Launched at 2037 hours EST from AMR. The flight was successful. Actual range was 61.6 nm; 400 meters left; and 0.21 nm over the intended impact point. The primary objective was to test the accuracy of the guidance system when the missile is fired in a short range trajectory at an extreme attitude to range ratio. The missile closely followed the predicted trajectory for a successful flight which terminated 70 meters beyond and 360 meters to the Left of the expected impact point at 61.553 nm range. The short range trajectory was programmed with an extreme altitude-to-range ratio so the guidance system would be subjected to the most difficult short range expected in future tactical application. Missed aimpoint by 400 m.

NASA signed a definitive contract with Rocketdyne Division, NAA, for $102 million covering the design and development of a single-chamber, liquid-propellant rocket engine in the 1- to l.5-million-pound-thrust class (the F-1, to be used in the Nova superbooster concept). NASA had announced the selection of Rocketdyne on December 12.

After evaluating preliminary design studies, NASA selected the Hughes Aircraft Company to build seven Surveyor spacecraft. This 750-pound, three-legged, unmanned spacecraft would carry 200 pounds of instruments, including zoom television cameras, a drill to sample the lunar soil, chemical analysis equipment, and a seismometer. The first Surveyor was scheduled to be launched in 1963.

NASA assigned George M. Low to the position of Deputy Director of MSC. He would replace James C. Elms, who had resigned on January 17 to return to private industry. Although Low continued as Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight at NASA Headquarters until May 1, he assumed his new duties at MSC the first part of February.

The first Air Force Thor/Altair (Burner I) space booster was launched from Vandenberg AFB. The Altair upper stage was the fourth stage of the Scout rocket. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Launch date was January 18, 1965. The launch was successful and correct orbit was achieved. However, the heat shield on the second stage did not deploy correctly and the mission objectives were not fully realized. This first Burner I bird is distinguishable in photos by its black second stage.

The second Titan II Gemini Launch Vehicle (GLV-2) carried the unmanned, instrumented Gemini spacecraft (GT-2) for a suborbital shot preliminary to the first U.S. two-man Gemini mission. During the countdown for Gemini-Titan (GT) 2, the fuel cell hydrogen inlet valve failed to open. Efforts to correct the problem continued until it was determined that freeing the valve would delay the countdown. Work on the fuel cell ceased, and it was not activated for the flight. The fuel cell installed in spacecraft No. 2 was not a current flight design. When fuel cell design was changed in January 1964, several cells of earlier design were available. Although these cells were known to have some defects, flight testing with the reactant supply system was felt to be extremely desirable. Accordingly, it was decided to fly the entire system on GT-2, but only on a "non-interference with flight" basis. When it became clear that correcting the problem that emerged during the GT-2 countdown would cause delay, fuel cell activation for the flight was called off.

At 10:00 a State Commission convenes at Area 17. The mistakes made during the Soyuz 4/5 flight are reviewed. The EVA began with a closed valve on Khrunov's suit. The film camera was not activated, resulting in loss of one of the key propaganda points of the exercise.

Kamanin notes that interest of the leadership in manned spaceflight has collapsed with the end of the moon race. Brezhnev has declared that his primary interest is in earth orbital space stations. Both Mishin and Chelomei have stations in development, but the work is progressing slowly. There will be no launch of either of their projects until 1972 - which means the Soviets will be beaten by the US Skylab. Kamanin believes the Americans can never be beaten in space unless all space projects are guided firmly by a single Ministry of Defence and Civilian Space office. Meanwhile the Hong Kong flu epidemic is hitting many at the cosmodrome - Moroz, Popovich, and Bykovsky are all seriously ill.

MSFC began implementation of a plan for preparation and storage of unassigned Saturn hardware, phaseout of the Saturn V production capability, and amendment of the facility operations contract at the Michoud Assembly Facility for minimum surveillance of stored hardware.

STREP-1, an ABRES flight test conducted in support of the Army's System Technology Reentry Experiments Program, was launched on a Minuteman I booster from Vandenberg AFB to Kwajalein missile range. The primary mission was successful, but a secondary payload, the advanced Star decoy sponsored by ABRES, deployed improperly because of improper loading, and data on its performance could not be collected.

For those monitoring Radio Moscow: last night Moscow time changed. The clocks have been put 1 hour forward and the new time can be considered to be an interim time. It is called: Sunlight Saving Time and will be valid until 29 March 1992. In the night from 28 to 29 March 1992 the clock will move 1 hour forward again. 50 Moscow time is now UTC+3. (TsUP, and the cosmonauts already used UTC+3 and consequently TsUP/Mir-time is now equal to Moscow time.)

ATTITUDE CONTROL FAILURE HAMPER IMPORTANT OPERATIONS.

During the last weeks preparations were going on to make the return capsule ready for a safe return to Earth. This capsule on board freighter Progress-M10 on 18 January 1992 had to separate from the then undocked Progress-MIG for a safe descent. On 16 January 1992 the cosmonauts reported failure of the Attitude Control System. On 17 January 1992 experts on TsUP were still considering what to do, but they already postponed the undocking of the Progress-M10. About the planned launch of Progress-M11 on 21 January 1992 they were not sure. Krikalyav suggested TsUP to carry out both operations and he uttered some alternatives for the attitude control. Until and inclusive 18 January 1992 Progress-M10 has not been used for an orbit correction either.

(PROGRESS-M11: The crew confirmed that Progress-M1l will not be equipped by a return-capsule. So the original plan to use such a capsule with Progress-M11 has been cancelled.

Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202

Unsuccessful ABM test. First end-to-end system test (intercept attempt) using NMD prototype elements (except the IFICS) and range assets to approximate the objective system. The EKV was again successfully delivered by a surrogate booster and separated into the deployment basket. The failure to intercept was directly traceable to the cryogenic cooling system of the EKV, which failed to cool the IR sensors down to their operating temperatures in time because of an obstructed cooling line.

"Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead. Dedicated to Willie McCool. Red Team -"Amazing Grace" by Black Watch and 51 Band of Highland Brigade. Dedicated to Laurel Clark - The same song on bagpipes was played at her wedding, for the wakeup in space, and at her funeral.

Last robotic mission to an unexplored planet in our solar system. New Horizons was due to receive a gravity boost from Jupiter in February 2007, then fly by Pluto in 2015. During launch toward Jupiter it reached a higher velocity than any manmade object, and was the first to be boosted directly to solar escape velocity. The trajectory had a perihelion of 0.98 AU, an inclination of 0.87 deg and an eccentricity of 1.03. After the Jupiter encounter it was to have a perihelion of 2.2 AU, an inclination of 2.3 deg and an eccentricity of 1.40. At encounter with Pluto on July 14, 2015, the spacecraft would be 1.1 AU above the ecliptic plane and 32.9 AU from the Sun, leaving the solar system toward the star Xi Sgr.

See KH-11 17 (Crystal 17, USA 290, NROL 71) ?. National Reconnaissance Office satellite believed to be the first of a new series of imaging spy satellites, probably derived from the Improved CRYSTAL design that in turn descended from the 1970s KENNEN spacecraft which carried the KH-11 camera system.