Chronology - Quarter 3 1949

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Previous Home Next 1949 July - Launch Vehicle: G-4. Groettrup G-4 IRBM design complete Nation: USSR. Groettrup's team finished the 20 volume design study three months after go-ahead. The selected configuration was a conical single-stage design, which was aerodynamically stable in all flight regimes. 1949 July 11 - XS-1 Flight 118 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 49. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Champine. NACA flight 29. Spanwise pressure distribution, stability and control. Rolls, pull-ups, check of stabilizer effectiveness. Mach 0.91. Number 2 cylinder failed to fire. References: 49, 97. 1949 July 14 - First successful Soviet atomic test Nation: USSR. 1949 July 19 - XS-1 Flight 119 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 50. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Champine. NACA flight 30. Spanwise pressure distribution, stability and control. Rolls, pull-ups, check of stabilizer effectiveness. Mach 0.91. Number 2 cylinder failed to fire. References: 49, 97. 1949 July 25 - XS-1 Flight 120 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 70. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Everest. AF flight 48. Altitude attempt. Attained 20388 m altitude. References: 49, 97. 1949 July 27 - XS-1 Flight 121 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 51. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Champine. NACA flight 31. Spanwise pressure distribution, stability and control. Rolls, pull-ups, check of stabilizer effectiveness. References: 49, 97. 1949 August 4 - XS-1 Flight 122 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 52. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Champine. NACA flight 32. Spanwise pressure distribution, stability and control. Rolls, pull-ups, check of stabilizer effectiveness. References: 49, 97. 1949 August 8 - XS-1 Flight 123 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 71. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Everest. AF flight 49. Altitude attempt. Attained 21930 m altitude. References: 49, 97. 1949 August 25 - XS-1 Flight 124 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 72. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Everest. AF flight 50. First use of partial pressure suit to save life of pilot during flight at high altitude. X-1 # 1 lost cockpit pressurization about 21000 m. Everest made safe emergency descent. References: 49, 97. 1949 September - The Conquest of Space by Willy Ley, illustrations by Chesley Bonestell Nation: USA. The awakening public interest in the scientific exploration of space was shown by the publication in September 1949 of The Conquest of Space. Featured in this book was a detailed description of a manned lunar landing and return, using the direct ascent technique. 1949 September - Launch Vehicle: Corporal, Matador, Navaho, Rascal, Snark. Cold War intensifies - US missile programs given higher priority Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. Reacting to Russia's explosion of an atomic bomb, and the Communist victory in China's civil war, the US military begins increasing funding to the low-priority missile development programs begun in 1946. The Martin MX-771 tactical cruise missile is reinstated; additional funds are plowed into the Rascal and Snark programs; and the Corporal tactical missile is modified to carry a nuclear warhead. The Navaho aerodynamic design is frozen so that fabrication of the XSSM-A-2 flight articles can begin. References: 221. 1949 September 6 - 16:57 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: ALA1. Launch Vehicle: Viking. LV Configuration: Viking 2. FAILURE: Failure. Viking 2 Aeronomy/Photography mission Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Apogee: 57 km (35 mi). Upper-air pressures and temperatures; earth photography research. Engine cut-out early after 49 seconds. . Launched at 0957 local time. Reached 52 km. References: 2. 1949 September 10 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-1. Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). First launch of second series - 10 preproduction and 11 prototype rockets available. A total of 20 were fired; six failures in 16 launches. References: 2. 1949 September 11 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-2. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 13 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-11. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 14 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-4. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 16 - 23:19 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 32. FAILURE: Failure. Blossom IVC Solar/Biological mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/ARDC. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). Launched 16:19 local time. Reached 4.2 km. Carried Composition, ionosphere, meteorites, solar and cosmic radiation, sky brightness, biological experiments for Air Research and Development Command. Third V-2 flight carrying a live AF Aero Medical Laboratory monkey, Albert III. The monkey survived but died on impact. References: 2. 1949 September 17 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-8. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 19 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-5. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 20 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-9. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 23 - XS-1 Flight 125 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 53. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Griffith. NACA flight 33. Pilot familiarization. Mach 0.9. References: 49, 97. 1949 September 23 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-15. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 25 - 11:16 GMT - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-2. Model: R-2E. LV Configuration: R-2e 1. Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Modification of R-1 missile to test R-2 concepts (integral fuel tank and seperable warhead). Range achieved 541.3 km. Deviation from aim point -0.2 km. Launched at 1416 local time. References: 2. 1949 September 28 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-1. Model: R-1. LV Configuration: R-1 II-10. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). References: 2. 1949 September 29 - 16:58 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 49. NRL Ionosphere 1 Solar x-ray / ionosphere / meteorites mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/NRL. Apogee: 51 km (31 mi). Launched 09:58 local time. Reached 151.1 km. Carried cosmic and solar radiation, meteorites, pressure experiments for Naval Research Lab. References: 2. 1949 September 30 - First powered flight of the 346-2 rocketplane. Nation: USSR. Spacecraft: 346. As with the American XS-1, the rocketplane was launched from a captured B-29 bomber. German pilot Wolfgang Ziese conducted all of the initial flight tests. Initial glider flights with the 346P, 346-1 aircraft were flown in 1948. The first powered flight was successful but Ziese was injured after the landing skid collapsed after a fast landing. 1949 September 30 - 11:49 GMT - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: V-2. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-2. Model: R-2E. LV Configuration: R-2e 2. Nation: USSR. Agency: NII-88. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Range achieved 562.2 km. Deviation from aim point -9.3 km. Launched at 1449 local time. 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.