine fire and shutdown. References: 49, 97. 1949 March 17 - 23:20 GMT - Launch Site: Pacific Ocean. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: 11.1 S x 88.4 W. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 A10. Ionosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 105 km (65 mi). Cosmic radiation, magnetic field research. Reached 104.6 km. Launched from from vessel ACM1 at Atlantic Ocean Launch Site 1-1 - Latitude: 10.80 S, Longitude:89.23 W. References: 2. 1949 March 21 - XS-1 Flight 107 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 64. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Everest. AF flight 42. Familiarization flight. Mach 1.22 at 12200 m. References: 49, 97. 1949 March 22 - 06:43 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 41. Blossom IVA Ionosphere-solar mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/ARDC. Apogee: 129 km (80 mi). Launched 23:43 local time. Reached 133.9 km. Carried Ionosphere, sky brightness, solar radiation, composition, photo experiments for Air Research and Development Command. References: 2. 1949 March 22 - 17:20 GMT - Launch Site: Pacific Ocean. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: 11.1 S x 88.4 W. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-8. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-8 A11. Ionosphere mission Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 105 km (65 mi). Cosmic radiation, magnetic field research. Launched at 1730 GMT. Reached 104.6 km. Launched by vessel AVM1 from Atlantic Ocean Launch Site 1-2 - Latitude: 11.10 S, Longitude:88.43 W. References: 2. 1949 March 25 - XS-1 Flight 108 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 65. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Everest. AF flight 43. Check of pressure suit for altitude operation. Mach 1.24 at 14640 m. Rocket fire and automatic engine shutdown. 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.