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On this day in:

1931 - Launch Vehicle: Swan.

  • Rocket glider 30 minute flight. Nation: USA. Crew: Swan.

    William G. Swan stayed aloft for 30 minutes over Atlantic City, N.J., in a glider powered with 10 small rockets.

1955 -
  • ARDC headquarters issued System Requirement 12. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: Dynasoar, Bomi.

    ARDC headquarters issued System Requirement 12, which called for studies of a reconnaissance aircraft or missile possessing a range of 3,000 nautical miles and capable of reaching 100,000 feet.

1958 -
  • National Space Establishment proposal. Nation: USA.

    The American Rocket Society and the Rocket and Satellite Research Panel issued a summary of their proposals for a National Space Establishment. The consensus was that the new agency should be independent of the Department of Defense and not, in any event, under one of the military services.

1959 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -.
  • Vandenberg AFB / PMR operaitonal. Nation: USA.

    Vandenberg Air Force Base and the Pacific Missile Range declared officially operational for firings.

1962 - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC41/4. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: R-16. Model: R-16U.
  • State trials missile test Nation: USSR. Agency: RVSN. Apogee: 1,210 km (750 mi).

1963 - 08:49 GMT - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Model: Molniya 8K78/E6. LV Configuration: Molniya 8K78/E6 T103-09. FAILURE: The escape stage's BOZ unit failed to operate due to failure of a DC transformer of the power system. The stage with payload remained in Earth orbit.
  • Sputnik 25 Nation: USSR. Program: Luna. Payload: E-6 s/n 1. Class: Planetary. Type: Lunar. Spacecraft: Luna E-6. Agency: NII-88. Perigee: 165 km (102 mi). Apogee: 189 km (117 mi). Inclination: 64.60 deg. Period: 88.00 min. COSPAR: 1963-001B. USAF Sat Cat: 522. Decay Date: 1963-01-05.

1966 - Launch Vehicle: DF-4.
  • Chinese ICBM plans Nation: China.

    Tsien proposes to add electronic countermeasures and other penetration aids to the DF-5 ICBM in order to defeat the planned American ABM system.

1966 -
  • Korolev visits Cosmonaut Training Center Nation: USSR.

    Korolev visits the centre, and spends more than six hours with the cosmonauts. However he says nothing about concrete flight plans. Afterwards Kamanin meets with Gagarin, Titov, Popovvich, Nikolayev, Tereshkova, Bykovsky, Komarov, and Belyayev (Leonov is at courses at the Academy). A profound pessimism prevails. Nothing has come of the letter to Brezhnev.

1969 -
  • Soyuz 4/5 preparations Nation: USSR. Program: Soyuz. Flight: Soyuz 4, Soyuz 5, Soyuz 4/5.

    Kamanin and 50 VVS officers arrived at Tyuratam aboard an An-24 to supervise the launch of Soyuz 4 and 5.

1970 - Launch Vehicle: Saturn V.
  • NASA canceled the Apollo 20 mission and stretched out the remaining seven missions Nation: USA. Program: Apollo. Spacecraft: Apollo Lunar Landing. Flight: Apollo 20.

    NASA had canceled the Apollo 20 mission and stretched out the remaining seven missions to six-month intervals, Deputy Administrator George M. Low told the press in an interview after dedication of the Lunar Science Institute (next to MSC in Houston). Budget restrictions had brought the decision to suspend Saturn V launch vehicle production after vehicle 515 and to use the Apollo 20 Saturn V to launch the first U.S. space station in 1972.

1972 - 13:14 GMT - Launch Site: Thumba. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Petrel. Model: Petrel 1. LV Configuration: Petrel P78T/C.
  • ISRO 18.01 Ionosphere mission Nation: UK. Agency: SRC. Apogee: 167 km (103 mi).

1976 - 14:30 GMT - Launch Site: El Arenosillo. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Apache. Model: Nike Apache. LV Configuration: Nike Apache DLR H-NA-70.
  • Winter Anomaly B-IV-1 Aeronomy / ionosphere / solar ultraviolet mission Nation: Germany. Agency: DLR. Apogee: 129 km (80 mi).

1976 - 15:30 GMT - Launch Site: El Arenosillo. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Skylark. Model: Skylark 3 AC. LV Configuration: Skylark 3 AC DLR H-CR-69.
  • Winter Anomaly B-II-1 Aeronomy / ionosphere / solar ultraviolet / x-ray mission Nation: Germany. Agency: DFVLR. Apogee: 116 km (72 mi).

1976 - 15:47 GMT - Launch Site: El Arenosillo. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Skua. Model: Skua 3. LV Configuration: Skua 3 INTA MS3CLO-76002.
  • Winter Anomaly? Aeronomy / ionosphere mission Nation: UK. Agency: INTA/DLR. Apogee: 103 km (64 mi).

1976 - 16:00 GMT - Launch Site: El Arenosillo. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Petrel. Model: Petrel 1. LV Configuration: Petrel INTA UCLP-76001.
  • Winter Anomaly B-VI-1 Aeronomy mission Nation: Spain. Agency: INTA. Apogee: 135 km (83 mi).

2000 -
  • Chinese tracking fleet returns Nation: China. Spacecraft: Shenzhou.

    The Chinese space tracking ship "Yuanwang 3" has returned to the Jiangnan Port of Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province after successfully completing its mission with China's first experimental spacecraft "Shenzhou." The other three ships, Yuanwang 1, 2 and 4, returned from their missions earlier. During their 259-day voyage, the four ships traveled some 62, 000 nautical miles and experienced some heavy seas while tracking and communicating with the "Shenzhou" for a total of 150 minutes. (People's Daily) --- note the December 12 news (all 4 ships return) on this site is not precise.

2004 -
  • Mars Exploration Rover A (Spirit), Mars Landing, Succesful Nation: USA. Spacecraft: MER.


Born on this day in:
  • 1935 - Kenneth Eric Money.  Canadian Payload Specialist Astronaut. Birth City: Toronto. Birth Country: Canada.

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