https://lunarpedia.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Grady&feedformat=atomLunarpedia - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T20:55:55ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.34.2https://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Category:Historical_Essays&diff=25664Category:Historical Essays2014-07-07T22:10:30Z<p>Grady: Add "Moon Tree" Article To Historical Essay Category</p>
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<div>These articles are contributions of essays of historical content. <br />
<br />
[[Category:Essays]]<br />
[[Category:History]]<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
<br />
Moon Trees<br />
<br />
Apollo 14 Moon mission with Astronauts Alan Shapard, Stuart Roose and Edgar<br />
Mitchell was one to expose some Earth seeds to vacuum space for an experiment.<br />
<br />
I met Al Shapard at The Marshall Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama, when he was assigned to the Mercury-Redstone First Man In Space Project in 1967. An Up and Down 60 miles into space shot testing our spacecraft, rocket and recovery systems. I shown Al his rocket “ride” for that flight. Al had recovered from an ailment and was assigned a new mission this time to the Moon on broad the Apollo 14. His mission this time was call “Moon Trees.” <br />
<br />
The mission on this day in 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard, Jr., Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at 21:05 UT (4:05 p.m. EST). They were recovered by the USS New Orleans, and returned to the U.S. by way of American Samoa. But the three men weren’t the only living creatures to come back from the Moon on Feb. 9, 1971… in fact, human astronauts were in the minority that day. Al, Stu and Ed shared their lunar voyage with nearly 500 trees.<br />
<br />
Seeds in Space aim was to make science fun while demonstrating the influence of gravity on germination and growth of plants. Kits were distributed one month before launch to schools in the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, and the Dutch Antilles. Students compared growth of seeds on Earth with those grown onboard the space station, which they observed through a live video downlink from orbit. In space, plants in the dark grew in all directions, while those in the light all grew toward the light. Participants concluded that light or gravity help plants know in which direction to grow, and the absence of both appear to confuse the plants.<br />
<br />
The main goal of this student experiment is to involve as many students as possible in and effort to show that science is fun through a plant growth experiment called Seeds in Space. The educational / scientific objectives of the experiment are: To demonstrate the influence of gravity on the germination and growth of plants to young people (10 to 15 year olds) and others. By engaging in the comparable on-ground experiment, students will experience that science is fun and that the weightless environment of space opens new possibilities. The experiment kit will be distributed one month before launch to schools or other distribution channels. <br />
<br />
The main purpose of this education/ demonstration experiment is to clearly show that plants respond to gravity by a directed growth (experiments on ground) and that they will show a non-preferential or disoriented growth direction when grown in the dark in weightlessness. The in-flight part of the experiment will consist of folding rockets with simple plant growth chambers in which Rucola seeds germinate either with or without light. Crew will setup the growth chamber, initiating seed germination by watering the seeds on the supporting filter paper using a standard 30-ml needleless syringe with luer lock stopcock. Crew will monitor the growth once a day. Since there is no in-flight experience with the proposed plants (species Rucola, rocket lettuce), we require three sets of cultures to be initiated on three consecutive days in flight. The duration for one plant culture is expected to be 3-4 days. Depending on the date and time for the live in flight the call was made. <br />
<br />
Astronaut Stuart Roosa carried a metal canister about the size of a soda can in his personal kit filled with more than 500 seeds from loblolly pine, redwood, sweet gum, sycamore and Douglas fir trees. He did it in part to honor the U.S. Forest Service, where he had served as a smoke jumper, the first responders to forest fires.<br />
<br />
Roosa took 5 species of tree seeds with him: the Loblolly Pine, Sycamore, Sweetgum, Redwood, and Douglas Fir. He wanted to figure out how to "bridge the gap between space science and environmental science." The seeds circled the moon 34 times. Scientists were curious as to whether the seeds would germinate and the resultant trees would look normal. <br />
<br />
The seeds were classified and sorted, and control seeds were kept on earth for later comparison. Unfortunately, upon return to earth, the seed cannisters burst open during the decontamination process and they were exposed to the vacuum.<br />
<br />
Everyone was convinced that the experiment was ruined and that the seeds wouldn't germinate. However most of the seeds did. In 1976 the maturing trees left the laboratory <br />
conditions and were distributed to many parks and universities, in honor of the U.S. bicentennial. Now there are hundreds of these trees planted across the United States.<br />
<br />
After Apollo 14 got back, Stan Krugman of the Forest Service oversaw planting of the moon seeds and an equivalent number of seeds that hadn't been up in orbit to compare their growth vs. the seedlings that came from space. Some 450 of the Apollo seeds sprouted right up.<br />
<br />
By 1975, they had grown large enough that they could be transplanted. For the next few years, NASA and the Forest Service shipped the saplings out to be planted in parks and on the grounds of state capitols, schools and government buildings, especially in honor of the nation's bicentennial in 1976. More that 70 locations in the U.S. and abroad received<br />
the seeds. Some 22 trees have aged and has died.<br />
<br />
(End Typing)<br />
<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 23:10, 7 July 2014 (BST)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Grady%27s_Space_Chronology&diff=21254Grady's Space Chronology2012-12-04T23:52:20Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place<br />
between the Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players, in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Grady Woodward|GRADY WOODARD’S]] SPACE CHRONOLOGY LOG OF SPACE EVENTS AND FAILURES<br />
* = [[Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center|ARMY ABMA-MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER]] EVENTS<br />
<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
<br />
*08-20-53 [[REDSTONE]] #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
<br />
*01-31-58 EXPLORER I JUPITER-C RADIATION<br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-29-58 [[NASA]] ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*08-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*5-28-59 USAF JUPITER AM-18 MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
*9-12-59 USSR [[Luna 2|LUNA 2]] PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 JUNO II -STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS-TO MSFC-NASA<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1,METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING<br />
165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I [[Yuri Gagarin|YURI GARGRIN]]-l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
<br />
11-29-62 ATLAS CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS MA-5<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN Cl SA-l LAUNCH-H20/16 STORIES/THRUST=I,296,OOO LBS<br />
02-20-62 MA-6 ATLAS GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 SCHIRRA MA-8 ATLAS 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN Cl SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN Cl SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 MA-9 ATLAS COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 6T-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT <br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
<br />
01-19-65 GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
<br />
03-23-65 GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
<br />
05-30-66 [[Surveyor I|SURVEYOR I]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 [[Surveyor III|SURVEYOR III]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
<br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
<br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC <br />
*1-22-68 [[Apollo 5|APOLLO 5]] S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 [[Apollo 6|APOLLO 6]] SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 [[Apollo 7|APOLLO 7]] S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 [[Apollo 8|APOLLO 8]] SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 [[Apollo 9|APOLLO 9]] SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 [[Apollo 10|APOLLO 10]] SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 [[Apollo 11|APOLLO 11]] SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR [[Luna 15|LUNA 15]] MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 [[Apollo 12|APOLLO 12]] SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 [[Apollo 13|APOLLO 13]] SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 [[Apollo 14|APOLLO 14]] SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 [[Apollo 15|APOLLO 15]] SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 [[Apollo 16|APOLLO 16]] SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 [[Apollo 17|APOLLO 17]] SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 DR.von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 DR.von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
<br />
??-??-98 USSR" ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCTED WITH ISS - 1ST TIME<br />
<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS<br />
<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED:<br />
<br />
USA=17<br />
<br />
USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS:<br />
<br />
USA = 4<br />
<br />
[[Category:History]]<br />
[[Category:Years]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Dr._Albert_Zeiler,_Rocket_Blaster!&diff=18562Dr. Albert Zeiler, Rocket Blaster!2012-07-27T17:31:08Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
Dr. Albert Zeiler, Rocket Blaster!<br />
1913-1975<br />
<br />
During the Mercury and Apollo Programs, the need to transport rockets to the launch location and getting them launch was mind-boggling. The Kennedy Space Center(KSC) <br />
at Merritt Island, Florida, was the launch facility. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was building or buying, shipping rocket components to KSC and using their services to launch them . MSFC provided the services to KSC for support and instructions using a single point of contact between them. The MSFC Launch Coordinator was myself, Grady Woodard, of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory and the KSC Launch Coordinator was Engineer Dr. Albert Zeiler of the Director’s Office.<br />
<br />
Dr. Albert Zeiler, was a German Mechanical Engineer and a member of the Rocket Team from Germany. He was the launch pad engineer of Test Stand Seven at the secret rocket base Peenemunde on the Baltic Sea. On October 3, 1942, the first V-2 rocket was successively launch from Zeiler’s test stand, many more successes were to follow and Zeiler became known as the most successful launch engineer of this team. He placed a rock at the launch site and proclaimed that exact spot, is where mankind launched his first rocket into space. The rock is still in place today for Historians.<br />
<br />
Later, Albert Zeiler was assigned to Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the first Army launch pad engineer. He was to launch the first Redstone rocket # 1 on August 20, 1953. He would determined if the rocket’s flame was the right color and to decide to cutoff the engine or release the rocket into space flight. <br />
<br />
It was a close call, but he chanced it’s release and the flight was successful for 76 seconds. I worked with Dr. Zeiler from 1961 to 1968, as I was MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator and he was the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad Engineer and their Launch Coordinator.<br />
<br />
On June 1, 2002, I called an old phone number I had for Dr. Zeiler’s house from my call directory, which was 34 years old. I wanted to see what happen to him. He had lived on Merritt Island since he first moved to the Cape. The phone was answered by a weak frail lady’s voice, it was Mrs. Albert Zeiler. I told her who I was and had worked with Dr. Zeiler for eight years as we coordinated the rocket launches for Army and NASA. She had remembered me from all those times that I had called him after hours at his home.<br />
<br />
She told me to call her AnneLiesa, we talked for awhile. I told her that I had learned a lot from Dr. Zeiler. Dr. Zeiler and myself had been through some tough calls on some launches, but he always made the right calls. I was thinking of the launch of Saturn SA-8 on May 25, 1965, with the Pegasus B payload.<br />
<br />
The Saturn Booster Stage was fitted with four pairs of Genie Retrorockets, each having 8,000 lbs of thrust, at the top so the booster could be slowed after separation and not bump the Second Stage. The Genie was used by the Air Force in railroad sled test and was fitted into tubes (Buckets) on the sled.<br />
<br />
I had procured a new shipment of Genie Retrorockets and the body was supposed to have seamless welds. Our inspector went to the source to inspect them at the plant. After installing the booster stage retrorockets, Dr. Zeiler found the new shipment body welds had not been removed and some new ones would not fit their mounting buckets. He removed a mount bucket and sent it to a local machine shop for enlarging. The alignment could have been damaged, this would kick the rocket off coarse and Zeiler knew it!<br />
<br />
Zeiler was not to do any work on any parts without approval. He found a bucket mount at KSC and called me to certify it as he was installing it. I looked very hard and at the twenty minute pick-up of the countdown prior to launch, I located where the mount, it was made of hardwood for a display - it was a dummy mount! I called him and bagged him to stop the launch. But Dr. Zeiler sit it out with me on the phone, to see if the second stage would be on it’s space platform at eight degrees tilt for ignition into space. All stations around the world was standing by waiting for the lift-off. Mission Control confirmed that the second stage was separated, ignited and was on target into space.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Zeiler said her husband had died on October 16, 1975, just ten months, after he had retired that January. She told me about having two sons, one was born at Peenemunde and the other at Ft. Bliss, Texas. She related the hard times the wives had in following the rocket team’s work from country to country. Her family was living on base when the RAF bombers hit Peenemunde at midnight on August 17, 1943, with incendiary bombs. Over 600 were killed. It was a nightmare she said.<br />
<br />
I apologized to her for taking so much of her husband’s time, but we were assigned to prepare the launch of rockets and review the results. The long hours away from home and family had taken a toll on family life. She said that the wives were use to it and their husbands persisted in their space careers. She was very proud of her husband and his contribution to space. She seemed to be in better sprints after we talked about her husband’s team members from Germany, those who came to Florida and those in Huntsville. <br />
<br />
I updated her on some of the Team’s children and what had become of them. I told her to take care of herself and wished her the best. She never gave me a straight answer on how old she was. She may have said her age was eighty-eight. She apologized for her English and I apologized for mine too! I enjoyed her laughter. Mrs. Zeiler thanked me for calling. I will never forget Albert and AnneLiesa Zeiler. This Nation owes them the most respect for their contribution to space. The German Rocket Team also worked at the underground Hertz Mountain V-2 Rocket Factory in Germany. The duel tunnels with cross connecting utility tunnels were used for shops and storage. Rocket testing also was connected underground.<br />
<br />
The German rocket engineers had two choices, either join the General Dornberger Peenemunde Army Ordnance Rocket Command or go to the Eastern Russian front as an Army rifleman. <br />
<br />
Albert Zeiler was born on May 9, 1913. He did his rocket work in Germany, his was capture and transfer to Britain and later, to the United States. He was first doubtful and almost overlooked for the U.S. Team. <br />
<br />
When Zeiler taken prisoner, he was training the German troops at the test stands, he was a key associate of Dr. Kurt Debus and Dr. Hans Gruene. By the time Dr. Zeiler was brought in by the British troops to be questioned, Dr. Debus had already arrived. Dr. Gruene, was still up north in the Harz Mountains, he would be captured by the British and detained at Witzenhausen. There at Garmisch–Partenkirchen, Debus was interrogated on May 16, 1945. Zeiler helped with the field test and the procedures developed at Peenemunde in Poland. <br />
<br />
From Garmisch–Partenkirchen Debus, Zeiler and Hans Fichtner were transferred to a British Interrogation Camp at Schloss Krauntzburg in Taunus, Germany, just outside Debus’ hometown of Frankfurt. <br />
<br />
The place was known as Camp Dustbin. General Dornberger arrived later and asked Zeiler what he was doing there. Zeiler informed Dornberger that he had been told that he was going to the U.S., “But I guess they forgot us!” Dornberger told the skeptical Zeiler that he would get him out. <br />
<br />
Two weeks later Zeiler was in Cuxhaven with the others, including Dr. Debus, who was leader of one of two camps of Germans. Debus led the “Interrogation Camp,” Camp C, at Altenwalde. Separate from Camp C, the British also established a Working Camp that was ordered to assemble eight missiles and fire five of them. It was into this camp that Zeiler would go. <br />
<br />
Dr. Debus became both a technical and diplomatic liaison between the two camps and between the detained Germans and the victorious Allies. Debus recalled a spat over a lost logbook, for instance, that apparently was smoothed over.<br />
<br />
The custody of the German rocket team was transferred to the U.S. and they were stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas with V-2 rocket testing done at White Sands, New Mexico. In 1950, the team was moved to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama<br />
<br />
The first launch at Cape Canaveral of the experimental Redstone missile occurred on August 20, 1953. Before the close of the Redstone development program, the von Braun-Debus team had created the infrastructure to launch 36 more Army Redstones’ by 1958. The initial Redstone launch team, according to Debus, consisted of 30 people. Debus’ Missile Firing Lab now had three sections, a Mechanical Section headed by Zeiler; Guidance, Control & Networks Section headed by Gruene; <br />
<br />
A young Lieutenant Meisenheimer approached Dr. Debus and said that he would stake his reputation on a forecast that the wind shear would drop to tolerable levels for launch. Debus persuaded General Medaris to toxic gases occurring at ignition that would put them at risk. Zeiler, Dr. Hans Gruene, Karl Sendler, and General Medaris were at Debus’ side and the count proceeded down to ignition. Test Conductor Bob Moser called out, “We have a jet vane deflection, shall I hold?” Debus, commit to tanking. That evening Mr. Zeiler, in charge of fueling, returned to the blockhouse at T minus 20 minutes, at which time the blockhouse doors were sealed from the toxic gases occurring at ignition.<br />
<br />
Debus, evaluating the data and weighing the probability of an instrumentation failure versus a real flight control system failure, quickly waved his hand to continue. At 10:58 p.m., Eastern Time, it roared off into history placing the free world in space for the first time.<br />
<br />
By the time President Kennedy visited Debus’ Launch Operations organization on November 16, 1963, the Saturn V Launch Complex 39 architecture was just beginning to take shape. After a briefing by George Mueller, the NASA Headquarters Apollo Program Manager, in the Complex 37 blockhouse, Dr. von Braun briefed the President on the Saturn I, SA-5 vehicle presently on Pad-B. <br />
<br />
This vehicle would carry for the first time a live second stage and would be a crucial launch to put the U.S. ahead of the Soviets in booster capability - of great concern to the President.<br />
<br />
Debus was able to show the President the beginnings of the Industrial Area that would become the headquarters for the Launch Operations Center and would, tragically, bear his name all too soon—Kennedy was slain on November 22, 1963, within a week of the Cape Canaveral visit.<br />
<br />
The first Saturn 5 was launched on November 9, 1967.<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 17:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Dr._Albert_Zeiler,_Rocket_Blaster!&diff=18561Dr. Albert Zeiler, Rocket Blaster!2012-07-27T17:28:39Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
Dr. Albert Zeiler, Rocket Blaster!<br />
1913-1975<br />
<br />
During the Mercury and Apollo Programs, the need to transport rockets to the launch location and getting them launch was mind-boggling. The Kennedy Space Center(KSC) <br />
at Merritt Island, Florida, was the launch facility. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was building or buying, shipping rocket components to KSC and using their services to launch them . MSFC provided the services to KSC for support and instructions using a single point of contact between them. The MSFC Launch Coordinator was myself, Grady Woodard, of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory and the KSC Launch Coordinator was Engineer Dr. Albert Zeiler of the Director’s Office.<br />
<br />
Dr. Albert Zeiler, was a German Mechanical Engineer and a member of the Rocket Team from Germany. He was the launch pad engineer of Test Stand Seven at the secret rocket base Peenemunde on the Baltic Sea. On October 3, 1942, the first V-2 rocket was successively launch from Zeiler’s test stand, many more successes were to follow and Zeiler became known as the most successful launch engineer of this team. He placed a rock at the launch site and proclaimed that exact spot, is where mankind launched his first rocket into space. The rock is still in place today for Historians.<br />
<br />
Later, Albert Zeiler was assigned to Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the first Army launch pad engineer. He was to launch the first Redstone rocket # 1 on August 20, 1953. He would determined if the rocket’s flame was the right color and to decide to cutoff the engine or release the rocket into space flight. <br />
<br />
It was a close call, but he chanced it’s release and the flight was successful for 76 seconds. I worked with Dr. Zeiler from 1961 to 1968, as I was MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator and he was the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad Engineer and their Launch Coordinator.<br />
<br />
On June 1, 2002, I called an old phone number I had for Dr. Zeiler’s house from my call directory, which was 34 years old. I wanted to see what happen to him. He had lived on Merritt Island since he first moved to the Cape. The phone was answered by a weak frail lady’s voice, it was Mrs. Albert Zeiler. I told her who I was and had worked with Dr. Zeiler for eight years as we coordinated the rocket launches for Army and NASA. She had remembered me from all those times that I had called him after hours at his home.<br />
<br />
She told me to call her AnneLiesa, we talked for awhile. I told her that I had learned a lot from Dr. Zeiler. Dr. Zeiler and myself had been through some tough calls on some launches, but he always made the right calls. I was thinking of the launch of Saturn SA-8 on May 25, 1965, with the Pegasus B payload.<br />
<br />
The Saturn Booster Stage was fitted with four pairs of Genie Retrorockets, each having 8,000 lbs of thrust, at the top so the booster could be slowed after separation and not bump the Second Stage. The Genie was used by the Air Force in railroad sled test and was fitted into tubes (Buckets) on the sled.<br />
<br />
I had procured a new shipment of Genie Retrorockets and the body was supposed to have seamless welds. Our inspector went to the source to inspect them at the plant. After installing the booster stage retrorockets, Dr. Zeiler found the new shipment body welds had not been removed and some new ones would not fit their mounting buckets. He removed a mount bucket and sent it to a local machine shop for enlarging. The alignment could have been damaged, this would kick the rocket off coarse and Zeiler knew it!<br />
<br />
Zeiler was not to do any work on any parts without approval. He found a bucket mount at KSC and called me to certify it as he was installing it. I looked very hard and at the twenty minute pick-up of the countdown prior to launch, I located where the mount, it was made of hardwood for a display - it was a dummy mount! I called him and bagged him to stop the launch. But Dr. Zeiler sit it out with me on the phone, to see if the second stage would be on it’s space platform at eight degrees tilt for ignition into space. All stations around the world was standing by waiting for the lift-off. Mission Control confirmed that the second stage was separated, ignited and was on target into space.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Zeiler said her husband had died on October 16, 1975, just ten months, after he had retired that January. She told me about having two sons, one was born at Peenemunde and the other at Ft. Bliss, Texas. She related the hard times the wives had in following the rocket team’s work from country to country. Her family was living on base when the RAF bombers hit Peenemunde at midnight on August 17, 1943, with incendiary bombs. Over 600 were killed. It was a nightmare she said.<br />
<br />
I apologized to her for taking so much of her husband’s time, but we were assigned to prepare the launch of rockets and review the results. The long hours away from home and family had taken a toll on family life. She said that the wives were use to it and their husbands persisted in their space careers. She was very proud of her husband and his contribution to space. She seemed to be in better sprints after we talked about her husband’s team members from Germany, those who came to Florida and those in Huntsville. <br />
<br />
I updated her on some of the Team’s children and what had become of them. I told her to take care of herself and wished her the best. She never gave me a straight answer on how old she was. She may have said her age was eighty-eight. She apologized for her English and I apologized for mine too! I enjoyed her laughter. Mrs. Zeiler thanked me for calling. I will never forget Albert and AnneLiesa Zeiler. This Nation owes them the most respect for their contribution to space.<br />
The German Rocket Team also worked at the underground Hertz Mountain V-2 Rocket Factory in Germany. The duel tunnels with cross connecting utility tunnels were used for shops and storage. Rocket testing also was connected underground.<br />
<br />
The German rocket engineers had two choices, either join the General Dornberger Peenemunde Army Ordnance Rocket Command or go to the Eastern Russian front as an Army rifleman. <br />
<br />
Albert Zeiler was born on May 9, 1913. He did his rocket work in Germany, his was capture and transfer to Britain and later, to the United States. He was first doubtful and almost overlooked for the U.S. Team. <br />
<br />
When Zeiler taken prisoner, he was training the German troops at the test stands, he was a key associate of Dr. Kurt Debus and Dr. Hans Gruene. By the time Dr. Zeiler was brought in by the British troops to be questioned, Dr. Debus had already arrived. Dr. Gruene, was still up north in the Harz Mountains, he would be captured by the British and detained at Witzenhausen. There at Garmisch–Partenkirchen, Debus was interrogated on May 16, 1945. Zeiler helped with the field test and the procedures developed at Peenemunde in Poland. <br />
<br />
From Garmisch–Partenkirchen Debus, Zeiler and Hans Fichtner were transferred to a British Interrogation Camp at Schloss Krauntzburg in Taunus, Germany, just outside Debus’ hometown of Frankfurt. <br />
<br />
The place was known as Camp Dustbin. General Dornberger arrived later and asked Zeiler what he was doing there. Zeiler informed Dornberger that he had been told that he was going to the U.S., “But I guess they forgot us!” Dornberger told the skeptical Zeiler that he would get him out. <br />
<br />
Two weeks later Zeiler was in Cuxhaven with the others, including Dr. Debus, who was leader of one of two camps of Germans. Debus led the “Interrogation Camp,” Camp C, at Altenwalde. Separate from Camp C, the British also established a Working Camp that was ordered to assemble eight missiles and fire five of them. It was into this camp that Zeiler would go. <br />
<br />
Dr. Debus became both a technical and diplomatic liaison between the two camps and between the detained Germans and the victorious Allies. Debus recalled a spat over a lost logbook, for instance, that apparently was smoothed over.<br />
<br />
The custody of the German rocket team was transferred to the U.S. and they were stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas with V-2 rocket testing done at White Sands, New Mexico. In 1950, the team was moved to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama<br />
<br />
The first launch at Cape Canaveral of the experimental Redstone missile occurred on August 20, 1953. Before the close of the Redstone development program, the von Braun-Debus team had created the infrastructure to launch 36 more Army Redstones’ by 1958. The initial Redstone launch team, according to Debus, consisted of 30 people. Debus’ Missile Firing Lab now had three sections, a Mechanical Section headed by Zeiler; Guidance, Control & Networks Section headed by Gruene; <br />
<br />
A young Lieutenant Meisenheimer approached Dr. Debus and said that he would stake his reputation on a forecast that the wind shear would drop to tolerable levels for launch. Debus persuaded General Medaris to toxic gases occurring at ignition that would put them at risk. Zeiler, Dr. Hans Gruene, Karl Sendler, and General Medaris were at Debus’ side and the count proceeded down to ignition. Test Conductor Bob Moser called out, “We have a jet vane deflection, shall I hold?” Debus, commit to tanking. That evening Mr. Zeiler, in charge of fueling, returned to the blockhouse at T minus 20 minutes, at which time the blockhouse doors were sealed from the toxic gases occurring at ignition.<br />
<br />
Debus, evaluating the data and weighing the probability of an instrumentation failure versus a real flight control system failure, quickly waved his hand to continue. At 10:58 p.m., Eastern Time, it roared off into history placing the free world in space for the first time.<br />
<br />
By the time President Kennedy visited Debus’ Launch Operations organization on November 16, 1963, the Saturn V Launch Complex 39 architecture was just beginning to take shape. After a briefing by George Mueller, the NASA Headquarters Apollo Program Manager, in the Complex 37 blockhouse, Dr. von Braun briefed the President on the Saturn I, SA-5 vehicle presently on Pad-B. <br />
<br />
This vehicle would carry for the first time a live second stage and would be a crucial launch to put the U.S. ahead of the Soviets in booster capability - of great concern to the President.<br />
<br />
Debus was able to show the President the beginnings of the Industrial Area that would become the headquarters for the Launch Operations Center and would, tragically, bear his name all too soon—Kennedy was slain on November 22, 1963, within a week of the Cape Canaveral visit.<br />
<br />
The first Saturn 5 was launched on November 9, 1967.<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 17:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Dr._Albert_Zeiler,_Rocket_Blaster!&diff=18560Dr. Albert Zeiler, Rocket Blaster!2012-07-27T17:23:37Z<p>Grady: Adding a new Grady's Space Chronicles story.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
Dr. Albert Zeiler, Rocket Blaster!<br />
1913-1975<br />
<br />
During the Mercury and Apollo Programs, the need to transport rockets to the launch location and getting them launch was mind-boggling. The Kennedy Space Center(KSC) <br />
at Merritt Island, Florida, was the launch facility. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was building or buying, shipping rocket components to KSC and using their services to launch them . MSFC provided the services to KSC for support and instructions using a single point of contact between them. The MSFC Launch Coordinator was myself, Grady Woodard, of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory and the KSC Launch Coordinator was Engineer Dr. Albert Zeiler of the Director’s Office.<br />
<br />
Dr. Albert Zeiler, was a German Mechanical Engineer and a member of the Rocket Team from Germany. He was the launch pad engineer of Test Stand Seven at the secret rocket base Peenemunde on the Baltic Sea. On October 3, 1942, the first V-2 rocket was successively launch from Zeiler’s test stand, many more successes were to follow and Zeiler became known as the most successful launch engineer of this team. He placed a rock at the launch site and proclaimed that exact spot, is where mankind launched his first rocket into space. The rock is still in place today for Historians.<br />
<br />
Later, Albert Zeiler was assigned to Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the first Army launch pad engineer. He was to launch the first Redstone rocket # 1 on August 20, 1953. He would determined if the rocket’s flame was the right color and to decide to cutoff the engine or release the rocket into space flight. <br />
<br />
It was a close call, but he chanced it’s release and the flight was successful for 76 seconds. I worked with Dr. Zeiler from 1961 to 1968, as I was MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator and he was the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad Engineer and their Launch Coordinator.<br />
<br />
On June 1, 2002, I called an old phone number I had for Dr. Zeiler’s house from my call directory, which was 34 years old. I wanted to see what happen to him. He had lived on Merritt Island since he first moved to the Cape. The phone was answered by a weak frail lady’s voice, it was Mrs. Albert Zeiler. I told her who I was and had worked with Dr. Zeiler for eight years as we coordinated the rocket launches for Army and NASA. She had remembered me from all those times that I had called him after hours at his home.<br />
<br />
She told me to call her AnneLiesa, we talked for awhile. I told her that I had learned a lot from Dr. Zeiler. Dr. Zeiler and myself had been through some tough calls on some launches, but he always made the right calls. I was thinking of the launch of Saturn SA-8 on May 25, 1965, with the Pegasus B payload.<br />
<br />
The Saturn Booster Stage was fitted with four pairs of Genie Retrorockets, each having 8,000 lbs of thrust, at the top so the booster could be slowed after separation and not bump the Second Stage. The Genie was used by the Air Force in railroad sled test and was fitted into tubes (Buckets) on the sled.<br />
<br />
I had procured a new shipment of Genie Retrorockets and the body was supposed to have seamless welds. Our inspector went to the source to inspect them at the plant. After installing the booster stage retrorockets, Dr. Zeiler found the new shipment body welds had not been removed and some new ones would not fit their mounting buckets. He removed a mount bucket and sent it to a local machine shop for enlarging. The alignment could have been damaged, this would kick the rocket off coarse and Zeiler knew it!<br />
<br />
Zeiler was not to do any work on any parts without approval. He found a bucket mount at KSC and called me to certify it as he was installing it. I looked very hard and at the twenty minute pick-up of the countdown prior to launch, I located where the mount, it was made of hardwood for a display - it was a dummy mount! I called him and bagged him to stop the launch. But Dr. Zeiler sit it out with me on the phone, to see if the second stage would be on it’s space platform at eight degrees tilt for ignition into space. All stations around the world was standing by waiting for the lift-off. Mission Control confirmed that the second stage was separated, ignited and was on target into space.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Zeiler said her husband had died on October 16, 1975, just ten months, after he had retired that January. She told me about having two sons, one was born at Peenemunde and the other at Ft. Bliss, Texas. She related the hard times the wives had in following the rocket team’s work from country to country. Her family was living on base when the RAF bombers hit Peenemunde at midnight on August 17, 1943, with incendiary bombs. Over 600 were killed. It was a nightmare she said.<br />
<br />
I apologized to her for taking so much of her husband’s time, but we were assigned to prepare the launch of rockets and review the results. The long hours away from home and family had taken a toll on family life. She said that the wives were use to it and their husbands persisted in their space careers. She was very proud of her husband and his contribution to space. She seemed to be in better sprints after we talked about her husband’s team members from Germany, those who came to Florida and those in Huntsville. <br />
<br />
I updated her on some of the Team’s children and what had become of them. I told her to take care of herself and wished her the best. She never gave me a straight answer on how old she was. She may have said her age was eighty-eight. She apologized for her English and I apologized for mine too! I enjoyed her laughter. Mrs. Zeiler thanked me for calling. I will never forget Albert and AnneLiesa Zeiler. This Nation owes them the most respect for their contribution to space.<br />
The German Rocket Team also worked at the underground Hertz Mountain V-2 Rocket Factory in Germany. The duel tunnels with cross connecting utility tunnels were used for shops and storage. Rocket testing also was connected underground.<br />
<br />
The German rocket engineers had two choices, either join the General Dornberger Peenemunde Army Ordnance Rocket Command or go to the Eastern Russian front as an Army rifleman. <br />
<br />
Albert Zeiler was born on May 9, 1913. He did his rocket work in Germany, his was capture and transfer to Britain and later, to the United States. He was first doubtful and almost overlooked for the U.S. Team. <br />
<br />
When Zeiler taken prisoner, he was training the German troops at the test stands, he was a key associate of Dr. Kurt Debus and Dr. Hans Gruene. By the time Dr. Zeiler was brought in by the British troops to be questioned, Dr. Debus had already arrived. Dr. Gruene, was still up north in the Harz Mountains, he would be captured by the British and detained at Witzenhausen. There at Garmisch–Partenkirchen, Debus was interrogated on May 16, 1945. Zeiler helped with the field test and the procedures developed at Peenemunde in Poland. <br />
<br />
From Garmisch–Partenkirchen Debus, Zeiler and Hans Fichtner were transferred to a British Interrogation Camp at Schloss Krauntzburg in Taunus, Germany, just outside Debus’ hometown of Frankfurt. <br />
<br />
The place was known as Camp Dustbin. General Dornberger arrived later and asked Zeiler what he was doing there. Zeiler informed Dornberger that he had been told that he was going to the U.S., “But I guess they forgot us!” Dornberger told the skeptical Zeiler that he would get him out. <br />
<br />
Two weeks later Zeiler was in Cuxhaven with the others, including Dr. Debus, who was leader of one of two camps of Germans. Debus led the “Interrogation Camp,” Camp C, at Altenwalde. Separate from Camp C, the British also established a Working Camp that was ordered to assemble eight missiles and fire five of them. It was into this camp that Zeiler would go. <br />
<br />
Dr. Debus became both a technical and diplomatic liaison between the two camps and between the detained Germans and the victorious Allies. Debus recalled a spat over a lost logbook, for instance, that apparently was smoothed over.<br />
<br />
The custody of the German rocket team was transferred to the U.S. and they were stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas with V-2 rocket testing done at White Sands, New Mexico. In 1950, the team was moved to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama<br />
<br />
The first launch at Cape Canaveral of the experimental Redstone missile occurred on August 20, 1953. Before the close of the Redstone development program, the von Braun-Debus team had created the infrastructure to launch 36 more Army Redstones’ by 1958. The initial Redstone launch team, according to Debus, consisted of 30 people. Debus’ Missile Firing Lab now had three sections, a Mechanical Section headed by Zeiler; Guidance, Control & Networks Section headed by Gruene; <br />
<br />
A young Lieutenant Meisenheimer approached Dr. Debus and said that he would stake his reputation on a forecast that the wind shear would drop to tolerable levels for launch. Debus persuaded General Medaris to toxic gases occurring at ignition that would put them at risk. Zeiler, Dr. Hans Gruene, Karl Sendler, and General Medaris were at Debus’ side and the count proceeded down to ignition. Test Conductor Bob Moser called out, “We have a jet vane deflection, shall I hold?” Debus, commit to tanking. That evening Mr. Zeiler, in charge of fueling, returned to the blockhouse at T minus 20 minutes, at which time the blockhouse doors were sealed from the toxic gases occurring at ignition.<br />
<br />
Debus, evaluating the data and weighing the probability of an instrumentation failure versus a real flight control system failure, quickly waved his hand to continue. At 10:58 p.m., Eastern Time, it roared off into history placing the free world in space for the first time.<br />
<br />
By the time President Kennedy visited Debus’ Launch Operations organization on November 16, 1963, the Saturn V Launch Complex 39 architecture was just beginning to take shape. After a briefing by George Mueller, the NASA Headquarters Apollo Program Manager, in the Complex 37 blockhouse, Dr. von Braun briefed the President on the Saturn I, SA-5 vehicle presently on Pad-B. <br />
<br />
This vehicle would carry for the first time a live second stage and would be a crucial launch to put the U.S. ahead of the Soviets in booster capability - of great concern to the President.<br />
<br />
Debus was able to show the President the beginnings of the Industrial Area that would become the headquarters for the Launch Operations Center and would, tragically, bear his name all too soon—Kennedy was slain on November 22, 1963, within a week of the Cape Canaveral visit.<br />
<br />
The first Saturn 5 was launched on November 9, 1967.<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 17:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=British_Antipathy_Of_NASA%3F&diff=18556British Antipathy Of NASA?2012-07-26T23:28:03Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
<br />
British Antipathy To NASA?<br />
<br />
On September 11, 1962, after the President gave his Moon Order at the Redstone Airstrip to the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Team in Huntsville, Alabama, a tour was given. It was after twelve noon we rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries. <br />
<br />
After viewing a display showing our planned trip to the Moon, a heated discussion of the best method of going to the Moon occurred between Dr. Wernher von Braun and Britton’s expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner. President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared lost at that point in a tour of the space facility at Huntsville, Alabama. Others also present were NASA Administrator James Webb and US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. <br />
<br />
The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon known as “The Moon Mode.” To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!” The massive Nova was in our blueprints for a Mars trip.<br />
<br />
The story behind the British controlling ego, antipathy or jealous mood if any, may be found in the following report.<br />
<br />
Surrender of the German Scientists - The Soviet Army was about 160 km from Peenemünde in the spring of 1945 when von Braun assembled his planning staff and asked them to decide how and to whom they should surrender. The rumored Soviet cruelty to prisoners of war, von Braun and his staff decided to try to surrender to the Americans. After using forged papers to steal a train, von Braun led 500 people through war-torn Germany toward the American lines. The SS had meanwhile been issued with orders to kill the German engineers and destroy their records. The engineers, however, had hidden these in a mineshaft and continued to evade their own troops. <br />
<br />
On May 2, 1945, Riding a bicycle and upon finding an American private, Dr. Wernher von Braun’s brother, greeted him "My name is Magnus von Braun. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender." In a check with the high Command, the group was in the British Zone and General Dwight Eisenhower turned the matter over to the British.<br />
<br />
Following the surrender, the British and American command realized the importance of the engineers and immediately went to Peenemünde and Nordhausen to capture the remaining V-2s and their parts before destroying both sites with explosives. Enough V-2 parts were gathered for three V-2 rockets, the Germans with the parts were shipped to England. The plan was to have the German team assemble three V-2 rockets and launch them while everything was documented.<br />
<br />
The first V-2 assembled failed on ignition. The second V-2 lifted off a short distance and blew up. The third V-2 did fly well into the skies before it blew up. The British felt they had what they wanted. After much debate about not finding the money for a reocket program, the British’s painful made a decision, it gave the Germans and the documents to the Americans. A bitter lost was held my the British for many years afterwards but, it was just what Dr. von Braun wanted!<br />
<br />
Over 300 train-car loads of spare V-2 parts ultimately found their way to America. Much of von Braun's production team, however, was captured by the Russians. The V-2 rocket plans that had been hidden near Bad Sachsa in Germany were later recovered by members of the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment. <br />
<br />
The scientists, under the leadership of Dr. Wernher von Braun, were commanded into custody and brought to the United States by the U.S. government. <br />
<br />
Finally, von Braun and his remaining Peenemünde staff were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas, a large Army installation just north of El Paso as prisoners . While there they trained military, industrial and university personnel in the intricacies of rockets and guided missiles and helped to refurbish, assemble and launch a number of <br />
V-2s that had been shipped from Germany to the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. They also continued to study the future potential of rockets for military and research applications. Since they were not permitted to leave Fort Bliss without military escort, von Braun and his colleagues began to refer to themselves only half-jokingly as "Prisoners of Peace". The Germans later were given U.S. Work Permits to stay in America as workers, they were not prisoners anymore.<br />
<br />
In 1950, Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team were transferred to Huntsville, Alabama, his home for the next twenty years with their families. Between 1950 and 1956, von Braun led the Army's rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal, resulting in the Redstone rocket. In 1955 von Braun became a naturalized citizen of the United States. <br />
<br />
General Dwight Eisenhower became President and when the Russians launched their first satellite, he chose the Navy and Air Force to launch rockets for space, not Army’s Dr. von Braun’s German Rocket team. The President reserved the German team for War rockets. He told them if they ever say the word “Space,” they would be deported back to Germany! Things didn’t go well for the Navy and Air Force try in rockets as they blew up and the U.S. fell further behind. After Dr. von Braun bagged the President that his Team could place a satellite in space, Eisenhower gave von Braun 90 days. It was done in 88 days with a Redstone rocket. The Team continued to develop the Saturn 5 rocket and placed men on the Moon on July 20, 1969.<br />
<br />
For a brief time in the 1960s, it looked as if Britain could be more than just a footnote in the annals of space history. Looking back at the British Space Program History, today we find these facts. Britain was home to one of, if not the leading companies in the world for the design and creation of small satellites.<br />
<br />
Despite severe budgetary restrictions the UK had a very successful rocket research program in the 50s and 60s; even managing to put a satellite into orbit in 1971 (Prospero, carried by Black Arrow). The Blue Streak missile had a success rate only matched by the American Saturn V, but cost a fraction of what it's nearest American equivalent (the Atlas rocket) did. The Blue Streak was so good, in fact, that when the very first pan European launch vehicles, Europa 1 and 2, were flown the only bits that actually worked properly was the first stage: i.e. Blue Streak. They might seem hopelessly quaint to some, but a Blue Streak/Black Arrow combination (perhaps with a new third stage) is proven technology and would make an excellent and economic satellite launch vehicle. This would enable the UK to not only launch it's own independent scientific missions, without having to always rely on the good will of NASA, ESA and the Russians, but would also allow us to compete in the commercial satellite market.<br />
<br />
But that's not all. Remember HOTOL? Like much of British industry the Thatcher years killed that particular dream, but it lives on in the form of Skylon. In a similar vein (the spaceplane) is the Bristol Spaceplanes Ascender, Spacecab and Spacebus concepts. The latter two of which could be used to transport astronauts/euronauts and cargo to the ISS. Britain isn't short of people with the vision and talent to make us a first rate space power, but sadly that's not reflected in the corridors of White Hall or the board rooms in Britain. <br />
<br />
Many ask this question, “What if Britain was able to have kept the Germans engineers after WWII, how would Space History been changed?<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:42, 22 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=British_Antipathy_Of_NASA%3F&diff=18520British Antipathy Of NASA?2012-07-22T19:01:18Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
<br />
British Antipathy To NASA?<br />
<br />
On September 11, 1962, after the President gave his Moon Order at the Redstone Airstrip to the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Team in Huntsville, Alabama, a tour was given. It was after twelve noon we rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries. <br />
<br />
After viewing a display showing our planned trip to the Moon, a heated discussion of the best method of going to the Moon occurred between Dr. Wernher von Braun and Britton’s expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner. President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared lost at that point in a tour of the space facility at Huntsville, Alabama. Others also present were NASA Administrator James Webb and US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. <br />
<br />
The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon known as “The Moon Mode.” To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!” The massive Nova was in our blueprints for a Mars trip.<br />
<br />
The story behind the British controlling ego, antipathy or jealous mood if any, may be found in the following report.<br />
<br />
Surrender of the German Scientists - The Soviet Army was about 160 km from Peenemünde in the spring of 1945 when von Braun assembled his planning staff and asked them to decide how and to whom they should surrender. The rumored Soviet cruelty to prisoners of war, von Braun and his staff decided to try to surrender to the Americans. After using forged papers to steal a train, von Braun led 500 people through war-torn Germany toward the American lines. The SS had meanwhile been issued with orders to kill the German engineers and destroy their records. The engineers, however, had hidden these in a mineshaft and continued to evade their own troops. <br />
<br />
On May 2, 1945, Riding a bicycle and upon finding an American private, Dr. Wernher von Braun’s brother, greeted him "My name is Magnus von Braun. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender." In a check with the high Command, the group was in the British Zone and General Dwight Eisenhower turned the matter over to the British.<br />
<br />
Following the surrender, the British and American command realized the importance of the engineers and immediately went to Peenemünde and Nordhausen to capture the remaining V-2s and their parts before destroying both sites with explosives. Enough V-2 parts were gathered for three V-2 rockets, the Germans with the parts were shipped to England. The plan was to have the German team assemble three V-2 rockets and launch them while everything was documented.<br />
<br />
The first V-2 assembled failed on ignition. The second V-2 lifted off a short distance and blew up. The third V-2 did fly well into the skies before it blew up. The British felt they had what they wanted. After much debate about not finding the money for a reocket program, the British’s painful made a decision, it gave the Germans and the documents to the Americans. A bitter lost was held my the British for many years afterwards but, it was just what Dr. von Braun wanted!<br />
<br />
Over 300 train-car loads of spare V-2 parts ultimately found their way to America. Much of von Braun's production team, however, was captured by the Russians. The V-2 rocket plans that had been hidden near Bad Sachsa in Germany were later recovered by members of the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment. <br />
<br />
The scientists, under the leadership of Dr. Wernher von Braun, were commanded into custody and brought to the United States by the U.S. government. <br />
<br />
Finally, von Braun and his remaining Peenemünde staff were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas, a large Army installation just north of El Paso as prisoners . While there they trained military, industrial and university personnel in the intricacies of rockets and guided missiles and helped to refurbish, assemble and launch a number of <br />
V-2s that had been shipped from Germany to the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. They also continued to study the future potential of rockets for military and research applications. Since they were not permitted to leave Fort Bliss without military escort, von Braun and his colleagues began to refer to themselves only half-jokingly as "Prisoners of Peace". The Germans later were given U.S. Work Permits to stay in America as workers, they were not prisoners anymore.<br />
<br />
In 1950, Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team were transferred to Huntsville, Alabama, his home for the next twenty years with their families. Between 1950 and 1956, von Braun led the Army's rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal, resulting in the Redstone rocket. In 1955 von Braun became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The Team continued to develop the Saturn 5 rocket and placed men on the Moon on <br />
July 20, 1969.<br />
<br />
For a brief time in the 1960s, it looked as if Britain could be more than just a footnote in the annals of space history. Looking back at the British Space Program History, today we find these facts. Britain was home to one of, if not the leading companies in the world for the design and creation of small satellites.<br />
<br />
Despite severe budgetary restrictions the UK had a very successful rocket research program in the 50s and 60s; even managing to put a satellite into orbit in 1971 (Prospero, carried by Black Arrow). The Blue Streak missile had a success rate only matched by the American Saturn V, but cost a fraction of what it's nearest American equivalent (the Atlas rocket) did. The Blue Streak was so good, in fact, that when the very first pan European launch vehicles, Europa 1 and 2, were flown the only bits that actually worked properly was the first stage: i.e. Blue Streak. They might seem hopelessly quaint to some, but a Blue Streak/Black Arrow combination (perhaps with a new third stage) is proven technology and would make an excellent and economic satellite launch vehicle. This would enable the UK to not only launch it's own independent scientific missions, without having to always rely on the good will of NASA, ESA and the Russians, but would also allow us to compete in the commercial satellite market.<br />
<br />
But that's not all. Remember HOTOL? Like much of British industry the Thatcher years killed that particular dream, but it lives on in the form of Skylon. In a similar vein (the spaceplane) is the Bristol Spaceplanes Ascender, Spacecab and Spacebus concepts. The latter two of which could be used to transport astronauts/euronauts and cargo to the ISS. Britain isn't short of people with the vision and talent to make us a first rate space power, but sadly that's not reflected in the corridors of White Hall or the board rooms in Britain. <br />
<br />
Many ask this question, “What if Britain was able to have kept the Germans engineers after WWII, how would Space History been changed?<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:42, 22 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=British_Antipathy_Of_NASA%3F&diff=18518British Antipathy Of NASA?2012-07-22T18:50:55Z<p>Grady: moved British Antipathy To NASA? to British Antipathy Of NASA?: Adding a new Grady's Space Chronicles Space story.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
British Antipathy To NASA?<br />
<br />
On September 11, 1962, after the President gave his Moon Order at the Redstone Airstrip to the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Team in Huntsville, Alabama, a tour was given. It was after twelve noon we rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries. <br />
<br />
After viewing a display showing our planned trip to the Moon, a heated discussion of the best method of going to the Moon occurred between Dr. Wernher von Braun and Britton’s expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner. President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared lost at that point in a tour of the space facility at Huntsville, Alabama. Others also present were NASA Administrator James Webb and US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. <br />
<br />
The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon known as “The Moon Mode.” To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!” The massive Nova was in our blueprints for a Mars trip.<br />
<br />
The story behind the British controlling ego, antipathy or jealous mood if any, may be found in the following report.<br />
<br />
Surrender of the German Scientists - The Soviet Army was about 160 km from Peenemünde in the spring of 1945 when von Braun assembled his planning staff and asked them to decide how and to whom they should surrender. The rumored Soviet cruelty to prisoners of war, von Braun and his staff decided to try to surrender to the Americans. After using forged papers to steal a train, von Braun led 500 people through war-torn Germany toward the American lines. The SS had meanwhile been issued with orders to kill the German engineers and destroy their records. The engineers, however, had hidden these in a mineshaft and continued to evade their own troops. <br />
<br />
On May 2, 1945, Riding a bicycle and upon finding an American private, Dr. Wernher von Braun’s brother, greeted him "My name is Magnus von Braun. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender." In a check with the high Command, the group was in the British Zone and General Dwight Eisenhower turned the matter over to the British.<br />
<br />
Following the surrender, the British and American command realized the importance of the engineers and immediately went to Peenemünde and Nordhausen to capture the remaining V-2s and their parts before destroying both sites with explosives. Enough V-2 parts were gathered for three V-2 rockets, the Germans with the parts were shipped to England. The plan was to have the German team assemble three V-2 rockets and launch them while everything was documented.<br />
<br />
The first V-2 assembled failed on ignition. The second V-2 lifted off a short distance and blew up. The third V-2 did fly well into the skies before it blew up. The British felt they had what they wanted. After much debate about not finding the money for a reocket program, the British’s painful made a decision, it gave the Germans and the documents to the Americans. A bitter lost was held my the British for many years afterwards but, it was just what Dr. von Braun wanted!<br />
<br />
Over 300 train-car loads of spare V-2 parts ultimately found their way to America. Much of von Braun's production team, however, was captured by the Russians. The V-2 rocket plans that had been hidden near Bad Sachsa in Germany were later recovered by members of the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment. <br />
<br />
The scientists, under the leadership of Dr. Wernher von Braun, were commanded into custody and brought to the United States by the U.S. government. <br />
<br />
Finally, von Braun and his remaining Peenemünde staff were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas, a large Army installation just north of El Paso as prisoners . While there they trained military, industrial and university personnel in the intricacies of rockets and guided missiles and helped to refurbish, assemble and launch a number of <br />
V-2s that had been shipped from Germany to the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. They also continued to study the future potential of rockets for military and research applications. Since they were not permitted to leave Fort Bliss without military escort, von Braun and his colleagues began to refer to themselves only half-jokingly as "Prisoners of Peace". The Germans later were given U.S. Work Permits to stay in America as workers, they were not prisoners anymore.<br />
<br />
In 1950, Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team were transferred to Huntsville, Alabama, his home for the next twenty years with their families. Between 1950 and 1956, von Braun led the Army's rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal, resulting in the Redstone rocket. In 1955 von Braun became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The Team continued to develop the Saturn 5 rocket and placed men on the Moon on <br />
July 20, 1969.<br />
<br />
For a brief time in the 1960s, it looked as if Britain could be more than just a footnote in the annals of space history. Looking back at the British Space Program History, today we find these facts. Britain was home to one of, if not the leading companies in the world for the design and creation of small satellites.<br />
<br />
Despite severe budgetary restrictions the UK had a very successful rocket research program in the 50s and 60s; even managing to put a satellite into orbit in 1971 (Prospero, carried by Black Arrow). The Blue Streak missile had a success rate only matched by the American Saturn V, but cost a fraction of what it's nearest American equivalent (the Atlas rocket) did. The Blue Streak was so good, in fact, that when the very first pan European launch vehicles, Europa 1 and 2, were flown the only bits that actually worked properly was the first stage: i.e. Blue Streak. They might seem hopelessly quaint to some, but a Blue Streak/Black Arrow combination (perhaps with a new third stage) is proven technology and would make an excellent and economic satellite launch vehicle. This would enable the UK to not only launch it's own independent scientific missions, without having to always rely on the good will of NASA, ESA and the Russians, but would also allow us to compete in the commercial satellite market.<br />
<br />
But that's not all. Remember HOTOL? Like much of British industry the Thatcher years killed that particular dream, but it lives on in the form of Skylon. In a similar vein (the spaceplane) is the Bristol Spaceplanes Ascender, Spacecab and Spacebus concepts. The latter two of which could be used to transport astronauts/euronauts and cargo to the ISS. Britain isn't short of people with the vision and talent to make us a first rate space power, but sadly that's not reflected in the corridors of White Hall or the board rooms in Britain. <br />
<br />
Many ask this question, “What if Britain was able to have kept the Germans engineers after WWII, how would Space History been changed?<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:42, 22 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=British_Antipathy_Of_NASA%3F&diff=18517British Antipathy Of NASA?2012-07-22T18:42:13Z<p>Grady: Adding a new Grady's Space Chronicles Space Story</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
British Antipathy To NASA?<br />
<br />
On September 11, 1962, after the President gave his Moon Order at the Redstone Airstrip to the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Team in Huntsville, Alabama, a tour was given. It was after twelve noon we rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries. <br />
<br />
After viewing a display showing our planned trip to the Moon, a heated discussion of the best method of going to the Moon occurred between Dr. Wernher von Braun and Britton’s expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner. President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared lost at that point in a tour of the space facility at Huntsville, Alabama. Others also present were NASA Administrator James Webb and US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. <br />
<br />
The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon known as “The Moon Mode.” To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!” The massive Nova was in our blueprints for a Mars trip.<br />
<br />
The story behind the British controlling ego, antipathy or jealous mood if any, may be found in the following report.<br />
<br />
Surrender of the German Scientists - The Soviet Army was about 160 km from Peenemünde in the spring of 1945 when von Braun assembled his planning staff and asked them to decide how and to whom they should surrender. The rumored Soviet cruelty to prisoners of war, von Braun and his staff decided to try to surrender to the Americans. After using forged papers to steal a train, von Braun led 500 people through war-torn Germany toward the American lines. The SS had meanwhile been issued with orders to kill the German engineers and destroy their records. The engineers, however, had hidden these in a mineshaft and continued to evade their own troops. <br />
<br />
On May 2, 1945, Riding a bicycle and upon finding an American private, Dr. Wernher von Braun’s brother, greeted him "My name is Magnus von Braun. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender." In a check with the high Command, the group was in the British Zone and General Dwight Eisenhower turned the matter over to the British.<br />
<br />
Following the surrender, the British and American command realized the importance of the engineers and immediately went to Peenemünde and Nordhausen to capture the remaining V-2s and their parts before destroying both sites with explosives. Enough V-2 parts were gathered for three V-2 rockets, the Germans with the parts were shipped to England. The plan was to have the German team assemble three V-2 rockets and launch them while everything was documented.<br />
<br />
The first V-2 assembled failed on ignition. The second V-2 lifted off a short distance and blew up. The third V-2 did fly well into the skies before it blew up. The British felt they had what they wanted. After much debate about not finding the money for a reocket program, the British’s painful made a decision, it gave the Germans and the documents to the Americans. A bitter lost was held my the British for many years afterwards but, it was just what Dr. von Braun wanted!<br />
<br />
Over 300 train-car loads of spare V-2 parts ultimately found their way to America. Much of von Braun's production team, however, was captured by the Russians. The V-2 rocket plans that had been hidden near Bad Sachsa in Germany were later recovered by members of the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment. <br />
<br />
The scientists, under the leadership of Dr. Wernher von Braun, were commanded into custody and brought to the United States by the U.S. government. <br />
<br />
Finally, von Braun and his remaining Peenemünde staff were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas, a large Army installation just north of El Paso as prisoners . While there they trained military, industrial and university personnel in the intricacies of rockets and guided missiles and helped to refurbish, assemble and launch a number of <br />
V-2s that had been shipped from Germany to the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. They also continued to study the future potential of rockets for military and research applications. Since they were not permitted to leave Fort Bliss without military escort, von Braun and his colleagues began to refer to themselves only half-jokingly as "Prisoners of Peace". The Germans later were given U.S. Work Permits to stay in America as workers, they were not prisoners anymore.<br />
<br />
In 1950, Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team were transferred to Huntsville, Alabama, his home for the next twenty years with their families. Between 1950 and 1956, von Braun led the Army's rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal, resulting in the Redstone rocket. In 1955 von Braun became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The Team continued to develop the Saturn 5 rocket and placed men on the Moon on <br />
July 20, 1969.<br />
<br />
For a brief time in the 1960s, it looked as if Britain could be more than just a footnote in the annals of space history. Looking back at the British Space Program History, today we find these facts. Britain was home to one of, if not the leading companies in the world for the design and creation of small satellites.<br />
<br />
Despite severe budgetary restrictions the UK had a very successful rocket research program in the 50s and 60s; even managing to put a satellite into orbit in 1971 (Prospero, carried by Black Arrow). The Blue Streak missile had a success rate only matched by the American Saturn V, but cost a fraction of what it's nearest American equivalent (the Atlas rocket) did. The Blue Streak was so good, in fact, that when the very first pan European launch vehicles, Europa 1 and 2, were flown the only bits that actually worked properly was the first stage: i.e. Blue Streak. They might seem hopelessly quaint to some, but a Blue Streak/Black Arrow combination (perhaps with a new third stage) is proven technology and would make an excellent and economic satellite launch vehicle. This would enable the UK to not only launch it's own independent scientific missions, without having to always rely on the good will of NASA, ESA and the Russians, but would also allow us to compete in the commercial satellite market.<br />
<br />
But that's not all. Remember HOTOL? Like much of British industry the Thatcher years killed that particular dream, but it lives on in the form of Skylon. In a similar vein (the spaceplane) is the Bristol Spaceplanes Ascender, Spacecab and Spacebus concepts. The latter two of which could be used to transport astronauts/euronauts and cargo to the ISS. Britain isn't short of people with the vision and talent to make us a first rate space power, but sadly that's not reflected in the corridors of White Hall or the board rooms in Britain. <br />
<br />
Many ask this question, “What if Britain was able to have kept the Germans engineers after WWII, how would Space History been changed?<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:42, 22 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=River_Of_Moon_Rockets&diff=18424River Of Moon Rockets2012-07-18T01:00:20Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
RIVER OF MOON ROCKETS<br />
<br />
(Saturn Rocket Transportation System)<br />
<br />
In October 1959, while still under the Army, the Advance Research Projects Office gave the go-ahead for the Ordnance Missile Command to do engineering studies using the Tennessee River for transportation and dock facilities assessable to our manufacturing complex at Redstone Arsenal and transportation to the Cape. By December, construction started for docks with electrical winches for roll-on/roll-off operations and design for a barge to carry the oversize boosters to Cape Canaveral. We were organized into NASA on July 1, 1960.<br />
<br />
Shortly after the launch of Mercury-Redstone MR-2 lofting it’s passenger Ham into sub orbit on January 31, 1961, I received an NASA assignment duties as MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator. A single point of contact for KSC Director’s Office for their needs for scheduling and the status of preparing for launches and the delivery of the hardware, it’s documentation, instructions and support for the vehicles on the launch Pad.<br />
<br />
The new Coordinator duties were above my local Lab duties for engineering assignments included explosives, rocket engines and the SkyLab Environmental System for the astronauts. My new added duties covered any launch help requests including technical support, replacement valves, switches or control devices, engines and explosives. Mr. Jewell W. Brady, of our Lab’s Supply Branch, would handle requests for stock nuts and bolts or raw materials items. Things picked up with the launch of America’s first manned launch of Al Shephard onboard MR-3 on May 5, 1961.<br />
<br />
Being on call 24/7 while a vehicle was on the Launch Pad for the Cape’s needs wasn’t so bad but, the logistics of getting everything to and from the Cape was sometime mind boggling. Requiring me to take many trips to the Cape, for launch planning requirements before and after for clean up, comments and start the failure investigations for components returning to MSFC. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed making my stay in Coco Beach at the Polaris Motel, a great beach view of night launches. When my overtime hours expired, I didn’t get paid. I would get placed on standby duty when systems tests were being on the pad (paid 16 out of 24 hours until released (NASA Mgt. Manual Ch 17-6-1-7). MSFC did not adopt this section since it was for launch preparations only. Many times, I had to work with out pay.<br />
<br />
On Easter week-end, Friday, April 16, 1965, at 3:25 PM, I received a call from Dr. Zeiler at the Cape, placing me on standby duty for the next morning at 8 AM. The Cape was running Engine Hydraulic Tests and needed me on stand by call. I asked my Unit Supervisor John Lands, if I had to work the request as I had no more over time hours authorized and MSFC didn’t pay for standby duty. John rushed to check with the Division, as we were leaving work at 3:30 PM. My family was going on a trip for Easter as soon as I got home. John Lands could not get approval and said I couldn’t work more Comp time (compensatory time off - hours taken for leave later) that had reached the limit allowed, what should I do? He said, “If it has me, I would work to save my job, don’t worry I will work it out by letting you off early on week days.“ <br />
<br />
I worked standby until I got a release call on Easter Sunday at 1 PM. I kept up with the time and the following Tuesday, I asked John if I could leave an hour early. He said OK, just sign out at the regular 3:30 PM quitting time as usual and leave. I got stopped at the MP Gate for a vehicle check and search, the time was recorded. By the end of the week, I get a warning letter for leaving work too soon and I signed out too early. I was docked the time with a warning and that ended the pay back for working standby time. I was called many times for standby time and many times I could not get paid. John Lands tried but, I told him, “Well, look at the great experience I’m getting working with the Cape team.” The duration of my eight years working as Cape Launch Coordinator, I gained so much valuable knowledge I considered the unpaid time a gift for learning, as a Rocket Team member and my Patriotic duty.<br />
<br />
The launch vehicles themselves were a lot of problems as they were so big and had a lot of loose equipment and parts that had to have special transportation needs with Navy escorts for River and Sea Travel. Everything in the logistics system had to have special packaging instructions and most could not use standard procedures as these were all new critical designed perimeters and must be “Man Flight Rated” to prevent lost of life.<br />
<br />
Because the Saturn vehicles were originally for the highest integrity and manned missions, it would be inadvisable to degrade the integrity of the Saturn components by using inferior transport modes and techniques. Rocket stages were transported thousands of miles and experienced hundreds of hours of constant vibration. There were the possibility of damage to welded joints and seals, as well as delicate components that were manufactured to very high tolerances and tested. The logistics of rocket stages and parts were not to be taken lightly. Vehicle transporters and sea going barges with tug boats were made as roll-on/roll-off operations. MSFC and the Cape had to build docks on the rivers to vacillate the needs.<br />
<br />
The heavy stuff began with a disaster on the Tennessee River System. Movement of the Saturn Boosters from MSFC to KSC for launching was planned to use the River systems for boosters and second stages and the Guppy Airplanes for smaller components. Saturn SA-1 and SA-2 had problems when the Wheeler Dam’s new lock was tested on Friday, 6/2/61. When the water load test was done, the inside wall of the lock broke loose from it’s footing in the River bed and it pushed outward into the river with the top tilted into the lock.<br />
<br />
That following Monday morning, my Branch Head, Robert Peatz and Lab Director Werner Kuers, rushed into my Office. Mr. Peatz was excided and asked, “Mr. Woodard, will the accident at Wheeler Dam Lock delay the launch of SA-1?” I was puzzled, I didn’t hear about this problem. Mr. Peatz suggested I do something about the problem and let him know as soon as possible for a later meeting. I got right on it and started investigating the problem. This would delay the launches a few weeks. <br />
<br />
The SA-1 and SA-2 boosters had to be moved overland below the Wheeler Dam and loaded abroad a waiting barge to KSC. The lock was repaired and opened in the Spring of 1962. Normal lock use resumed with the SA-3 booster.<br />
<br />
Time Line of the River Route Bypass:<br />
08/06/61 SA-1 Booster leaves MSFC. <br />
08/09/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at Wheeler and starts down River to KSC. <br />
08/14/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at KSC.<br />
10/27/61 SA-1 Launched "High Water 1". The same routine for the next vehicles. <br />
02/27/62 SA-2 Booster arrived at KSC. <br />
04/25/62 SA-2 Launched "High Water 2".<br />
11/16/62 SA-3 Launched "High Water 3“.<br />
<br />
The work-around routing including temporary a roadway around the Wheeler Dam to a point near Muscle Shoals for some 18 miles, bypassing the Wilson Dam. Docks had to be built to load and unload from the land transporter and the barges. <br />
<br />
The Transportation Equipment was massive and were a great thing to work with. The Barge had environmental control systems and a crew of 12 men to operate and sail it.. A rowdy red-headed Merchant Marine Captain was hired from New Orleans to command it, sober or not, the skipper worked hard on this project. I used the system to ship the large amount of loose equipment to the Cape such as the engine massive thermal insulation blanket kits, 17 large boxes per engine and stopping off in New Orleans for the Tail Fins and sea inspections. I invited the Inspector to our docks to inspect our work for sea safety rules, doing tie downs and packaging procedures to save time. It was a ten day journey normally. <br />
<br />
Arrangements were made for a Navy escort to the Cape including a submarine, destroyer, tanker and a spare sea going tug. On our first load, the Captain and the Inspector got into a huge disagreement over who was in control of the barge. The Inspector went back to New Orleans. I had to really work hard to get the Inspector back by giving leave to the Barge Captain and making sure they would not see one another. <br />
<br />
The fleet of barges used were the Poseidon for Saturn I, the Orion Barge for the Saturn 5 with its new enlarge barge to handle it’s massive size; and also it used for loose equipment. I saved the tie down don age material for reuse. Everything became more tense in this project and more costly. <br />
<br />
Another mode of transport shipments involved the Guppy Airplanes, a converted Boeing B-377, know as the Pregnant Guppy, with for 14 foot wide cargo and the C-97 Super Guppy. Three other visions of the C-97 were made including the 377 MG “Mighty Guppy” for the Saturn 2nd Stage at 22 foot wide cargo. <br />
<br />
My Coordinator job was for eight years (if only we had Cell Phones back then, it would have helped a lot). I never missed a deadline or a phone call for service at all hours or day. I was told that was why I was picked for that job. It was said by experts that the task was as mind-boggling as building the moon rocket itself. Looked back at the many times over the years I had worked without pay when overtime had stopped. I worked as a Rocket Team member and it was my Patriotic Duty. I did get a lot of experience and a lifetime of memories! <br />
<br />
“[[Special:Contributions/64.12.117.69|64.12.117.69]] 00:15, 18 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=River_Of_Moon_Rockets&diff=18422River Of Moon Rockets2012-07-18T00:32:50Z<p>Grady: moved Create an Article to this category to River Of Moon Rockets: To move it to Category Historical Essays</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
RIVER OF MOON ROCKETS<br />
<br />
(Saturn Rocket Transportation System)<br />
<br />
In October 1959, while still under the Army, the Advance Research Projects Office gave the go-ahead for the Ordnance Missile Command to do engineering studies using the Tennessee River for transportation and dock facilities assessable to our manufacturing complex at Redstone Arsenal and transportation to the Cape. By December, construction started for docks with electrical winches for roll-on/roll-off operations and design for a barge to carry the oversize boosters to Cape Canaveral. We were organized into NASA on July 1, 1960.<br />
<br />
Shortly after the launch of Mercury-Redstone MR-2 lofting it’s passenger Ham into sub orbit on January 31, 1961, I received an NASA assignment duties as MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator. A single point of contact for KSC Director’s Office for their needs for scheduling and the status of preparing for launches and the delivery of the hardware, it’s documentation, instructions and support for the vehicles on the launch Pad.<br />
<br />
The new Coordinator duties were above my local Lab duties for engineering assignments included explosives, rocket engines and the SkyLab Environmental System for the astronauts. My new added duties covered any launch help requests including technical support, replacement valves, switches or control devices, engines and explosives. Mr. Jewell W. Brady, of our Lab’s Supply Branch, would handle requests for stock nuts and bolts or raw materials items. Things picked up with the launch of America’s first manned launch of Al Shephard onboard MR-3 on May 5, 1961.<br />
<br />
Being on call 24/7 while a vehicle was on the Launch Pad for the Cape’s needs wasn’t so bad but, the logistics of getting everything to and from the Cape was sometime mind boggling. Requiring me to take many trips to the Cape, for launch planning requirements before and after for clean up, comments and start the failure investigations for components returning to MSFC. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed making my stay in Coco Beach at the Polaris Motel, a great beach view of night launches. When my overtime hours expired, I didn’t get paid. I would get placed on standby duty when systems tests were being on the pad (paid 16 out of 24 hours until released (NASA Mgt. Manual Ch 17-6-1-7). MSFC did not adopt this section since it was for launch preparations only. Many times, I had to work with out pay.<br />
<br />
On Easter week-end, Friday, April 16, 1965, at 3:25 PM, I received a call from Dr. Zeiler at the Cape, placing me on standby duty for the next morning at 8 AM. The Cape was running Engine Hydraulic Tests and needed me on stand by call. I asked my Unit Supervisor John Lands, if I had to work the request as I had no more over time hours authorized and MSFC didn’t pay for standby duty. John rushed to check with the Division, as we were leaving work at 3:30 PM. My family was going on a trip for Easter as soon as I got home. John Lands could not get approval and said I couldn’t work more Comp time (compensatory time off - hours taken for leave later) that had reached the limit allowed, what should I do? He said, “If it has me, I would work to save my job, don’t worry I will work it out by letting you off early on week days.“ <br />
<br />
I worked standby until I got a release call on Easter Sunday at 1 PM. I kept up with the time and the following Tuesday, I asked John if I could leave an hour early. He said OK, just sign out at the regular 3:30 PM quitting time as usual and leave. I got stopped at the MP Gate for a vehicle check and search, the time was recorded. By the end of the week, I get a warning letter for leaving work too soon and I signed out too early. I was docked the time with a warning and that ended the pay back for working standby time. I was called many times for standby time and many times I could not get paid. John Lands tried but, I told him, “Well, look at the great experience I’m getting working with the Cape team.” The duration of my eight years working as Cape Launch Coordinator, I gained so much valuable knowledge I considered the unpaid time a gift for learning, as a Rocket Team member and my Patriotic duty.<br />
<br />
The launch vehicles themselves were a lot of problems as they were so big and had a lot of loose equipment and parts that had to have special transportation needs with Navy escorts for River and Sea Travel. Everything in the logistics system had to have special packaging instructions and most could not use standard procedures as these were all new critical designed perimeters and must be “Man Flight Rated” to prevent lost of life.<br />
<br />
Because the Saturn vehicles were originally for the highest integrity and manned missions, it would be inadvisable to degrade the integrity of the Saturn components by using inferior transport modes and techniques. Rocket stages were transported thousands of miles and experienced hundreds of hours of constant vibration. There were the possibility of damage to welded joints and seals, as well as delicate components that were manufactured to very high tolerances and tested. The logistics of rocket stages and parts were not to be taken lightly. Vehicle transporters and sea going barges with tug boats were made as roll-on/roll-off operations. MSFC and the Cape had to build docks on the rivers to vacillate the needs.<br />
<br />
The heavy stuff began with a disaster on the Tennessee River System. Movement of the Saturn Boosters from MSFC to KSC for launching was planned to use the River systems for boosters and second stages and the Guppy Airplanes for smaller components. Saturn SA-1 and SA-2 had problems when the Wheeler Dam’s new lock was tested on Friday, 6/2/61. When the water load test was done, the inside wall of the lock broke loose from it’s footing in the River bed and it pushed outward into the river with the top tilted into the lock.<br />
<br />
That following Monday morning, my Branch Head, Robert Peatz and Lab Director Werner Kuers, rushed into my Office. Mr. Peatz was excided and asked, “Mr. Woodard, will the accident at Wheeler Dam Lock delay the launch of SA-1?” I was puzzled, I didn’t hear about this problem. Mr. Peatz suggested I do something about the problem and let him know as soon as possible for a later meeting. I got right on it and started investigating the problem. This would delay the launches a few weeks. <br />
<br />
The SA-1 and SA-2 boosters had to be moved overland below the Wheeler Dam and loaded abroad a waiting barge to KSC. The lock was repaired and opened in the Spring of 1962. Normal lock use resumed with the SA-3 booster.<br />
<br />
Time Line of the River Route Bypass:<br />
08/06/61 SA-1 Booster leaves MSFC. <br />
08/09/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at Wheeler and starts down River to KSC. <br />
08/14/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at KSC.<br />
10/27/61 SA-1 Launched "High Water 1". The same routine for the next vehicles. <br />
02/27/62 SA-2 Booster arrived at KSC. <br />
04/25/62 SA-2 Launched "High Water 2".<br />
11/16/62 SA-3 Launched "High Water 3“.<br />
<br />
The work-around routing including temporary a roadway around the Wheeler Dam to a point near Muscle Shoals for some 18 miles, bypassing the Wilson Dam. Docks had to be built to load and unload from the land transporter and the barges. <br />
<br />
The Transportation Equipment was massive and were a great thing to work with. The Barge had environmental control systems and a crew of 12 men to operate and sail it.. A rowdy red-headed Merchant Marine Captain was hired from New Orleans to command it, sober or not, the skipper worked hard on this project. I used the system to ship the large amount of loose equipment to the Cape such as the engine massive thermal insulation blanket kits, 17 large boxes per engine and stopping off in New Orleans for the Tail Fins and sea inspections. I invited the Inspector to our docks to inspect our work for sea safety rules, doing tie downs and packaging procedures to save time. It was a ten day journey normally. <br />
<br />
Arrangements were made for a Navy escort to the Cape including a submarine, destroyer, tanker and a spare sea going tug. On our first load, the Captain and the Inspector got into a huge disagreement over who was in control of the barge. The Inspector went back to New Orleans. I had to really work hard to get the Inspector back by giving leave to the Barge Captain and making sure they would not see one another. <br />
<br />
The fleet of barges used were the Poseidon for Saturn I, the Orion Barge for the Saturn 5 with its new enlarge barge to handle it’s massive size; and also it used for loose equipment. I saved the tie down don age material for reuse. Everything became more tense in this project and more costly. <br />
<br />
Another mode of transport shipments involved the Guppy Airplanes, a converted Boeing B-377, know as the Pregnant Guppy, with for 14 foot wide cargo and the C-97 Super Guppy. Three other visions of the C-97 were made including the 377 MG “Mighty Guppy” for the Saturn 2nd Stage at 22 foot wide cargo. <br />
<br />
My Coordinator job was for eight years. I never missed a deadline or a phone call for service at all hours or day. If only we had Cell Phones back then, it would have helped a lot. I was told that was why I was picked for that job. It was said by experts that the task was as mind-boggling as building the moon rocket itself. Looked back at the many times over the years I had worked without pay when overtime had stopped. I worked as a Rocket Team member and it was my Patriotic Duty. I did get a lot of experience and a lifetime of memories! <br />
<br />
“[[Special:Contributions/64.12.117.69|64.12.117.69]] 00:15, 18 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=River_Of_Moon_Rockets&diff=18421River Of Moon Rockets2012-07-18T00:25:51Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
RIVER OF MOON ROCKETS<br />
<br />
(Saturn Rocket Transportation System)<br />
<br />
In October 1959, while still under the Army, the Advance Research Projects Office gave the go-ahead for the Ordnance Missile Command to do engineering studies using the Tennessee River for transportation and dock facilities assessable to our manufacturing complex at Redstone Arsenal and transportation to the Cape. By December, construction started for docks with electrical winches for roll-on/roll-off operations and design for a barge to carry the oversize boosters to Cape Canaveral. We were organized into NASA on July 1, 1960.<br />
<br />
Shortly after the launch of Mercury-Redstone MR-2 lofting it’s passenger Ham into sub orbit on January 31, 1961, I received an NASA assignment duties as MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator. A single point of contact for KSC Director’s Office for their needs for scheduling and the status of preparing for launches and the delivery of the hardware, it’s documentation, instructions and support for the vehicles on the launch Pad.<br />
<br />
The new Coordinator duties were above my local Lab duties for engineering assignments included explosives, rocket engines and the SkyLab Environmental System for the astronauts. My new added duties covered any launch help requests including technical support, replacement valves, switches or control devices, engines and explosives. Mr. Jewell W. Brady, of our Lab’s Supply Branch, would handle requests for stock nuts and bolts or raw materials items. Things picked up with the launch of America’s first manned launch of Al Shephard onboard MR-3 on May 5, 1961.<br />
<br />
Being on call 24/7 while a vehicle was on the Launch Pad for the Cape’s needs wasn’t so bad but, the logistics of getting everything to and from the Cape was sometime mind boggling. Requiring me to take many trips to the Cape, for launch planning requirements before and after for clean up, comments and start the failure investigations for components returning to MSFC. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed making my stay in Coco Beach at the Polaris Motel, a great beach view of night launches. When my overtime hours expired, I didn’t get paid. I would get placed on standby duty when systems tests were being on the pad (paid 16 out of 24 hours until released (NASA Mgt. Manual Ch 17-6-1-7). MSFC did not adopt this section since it was for launch preparations only. Many times, I had to work with out pay.<br />
<br />
On Easter week-end, Friday, April 16, 1965, at 3:25 PM, I received a call from Dr. Zeiler at the Cape, placing me on standby duty for the next morning at 8 AM. The Cape was running Engine Hydraulic Tests and needed me on stand by call. I asked my Unit Supervisor John Lands, if I had to work the request as I had no more over time hours authorized and MSFC didn’t pay for standby duty. John rushed to check with the Division, as we were leaving work at 3:30 PM. My family was going on a trip for Easter as soon as I got home. John Lands could not get approval and said I couldn’t work more Comp time (compensatory time off - hours taken for leave later) that had reached the limit allowed, what should I do? He said, “If it has me, I would work to save my job, don’t worry I will work it out by letting you off early on week days.“ <br />
<br />
I worked standby until I got a release call on Easter Sunday at 1 PM. I kept up with the time and the following Tuesday, I asked John if I could leave an hour early. He said OK, just sign out at the regular 3:30 PM quitting time as usual and leave. I got stopped at the MP Gate for a vehicle check and search, the time was recorded. By the end of the week, I get a warning letter for leaving work too soon and I signed out too early. I was docked the time with a warning and that ended the pay back for working standby time. I was called many times for standby time and many times I could not get paid. John Lands tried but, I told him, “Well, look at the great experience I’m getting working with the Cape team.” The duration of my eight years working as Cape Launch Coordinator, I gained so much valuable knowledge I considered the unpaid time a gift for learning, as a Rocket Team member and my Patriotic duty.<br />
<br />
The launch vehicles themselves were a lot of problems as they were so big and had a lot of loose equipment and parts that had to have special transportation needs with Navy escorts for River and Sea Travel. Everything in the logistics system had to have special packaging instructions and most could not use standard procedures as these were all new critical designed perimeters and must be “Man Flight Rated” to prevent lost of life.<br />
<br />
Because the Saturn vehicles were originally for the highest integrity and manned missions, it would be inadvisable to degrade the integrity of the Saturn components by using inferior transport modes and techniques. Rocket stages were transported thousands of miles and experienced hundreds of hours of constant vibration. There were the possibility of damage to welded joints and seals, as well as delicate components that were manufactured to very high tolerances and tested. The logistics of rocket stages and parts were not to be taken lightly. Vehicle transporters and sea going barges with tug boats were made as roll-on/roll-off operations. MSFC and the Cape had to build docks on the rivers to vacillate the needs.<br />
<br />
The heavy stuff began with a disaster on the Tennessee River System. Movement of the Saturn Boosters from MSFC to KSC for launching was planned to use the River systems for boosters and second stages and the Guppy Airplanes for smaller components. Saturn SA-1 and SA-2 had problems when the Wheeler Dam’s new lock was tested on Friday, 6/2/61. When the water load test was done, the inside wall of the lock broke loose from it’s footing in the River bed and it pushed outward into the river with the top tilted into the lock.<br />
<br />
That following Monday morning, my Branch Head, Robert Peatz and Lab Director Werner Kuers, rushed into my Office. Mr. Peatz was excided and asked, “Mr. Woodard, will the accident at Wheeler Dam Lock delay the launch of SA-1?” I was puzzled, I didn’t hear about this problem. Mr. Peatz suggested I do something about the problem and let him know as soon as possible for a later meeting. I got right on it and started investigating the problem. This would delay the launches a few weeks. <br />
<br />
The SA-1 and SA-2 boosters had to be moved overland below the Wheeler Dam and loaded abroad a waiting barge to KSC. The lock was repaired and opened in the Spring of 1962. Normal lock use resumed with the SA-3 booster.<br />
<br />
Time Line of the River Route Bypass:<br />
08/06/61 SA-1 Booster leaves MSFC. <br />
08/09/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at Wheeler and starts down River to KSC. <br />
08/14/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at KSC.<br />
10/27/61 SA-1 Launched "High Water 1". The same routine for the next vehicles. <br />
02/27/62 SA-2 Booster arrived at KSC. <br />
04/25/62 SA-2 Launched "High Water 2".<br />
11/16/62 SA-3 Launched "High Water 3“.<br />
<br />
The work-around routing including temporary a roadway around the Wheeler Dam to a point near Muscle Shoals for some 18 miles, bypassing the Wilson Dam. Docks had to be built to load and unload from the land transporter and the barges. <br />
<br />
The Transportation Equipment was massive and were a great thing to work with. The Barge had environmental control systems and a crew of 12 men to operate and sail it.. A rowdy red-headed Merchant Marine Captain was hired from New Orleans to command it, sober or not, the skipper worked hard on this project. I used the system to ship the large amount of loose equipment to the Cape such as the engine massive thermal insulation blanket kits, 17 large boxes per engine and stopping off in New Orleans for the Tail Fins and sea inspections. I invited the Inspector to our docks to inspect our work for sea safety rules, doing tie downs and packaging procedures to save time. It was a ten day journey normally. <br />
<br />
Arrangements were made for a Navy escort to the Cape including a submarine, destroyer, tanker and a spare sea going tug. On our first load, the Captain and the Inspector got into a huge disagreement over who was in control of the barge. The Inspector went back to New Orleans. I had to really work hard to get the Inspector back by giving leave to the Barge Captain and making sure they would not see one another. <br />
<br />
The fleet of barges used were the Poseidon for Saturn I, the Orion Barge for the Saturn 5 with its new enlarge barge to handle it’s massive size; and also it used for loose equipment. I saved the tie down don age material for reuse. Everything became more tense in this project and more costly. <br />
<br />
Another mode of transport shipments involved the Guppy Airplanes, a converted Boeing B-377, know as the Pregnant Guppy, with for 14 foot wide cargo and the C-97 Super Guppy. Three other visions of the C-97 were made including the 377 MG “Mighty Guppy” for the Saturn 2nd Stage at 22 foot wide cargo. <br />
<br />
My Coordinator job was for eight years. I never missed a deadline or a phone call for service at all hours or day. If only we had Cell Phones back then, it would have helped a lot. I was told that was why I was picked for that job. It was said by experts that the task was as mind-boggling as building the moon rocket itself. Looked back at the many times over the years I had worked without pay when overtime had stopped. I worked as a Rocket Team member and it was my Patriotic Duty. I did get a lot of experience and a lifetime of memories! <br />
<br />
“[[Special:Contributions/64.12.117.69|64.12.117.69]] 00:15, 18 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=River_Of_Moon_Rockets&diff=18420River Of Moon Rockets2012-07-18T00:24:37Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
RIVER OF MOON ROCKETS<br />
<br />
(Saturn Rocket Transportation System)<br />
<br />
In October 1959, while still under the Army, the Advance Research Projects Office gave the go-ahead for the Ordnance Missile Command to do engineering studies using the Tennessee River for transportation and dock facilities assessable to our manufacturing complex at Redstone Arsenal and transportation to the Cape. By December, construction started for docks with electrical winches for roll-on/roll-off operations and design for a barge to carry the oversize boosters to Cape Canaveral. We were organized into NASA on July 1, 1960.<br />
<br />
Shortly after the launch of Mercury-Redstone MR-2 lofting it’s passenger Ham into sub orbit on January 31, 1961, I received an NASA assignment duties as MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator. A single point of contact for KSC Director’s Office for their needs for scheduling and the status of preparing for launches and the delivery of the hardware, it’s documentation, instructions and support for the vehicles on the launch Pad.<br />
<br />
The new Coordinator duties were above my local Lab duties for engineering assignments included explosives, rocket engines and the SkyLab Environmental System for the astronauts. My new added duties covered any launch help requests including technical support, replacement valves, switches or control devices, engines and explosives. Mr. Jewell W. Brady, of our Lab’s Supply Branch, would handle requests for stock nuts and bolts or raw materials items. Things picked up with the launch of America’s first manned launch of Al Shephard onboard MR-3 on May 5, 1961.<br />
<br />
Being on call 24/7 while a vehicle was on the Launch Pad for the Cape’s needs wasn’t so bad but, the logistics of getting everything to and from the Cape was sometime mind boggling. Requiring me to take many trips to the Cape, for launch planning requirements before and after for clean up, comments and start the failure investigations for components returning to MSFC. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed making my stay in Coco Beach at the Polaris Motel, a great beach view of night launches. When my overtime hours expired, I didn’t get paid. I would get placed on standby duty when systems tests were being on the pad (paid 16 out of 24 hours until released (NASA Mgt. Manual Ch 17-6-1-7). MSFC did not adopt this section since it was for launch preparations only. Many times, I had to work with out pay.<br />
<br />
On Easter week-end, Friday, April 16, 1965, at 3:25 PM, I received a call from Dr. Zeiler at the Cape, placing me on standby duty for the next morning at 8 AM. The Cape was running Engine Hydraulic Tests and needed me on stand by call. I asked my Unit Supervisor John Lands, if I had to work the request as I had no more over time hours authorized and MSFC didn’t pay for standby duty. John rushed to check with the Division, as we were leaving work at 3:30 PM. My family was going on a trip for Easter as soon as I got home. John Lands could not get approval and said I couldn’t work more Comp time (compensatory time off - hours taken for leave later) that had reached the limit allowed, what should I do? He said, “If it has me, I would work to save my job, don’t worry I will work it out by letting you off early on week days.“ <br />
<br />
I worked standby until I got a release call on Easter Sunday at 1 PM. I kept up with the time and the following Tuesday, I asked John if I could leave an hour early. He said OK, just sign out at the regular 3:30 PM quitting time as usual and leave. I got stopped at the MP Gate for a vehicle check and search, the time was recorded. By the end of the week, I get a warning letter for leaving work too soon and I signed out too early. I was docked the time with a warning and that ended the pay back for working standby time. I was called many times for standby time and many times I could not get paid. John Lands tried but, I told him, “Well, look at the great experience I’m getting working with the Cape team.” The duration of my eight years working as Cape Launch Coordinator, I gained so much valuable knowledge I considered the unpaid time a gift for learning, as a Rocket Team member and my Patriotic duty.<br />
<br />
The launch vehicles themselves were a lot of problems as they were so big and had a lot of loose equipment and parts that had to have special transportation needs with Navy escorts for River and Sea Travel. Everything in the logistics system had to have special packaging instructions and most could not use standard procedures as these were all new critical designed perimeters and must be “Man Flight Rated” to prevent lost of life.<br />
<br />
Because the Saturn vehicles were originally for the highest integrity and manned missions, it would be inadvisable to degrade the integrity of the Saturn components by using inferior transport modes and techniques. Rocket stages were transported thousands of miles and experienced hundreds of hours of constant vibration. There were the possibility of damage to welded joints and seals, as well as delicate components that were manufactured to very high tolerances and tested. The logistics of rocket stages and parts were not to be taken lightly. Vehicle transporters and sea going barges with tug boats were made as roll-on/roll-off operations. MSFC and the Cape had to build docks on the rivers to vacillate the needs.<br />
<br />
The heavy stuff began with a disaster on the Tennessee River System. Movement of the Saturn Boosters from MSFC to KSC for launching was planned to use the River systems for boosters and second stages and the Guppy Airplanes for smaller components. Saturn SA-1 and SA-2 had problems when the Wheeler Dam’s new lock was tested on Friday, 6/2/61. When the water load test was done, the inside wall of the lock broke loose from it’s footing in the River bed and it pushed outward into the river with the top tilted into the lock.<br />
<br />
That following Monday morning, my Branch Head, Robert Peatz and Lab Director Werner Kuers, rushed into my Office. Mr. Peatz was excided and asked, “Mr. Woodard, will the accident at Wheeler Dam Lock delay the launch of SA-1?” I was puzzled, I didn’t hear about this problem. Mr. Peatz suggested I do something about the problem and let him know as soon as possible for a later meeting. I got right on it and started investigating the problem. This would delay the launches a few weeks. <br />
<br />
The SA-1 and SA-2 boosters had to be moved overland below the Wheeler Dam and loaded abroad a waiting barge to KSC. The lock was repaired and opened in the Spring of 1962. Normal lock use resumed with the SA-3 booster.<br />
<br />
<br />
Time Line of the River Route Bypass:<br />
08/06/61 SA-1 Booster leaves MSFC. <br />
08/09/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at Wheeler and starts down River to KSC. <br />
08/14/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at KSC.<br />
10/27/61 SA-1 Launched "High Water 1". The same routine for the next vehicles. <br />
02/27/62 SA-2 Booster arrived at KSC. <br />
04/25/62 SA-2 Launched "High Water 2".<br />
11/16/62 SA-3 Launched "High Water 3“.<br />
<br />
The work-around routing including temporary a roadway around the Wheeler Dam to a point near Muscle Shoals for some 18 miles, bypassing the Wilson Dam. Docks had to be built to load and unload from the land transporter and the barges. <br />
<br />
The Transportation Equipment was massive and were a great thing to work with. The Barge had environmental control systems and a crew of 12 men to operate and sail it.. A rowdy red-headed Merchant Marine Captain was hired from New Orleans to command it, sober or not, the skipper worked hard on this project. I used the system to ship the large amount of loose equipment to the Cape such as the engine massive thermal insulation blanket kits, 17 large boxes per engine and stopping off in New Orleans for the Tail Fins and sea inspections. I invited the Inspector to our docks to inspect our work for sea safety rules, doing tie downs and packaging procedures to save time. It was a ten day journey normally. <br />
<br />
Arrangements were made for a Navy escort to the Cape including a submarine, destroyer, tanker and a spare sea going tug. On our first load, the Captain and the Inspector got into a huge disagreement over who was in control of the barge. The Inspector went back to New Orleans. I had to really work hard to get the Inspector back by giving leave to the Barge Captain and making sure they would not see one another. <br />
<br />
The fleet of barges used were the Poseidon for Saturn I, the Orion Barge for the Saturn 5 with its new enlarge barge to handle it’s massive size; and also it used for loose equipment. I saved the tie down don age material for reuse. Everything became more tense in this project and more costly. <br />
<br />
Another mode of transport shipments involved the Guppy Airplanes, a converted Boeing B-377, know as the Pregnant Guppy, with for 14 foot wide cargo and the C-97 Super Guppy. Three other visions of the C-97 were made including the 377 MG “Mighty Guppy” for the Saturn 2nd Stage at 22 foot wide cargo. <br />
<br />
My Coordinator job was for eight years. I never missed a deadline or a phone call for service at all hours or day. If only we had Cell Phones back then, it would have helped a lot. I was told that was why I was picked for that job. It was said by experts that the task was as mind-boggling as building the moon rocket itself. Looked back at the many times over the years I had worked without pay when overtime had stopped. I worked as a Rocket Team member and it was my Patriotic Duty. I did get a lot of experience and a lifetime of memories! <br />
<br />
“[[Special:Contributions/64.12.117.69|64.12.117.69]] 00:15, 18 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=River_Of_Moon_Rockets&diff=18419River Of Moon Rockets2012-07-18T00:23:34Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
RIVER OF MOON ROCKETS<br />
<br />
(Saturn Rocket Transportation System)<br />
<br />
In October 1959, while still under the Army, the Advance Research Projects Office gave the go-ahead for the Ordnance Missile Command to do engineering studies using the Tennessee River for transportation and dock facilities assessable to our manufacturing complex at Redstone Arsenal and transportation to the Cape. By December, construction started for docks with electrical winches for roll-on/roll-off operations and design for a barge to carry the oversize boosters to Cape Canaveral. We were organized into NASA on July 1, 1960.<br />
<br />
Shortly after the launch of Mercury-Redstone MR-2 lofting it’s passenger Ham into sub orbit on January 31, 1961, I received an NASA assignment duties as MSFC’s Cape Launch Coordinator. A single point of contact for KSC Director’s Office for their needs for scheduling and the status of preparing for launches and the delivery of the hardware, it’s documentation, instructions and support for the vehicles on the launch Pad.<br />
<br />
The new Coordinator duties were above my local Lab duties for engineering assignments included explosives, rocket engines and the SkyLab Environmental System for the astronauts. My new added duties covered any launch help requests including technical support, replacement valves, switches or control devices, engines and explosives. Mr. Jewell W. Brady, of our Lab’s Supply Branch, would handle requests for stock nuts and bolts or raw materials items. Things picked up with the launch of America’s first manned launch of Al Shephard onboard MR-3 on May 5, 1961.<br />
<br />
Being on call 24/7 while a vehicle was on the Launch Pad for the Cape’s needs wasn’t so bad but, the logistics of getting everything to and from the Cape was sometime mind boggling. Requiring me to take many trips to the Cape, for launch planning requirements before and after for clean up, comments and start the failure investigations for components returning to MSFC. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed making my stay in Coco Beach at the Polaris Motel, a great beach view of night launches. When my overtime hours expired, I didn’t get paid. I would get placed on standby duty when systems tests were being on the pad (paid 16 out of 24 hours until released (NASA Mgt. Manual Ch 17-6-1-7). MSFC did not adopt this section since it was for launch preparations only. Many times, I had to work with out pay.<br />
<br />
On Easter week-end, Friday, April 16, 1965, at 3:25 PM, I received a call from Dr. Zeiler at the Cape, placing me on standby duty for the next morning at 8 AM. The Cape was running Engine Hydraulic Tests and needed me on stand by call. I asked my Unit Supervisor John Lands, if I had to work the request as I had no more over time hours authorized and MSFC didn’t pay for standby duty. John rushed to check with the Division, as we were leaving work at 3:30 PM. My family was going on a trip for Easter as soon as I got home. John Lands could not get approval and said I couldn’t work more Comp time (compensatory time off - hours taken for leave later) that had reached the limit allowed, what should I do? He said, “If it has me, I would work to save my job, don’t worry I will work it out by letting you off early on week days.“ <br />
<br />
I worked standby until I got a release call on Easter Sunday at 1 PM. I kept up with the time and the following Tuesday, I asked John if I could leave an hour early. He said OK, just sign out at the regular 3:30 PM quitting time as usual and leave. I got stopped at the MP Gate for a vehicle check and search, the time was recorded. By the end of the week, I get a warning letter for leaving work too soon and I signed out too early. I was docked the time with a warning and that ended the pay back for working standby time. I was called many times for standby time and many times I could not get paid. John Lands tried but, I told him, “Well, look at the great experience I’m getting working with the Cape team.” The duration of my eight years working as Cape Launch Coordinator, I gained so much valuable knowledge I considered the unpaid time a gift for learning, as a Rocket Team member and my Patriotic duty.<br />
<br />
The launch vehicles themselves were a lot of problems as they were so big and had a lot of loose equipment and parts that had to have special transportation needs with Navy escorts for River and Sea Travel. Everything in the logistics system had to have special packaging instructions and most could not use standard procedures as these were all new critical designed perimeters and must be “Man Flight Rated” to prevent lost of life.<br />
<br />
Because the Saturn vehicles were originally for the highest integrity and manned missions, it would be inadvisable to degrade the integrity of the Saturn components by using inferior transport modes and techniques. Rocket stages were transported thousands of miles and experienced hundreds of hours of constant vibration. There were the possibility of damage to welded joints and seals, as well as delicate components that were manufactured to very high tolerances and tested. The logistics of rocket stages and parts were not to be taken lightly. Vehicle transporters and sea going barges with tug boats were made as roll-on/roll-off operations. MSFC and the Cape had to build docks on the rivers to vacillate the needs.<br />
<br />
The heavy stuff began with a disaster on the Tennessee River System. Movement of the Saturn Boosters from MSFC to KSC for launching was planned to use the River systems for boosters and second stages and the Guppy Airplanes for smaller components. Saturn SA-1 and SA-2 had problems when the Wheeler Dam’s new lock was tested on Friday, 6/2/61. When the water load test was done, the inside wall of the lock broke loose from it’s footing in the River bed and it pushed outward into the river with the top tilted into the lock.<br />
<br />
That following Monday morning, my Branch Head, Robert Peatz and Lab Director Werner Kuers, rushed into my Office. Mr. Peatz was excided and asked, “Mr. Woodard, will the accident at Wheeler Dam Lock delay the launch of SA-1?” I was puzzled, I didn’t hear about this problem. Mr. Peatz suggested I do something about the problem and let him know as soon as possible for a later meeting. I got right on it and started investigating the problem. This would delay the launches a few weeks. <br />
<br />
The SA-1 and SA-2 boosters had to be moved overland below the Wheeler Dam and loaded abroad a waiting barge to KSC. The lock was repaired and opened in the Spring of 1962. Normal lock use resumed with the SA-3 booster.<br />
<br />
<br />
Time Line of the River Route Bypass:<br />
08/06/61 SA-1 Booster leaves MSFC. <br />
08/09/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at Wheeler and starts down River to KSC. <br />
08/14/61 SA-1 Booster arrives at KSC.<br />
10/27/61 SA-1 Launched "High Water 1". The same routine for the next vehicles. <br />
02/27/62 SA-2 Booster arrived at KSC. <br />
04/25/62 SA-2 Launched "High Water 2".<br />
11/16/62 SA-3 Launched "High Water 3“.<br />
<br />
The work-around routing including temporary a roadway around the Wheeler Dam to a point near Muscle Shoals for some 18 miles, bypassing the Wilson Dam. Docks had to be built to load and unload from the land transporter and the barges. <br />
<br />
The Transportation Equipment was massive and were a great thing to work with. The Barge had environmental control systems and a crew of 12 men to operate and sail it.. A rowdy red-headed Merchant Marine Captain was hired from New Orleans to command it, sober or not, the skipper worked hard on this project. I used the system to ship the large amount of loose equipment to the Cape such as the engine massive thermal insulation blanket kits, 17 large boxes per engine and stopping off in New Orleans for the Tail Fins and sea inspections. I invited the Inspector to our docks to inspect our work for sea safety rules, doing tie downs and packaging procedures to save time. It was a ten day journey normally. <br />
<br />
Arrangements were made for a Navy escort to the Cape including a submarine, destroyer, tanker and a spare sea going tug. On our first load, the Captain and the Inspector got into a huge disagreement over who was in control of the barge. The Inspector went back to New Orleans. I had to really work hard to get the Inspector back by giving leave to the Barge Captain and making sure they would not see one another. <br />
<br />
The fleet of barges used were the Poseidon for Saturn I, the Orion Barge for the Saturn 5 with its new enlarge barge to handle it’s massive size; and also it used for loose equipment. I saved the tie down don age material for reuse. Everything became more tense in this project and more costly. <br />
<br />
Another mode of transport shipments involved the Guppy Airplanes, a converted Boeing B-377, know as the Pregnant Guppy, with for 14 foot wide cargo and the C-97 Super Guppy. Three other visions of the C-97 were made including the 377 MG “Mighty Guppy” for the Saturn 2nd Stage at 22 foot wide cargo. <br />
<br />
My Coordinator job was for eight years. I never missed a deadline or a phone call for service at all hours or day. If only we had Cell Phones back then, it would have helped a lot. I was told that was why I was picked for that job. It was said by experts that the task was as mind-boggling as building the moon rocket itself. Looked back at the many times over the years I had worked without pay when overtime had stopped. I worked as a Rocket Team member and it was my Patriotic Duty. I did get a lot of experience and a lifetime of memories! <br />
<br />
“[[Special:Contributions/64.12.117.69|64.12.117.69]] 00:15, 18 July 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=My_Diary_-_Pioneering_Space&diff=18037My Diary - Pioneering Space2012-06-15T00:40:56Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
My Diary - Pioneering Space <br />
<br />
I joined the U.S. Rocket Team in 1958 when I was 26 years old. I got to grew up and work with our first astronauts, Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn. I was awed by all the space developments and I kept a dairy of the years I worked to record the events. It was all about the Space Race! <br />
<br />
As part of the early space program, well before launches to the moon and space walks, I played a key role in America's dream to place a man on the moon in 1969. My engineering assignments included Explosives, Rocket Engines, Cape Launch Coordinator and the Skylab Environmental System for the astronauts.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid, I built a telescope and the stars were all I thought about and space was my dream. Well, I worked hard for an opportunity and made my dream come true. I got picked to join the first NASA Space Team. You too can set your goal, work hard and make your dream come true. <br />
<br />
I want to tell you how America’s early space program started from the first manned Mercury to our Apollo Saturn Rockets to the moon.”<br />
<br />
On entering the building at Redstone where I was going to work, two Germans were leaving and one told me to come with them saying, “It is customary to let new hires ignite a rocket.” In the Blockhouse, on the count, I pressed a red button and seen a twelve second firing of a Redstone Rocket. It was a loud rocket blast with a red hot plume of smoke and fire. I couldn’t believe it, not yet had I reported to my job and already doing this!<br />
<br />
I came out of the Blockhouse and climbed on top of the dirt mound on top and looked at the still smoking rocket. A heavy smoke was hovering over the grounds around the test stand on the hill side. Filled with excitement, I kept smelling this sweet smell and taking deep breaths and feeling really Great! I couldn’t believe at age 26, I was doing this, my childhood dream of space and rockets.<br />
<br />
The two Germans climbed up and ask me what did I think? I said, “Great! Awesome!” I was hyper and taking deep breaths because of the excitement. I asked, “What is that sweet smell? I feel really Great!” One of the Germans, Mr. Kuers said, “Mr. Woodard, that is methyl ethyl alcohol your smelling, once it’s in your blood, you’ll be a rocket man for life! Your getting drunk and we better get you away from here and to your job.” <br />
<br />
Well, it got in my blood alright and I was a rocket man for life with a thirty five year career. From that day forward, the Germans liked me and became my friend. They were my heroes and my mentors, they took me in and gave me advise with my project assignments. They were educators my nature, what a career I had, one in a lifetime!<br />
<br />
This is a summary from my diary while pioneering space with the Army ABMA and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), noting the Russians, other U.S. players in the race to the moon and the events are shown. The events with an Asterisk (*) were the work we did in space.<br />
<br />
CHRONOLOGY LOG OF EVENTS AND FAILURES<br />
<br />
* ARMY ABMA AND MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER EVENTS<br />
<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
*08-20-53 REDSTONE #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
*1-31-58 EXPLORER 1 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO FOR RADIATION<br />
*3-05-58 EXPLORER 2 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, 4TH STAGE FAILED <br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 3 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, IN ORBIT VAN ALLEN BELT<br />
*7-29-58 NASA ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 4 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, ARGUS RADIATION STUDY<br />
*8-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*8-24-58 EXPLORER 5 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, FAILED UPERSTAGES BUMPED <br />
*5-28-59 USAF (ARMY’S JUPITER AM-8) MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
8-07-59 USAF EXPLORER 6 LAUNCHED - ABLE, MAGNETOSPHRERE STUDIES<br />
*9-12-59 USSR LUNA 2 PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 LAUNCHED - JUNO II, STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS TO MSFC-NASA(NEW BADGES)<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1, METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING 165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I YURI GARGRIN l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN C1 SA-1 LAUNCH-H2O/16 STORIES/THRUST=1,296,000 LBS<br />
11-29-61 ATLAS MA-5, CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS <br />
02-20-62 ATLAS MA-6, JOHN GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 ATLES MA-8, SCHIRRA 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN C-l SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V ROCKET STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN C-l SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 ATLES MA-9, COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON LANDING MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SATURN SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 USAF GEMINI ROCKET GT-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT - TEST ESCAPE SYSTEM<br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
01-19-65 USAF GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
03-23-65 USAF GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 USAF GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 USAF GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 USAF GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 USAF GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 USAF GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 USAF GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
05-30-66 |SURVEYOR I ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 USAF GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 USAF GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 USAF GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I PAD FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 SURVEYOR III ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC<br />
*1-14-68 NASA - MSFC REDUCTION IN FORCE(RIF), 1st. LAYOFF 753 EMPLOYEES <br />
* 1968-1975 NASA - MSFC (RIF) from 7327 to 3760, 38/116 Germans remain in 1975 (89% of force).<br />
*1-22-68 APOLLO 5 S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 APOLLO 6 SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 APOLLO 7 S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 APOLLO 8 SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 APOLLO 9 SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 APOLLO 10 SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 APOLLO 11 SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR LUNA 15 MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 APOLLO 12 SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 Dr. von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 APOLLO 13 SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 APOLLO 14 SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 APOLLO 15 SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 APOLLO 16 SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN WENT TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 APOLLO 17 SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 Dr. von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 Dr. von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
??-??-98 USSR "ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCKED WITH ISS - 2ND TIME<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS,AND JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN, RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
07-08-11 SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAST FLIGHT- SHUTTLES RETIED - OVER 130 MISSIONS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED: USA=17, USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS: USA = 4<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 03:19, 14 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=My_Diary_-_Pioneering_Space&diff=18022My Diary - Pioneering Space2012-06-14T03:27:01Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
My Diary - Pioneering Space <br />
<br />
I joined the U.S. Rocket Team in 1958 when I was 26 years old. I built a telescope when I was kid, the stars was I would think about and space was my dream. I got to grew up and work with our first astronauts, Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn. I was awed by all the space developments and I kept a dairy of the years I worked to record the events. It was all about the Space Race! <br />
<br />
This is a summary from my diary while pioneering space with the Army ABMA and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), noting the Russians, other U.S. players in the race to the moon and the events are shown. The events with an Asterisk (*) were the work we did in space.<br />
<br />
CHRONOLOGY LOG OF EVENTS AND FAILURES<br />
<br />
* ARMY ABMA AND MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER EVENTS<br />
<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
*08-20-53 REDSTONE #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
*1-31-58 EXPLORER 1 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO FOR RADIATION<br />
*3-05-58 EXPLORER 2 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, 4TH STAGE FAILED <br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 3 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, IN ORBIT VAN ALLEN BELT<br />
*7-29-58 NASA ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 4 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, ARGUS RADIATION STUDY<br />
*8-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*8-24-58 EXPLORER 5 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, FAILED UPERSTAGES BUMPED <br />
*5-28-59 USAF (ARMY’S JUPITER AM-8) MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
8-07-59 USAF EXPLORER 6 LAUNCHED - ABLE, MAGNETOSPHRERE STUDIES<br />
*9-12-59 USSR LUNA 2 PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 LAUNCHED - JUNO II, STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS TO MSFC-NASA(NEW BADGES)<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1, METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING 165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I YURI GARGRIN l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN C1 SA-1 LAUNCH-H2O/16 STORIES/THRUST=1,296,000 LBS<br />
11-29-61 ATLAS MA-5, CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS <br />
02-20-62 ATLAS MA-6, JOHN GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 ATLES MA-8, SCHIRRA 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN C-l SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V ROCKET STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN C-l SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 ATLES MA-9, COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON LANDING MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SATURN SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 USAF GEMINI ROCKET GT-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT - TEST ESCAPE SYSTEM<br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
01-19-65 USAF GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
03-23-65 USAF GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 USAF GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 USAF GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 USAF GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 USAF GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 USAF GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 USAF GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
05-30-66 |SURVEYOR I ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 USAF GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 USAF GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 USAF GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I PAD FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 SURVEYOR III ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC<br />
*1-14-68 NASA - MSFC REDUCTION IN FORCE(RIF), 1st. LAYOFF 753 EMPLOYEES <br />
* 1968-1975 NASA - MSFC (RIF) from 7327 to 3760, 38/116 Germans remain in 1975 (89% of force).<br />
*1-22-68 APOLLO 5 S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 APOLLO 6 SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 APOLLO 7 S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 APOLLO 8 SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 APOLLO 9 SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 APOLLO 10 SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 APOLLO 11 SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR LUNA 15 MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 APOLLO 12 SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 Dr. von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 APOLLO 13 SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 APOLLO 14 SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 APOLLO 15 SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 APOLLO 16 SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN WENT TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 APOLLO 17 SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 Dr. von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 Dr. von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
??-??-98 USSR "ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCKED WITH ISS - 2ND TIME<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS,AND JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN, RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
07-08-11 SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAST FLIGHT- SHUTTLES RETIED - OVER 130 MISSIONS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED: USA=17, USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS: USA = 4<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 03:19, 14 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=My_Diary_-_Pioneering_Space&diff=18020My Diary - Pioneering Space2012-06-14T03:21:12Z<p>Grady: moved Create an Article to this category to My Diary - Pioneering Space: Add Article to File</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
My Diary - Pioneering Space <br />
<br />
I joined the U.S. Rocket Team in 1958 when I was 26 years old. I built a telescope when I was kid, the stars was I would think about and space was my dream. I got to grew up and work with our first astronauts, Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn. I was awed by all the space developments and I kept a dairy of the years I worked to record the events. It was all about the Space Race! <br />
<br />
This is a summary from my diary of while pioneering space with the Army ABMA and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), noting the Russians, other U.S. players in the race to the moon and the events are shown. The events with an Asterisk (*) were the work we did in space.<br />
<br />
CHRONOLOGY LOG OF EVENTS AND FAILURES<br />
<br />
* ARMY ABMA AND MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER EVENTS<br />
<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
*08-20-53 REDSTONE #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
*1-31-58 EXPLORER 1 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO FOR RADIATION<br />
*3-05-58 EXPLORER 2 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, 4TH STAGE FAILED <br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 3 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, IN ORBIT VAN ALLEN BELT<br />
*7-29-58 NASA ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 4 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, ARGUS RADIATION STUDY<br />
*8-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*8-24-58 EXPLORER 5 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, FAILED UPERSTAGES BUMPED <br />
*5-28-59 USAF (ARMY’S JUPITER AM-8) MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
8-07-59 USAF EXPLORER 6 LAUNCHED - ABLE, MAGNETOSPHRERE STUDIES<br />
*9-12-59 USSR LUNA 2 PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 LAUNCHED - JUNO II, STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS TO MSFC-NASA(NEW BADGES)<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1, METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING 165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I YURI GARGRIN l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN C1 SA-1 LAUNCH-H2O/16 STORIES/THRUST=1,296,000 LBS<br />
11-29-61 ATLAS MA-5, CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS <br />
02-20-62 ATLAS MA-6, JOHN GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 ATLES MA-8, SCHIRRA 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN C-l SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V ROCKET STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN C-l SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 ATLES MA-9, COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON LANDING MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SATURN SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 USAF GEMINI ROCKET GT-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT - TEST ESCAPE SYSTEM<br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
01-19-65 USAF GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
03-23-65 USAF GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 USAF GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 USAF GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 USAF GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 USAF GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 USAF GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 USAF GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
05-30-66 |SURVEYOR I ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 USAF GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 USAF GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 USAF GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I PAD FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 SURVEYOR III ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC<br />
*1-14-68 NASA - MSFC REDUCTION IN FORCE(RIF), 1st. LAYOFF 753 EMPLOYEES <br />
* 1968-1975 NASA - MSFC (RIF) from 7327 to 3760, 38/116 Germans remain in 1975 (89% of force).<br />
*1-22-68 APOLLO 5 S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 APOLLO 6 SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 APOLLO 7 S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 APOLLO 8 SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 APOLLO 9 SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 APOLLO 10 SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 APOLLO 11 SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR LUNA 15 MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 APOLLO 12 SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 Dr. von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 APOLLO 13 SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 APOLLO 14 SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 APOLLO 15 SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 APOLLO 16 SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN WENT TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 APOLLO 17 SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 Dr. von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 Dr. von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
??-??-98 USSR "ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCKED WITH ISS - 2ND TIME<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS,<br />
AND JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN, RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
07-08-11 SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAST FLIGHT- SHUTTLES RETIED - OVER 130 MISSIONS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED: USA=17, USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS: USA = 4<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 03:19, 14 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=My_Diary_-_Pioneering_Space&diff=18019My Diary - Pioneering Space2012-06-14T03:19:56Z<p>Grady: My Diary - Pioneering Space</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
My Diary - Pioneering Space <br />
<br />
I joined the U.S. Rocket Team in 1958 when I was 26 years old. I built a telescope when I was kid, the stars was I would think about and space was my dream. I got to grew up and work with our first astronauts, Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn. I was awed by all the space developments and I kept a dairy of the years I worked to record the events. It was all about the Space Race! <br />
<br />
This is a summary from my diary of while pioneering space with the Army ABMA and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), noting the Russians, other U.S. players in the race to the moon and the events are shown. The events with an Asterisk (*) were the work we did in space.<br />
<br />
CHRONOLOGY LOG OF EVENTS AND FAILURES<br />
<br />
* ARMY ABMA AND MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER EVENTS<br />
<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
*08-20-53 REDSTONE #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
*1-31-58 EXPLORER 1 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO FOR RADIATION<br />
*3-05-58 EXPLORER 2 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, 4TH STAGE FAILED <br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 3 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, IN ORBIT VAN ALLEN BELT<br />
*7-29-58 NASA ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*7-26-58 EXPLORER 4 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, ARGUS RADIATION STUDY<br />
*8-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*8-24-58 EXPLORER 5 LAUNCHED - JUPITER-C JUNO, FAILED UPERSTAGES BUMPED <br />
*5-28-59 USAF (ARMY’S JUPITER AM-8) MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
8-07-59 USAF EXPLORER 6 LAUNCHED - ABLE, MAGNETOSPHRERE STUDIES<br />
*9-12-59 USSR LUNA 2 PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 LAUNCHED - JUNO II, STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS TO MSFC-NASA(NEW BADGES)<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1, METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T TEST 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING 165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I YURI GARGRIN l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN C1 SA-1 LAUNCH-H2O/16 STORIES/THRUST=1,296,000 LBS<br />
11-29-61 ATLAS MA-5, CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS <br />
02-20-62 ATLAS MA-6, JOHN GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 ATLES MA-8, SCHIRRA 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN C-l SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V ROCKET STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN C-l SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 ATLES MA-9, COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON LANDING MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SATURN SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 USAF GEMINI ROCKET GT-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT - TEST ESCAPE SYSTEM<br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
01-19-65 USAF GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
03-23-65 USAF GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 USAF GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 USAF GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 USAF GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 USAF GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 USAF GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 USAF GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
05-30-66 |SURVEYOR I ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 USAF GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 USAF GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 USAF GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I PAD FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 SURVEYOR III ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC<br />
*1-14-68 NASA - MSFC REDUCTION IN FORCE(RIF), 1st. LAYOFF 753 EMPLOYEES <br />
* 1968-1975 NASA - MSFC (RIF) from 7327 to 3760, 38/116 Germans remain in 1975 (89% of force).<br />
*1-22-68 APOLLO 5 S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 APOLLO 6 SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 APOLLO 7 S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 APOLLO 8 SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 APOLLO 9 SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 APOLLO 10 SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 APOLLO 11 SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR LUNA 15 MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 APOLLO 12 SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 Dr. von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 APOLLO 13 SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 APOLLO 14 SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 APOLLO 15 SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 APOLLO 16 SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN WENT TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 APOLLO 17 SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 Dr. von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 Dr. von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
??-??-98 USSR "ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCKED WITH ISS - 2ND TIME<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS,<br />
AND JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN, RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
07-08-11 SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAST FLIGHT- SHUTTLES RETIED - OVER 130 MISSIONS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED: USA=17, USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS: USA = 4<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 03:19, 14 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=How_I_Met_Al,_Gus_and_John&diff=18013How I Met Al, Gus and John2012-06-13T00:49:12Z<p>Grady: Minor changes..</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
"HOW I MET AL, GUS AND JOHN"<br />
<br />
The first astronauts I met was Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn of the Mercury-Redstone Program. Al was chosen in 1960 to be the first American in space. <br />
<br />
I had the assignment to beef up the Redstone A7 engine for man flight and to hand select the components with the highest acceptance values for our first man rocket flight. <br />
<br />
In January, 1960, Dr. von Braun called my Lab to tell us he was bringing over the astronauts, Shepard wanted to “see his ride,” I got the job to give them the tour.<br />
<br />
I called the shop (Harold Parker, from my honetown) to give them the “heads up” alert for important guest! <br />
<br />
We walked down the back street to the shop. Everyone was hard at work.<br />
<br />
Parker was a horsemen and had brought in a saddle that day for a co-worker. <br />
<br />
We viewed the work being done and I was explaining how we used the best and most reliable hardware for safety. I was removing the blue cover from the engine (talking and trying to give Shepard some encouragement).<br />
<br />
The astronauts and Dr. von Braun looked astonished! Gus had a grin, John was awed, Dr. von Braun was stomping his feet and saying to us, “Get Serious!” Al was laughing and pushed me aside to climb upon the engine’s thrust chamber and into the saddle strapped on it. Al asked that the left foot strap be adjusted. <br />
<br />
The workers in the shop were laughing and “rolling on the floor” pointing to us! I just had a joke pulled on me at the worst moment. Dr. von Braun stormed out of the building. <br />
<br />
I just knew I was going to be fired. John says, “fellows, we need to catch up with the boss, lets go!”<br />
<br />
Alan Shepard followed up with more visits himself to ask questions and see the progress of his rocket. <br />
<br />
Al was launched May 5, 1961, on rocket MR-3 for a 60 mile ride into space (up and down). After his brief 15 minute flight Shepard splashed down near Bermuda. <br />
<br />
An ear problem grounded Shepard and he was put in charge of the Astronauts’ Office until his private doctor did unauthorized surgery and Al went to the moon on Apollo 14.<br />
<br />
Al, with his humor, hit a golf ball a mile with his sampling tool.<br />
<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 02:45, 8 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=How_I_Met_Al,_Gus_and_John&diff=17972How I Met Al, Gus and John2012-06-08T03:00:02Z<p>Grady: moved Create an Article to this category to How I Met Al, Gus and John: Move to Category Historical Essays</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
"HOW I MET AL, GUS AND JOHN"<br />
<br />
The first astronauts I met was Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn of the Mercury-Redstone Program. Al was chosen in 1960 to be the first American in space. <br />
<br />
I had the assignment to beef up the Redstone A7 engine for man flight and to hand select the components with the highest acceptance values for our first man rocket flight. <br />
<br />
In January, 1960, Dr. von Braun called my Lab to tell us he was bringing over the astronauts, Shepard wanted to “see his ride,” I got the job to give them the tour.<br />
<br />
I called the shop (Harold Parker, from my hone town) to give them the “heads up” alert for important guest! <br />
<br />
We walked down the back street to the shop. Everyone was harding at work.<br />
<br />
Parker was a horsemen and had brought in a saddle that day for a co-worker. <br />
<br />
We viewed the work being done and I was explaining how we used the best and reliable hardware for safety. I was removing the blue cover from the engine (talking and trying to give Shepard some encouragement).<br />
<br />
The astronauts and von Braun looked astonished! Gus had a grin, John was awed, Dr. von Braun was stomping his feet and saying to us, “Get Serious!” Al was laughing and pushed me aside to climb upon the engine’s thrust chamber and sat in the saddle strapped to it. Al asked that the left foot strap be adjusted. <br />
<br />
The workers in the shop were laughing and “rolling on the floor” pointing to us! I just had a joke pulled on me at the worst moment. Dr. von Braun stormed out of the building. <br />
<br />
I just knew I was going to be fired. John says, “fellows, we need to catch up with the boss, lets go!”<br />
<br />
Alan Shepard followed up with more visits himself to ask questions and see the progress of his rocket. <br />
<br />
He was launched May 5, 1961, on rocket MR-3 for a 60 mile ride into space (up and down). After his brief 15 minute flight Shepard splashed down near Bermuda. <br />
<br />
An ear problem grounded Shepard and he was put in charge of the Astronauts’ Office until his private doctor did unauthorized surgery and Al went to the moon on Apollo 14.<br />
<br />
Al, with humor, hit a golf ball a mile with his sampling tool.<br />
<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 02:45, 8 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=How_I_Met_Al,_Gus_and_John&diff=17971How I Met Al, Gus and John2012-06-08T02:48:24Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
"HOW I MET AL, GUS AND JOHN"<br />
<br />
The first astronauts I met was Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn of the Mercury-Redstone Program. Al was chosen in 1960 to be the first American in space. <br />
<br />
I had the assignment to beef up the Redstone A7 engine for man flight and to hand select the components with the highest acceptance values for our first man rocket flight. <br />
<br />
In January, 1960, Dr. von Braun called my Lab to tell us he was bringing over the astronauts, Shepard wanted to “see his ride,” I got the job to give them the tour.<br />
<br />
I called the shop (Harold Parker, from my hone town) to give them the “heads up” alert for important guest! <br />
<br />
We walked down the back street to the shop. Everyone was harding at work.<br />
<br />
Parker was a horsemen and had brought in a saddle that day for a co-worker. <br />
<br />
We viewed the work being done and I was explaining how we used the best and reliable hardware for safety. I was removing the blue cover from the engine (talking and trying to give Shepard some encouragement).<br />
<br />
The astronauts and von Braun looked astonished! Gus had a grin, John was awed, Dr. von Braun was stomping his feet and saying to us, “Get Serious!” Al was laughing and pushed me aside to climb upon the engine’s thrust chamber and sat in the saddle strapped to it. Al asked that the left foot strap be adjusted. <br />
<br />
The workers in the shop were laughing and “rolling on the floor” pointing to us! I just had a joke pulled on me at the worst moment. Dr. von Braun stormed out of the building. <br />
<br />
I just knew I was going to be fired. John says, “fellows, we need to catch up with the boss, lets go!”<br />
<br />
Alan Shepard followed up with more visits himself to ask questions and see the progress of his rocket. <br />
<br />
He was launched May 5, 1961, on rocket MR-3 for a 60 mile ride into space (up and down). After his brief 15 minute flight Shepard splashed down near Bermuda. <br />
<br />
An ear problem grounded Shepard and he was put in charge of the Astronauts’ Office until his private doctor did unauthorized surgery and Al went to the moon on Apollo 14.<br />
<br />
Al, with humor, hit a golf ball a mile with his sampling tool.<br />
<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 02:45, 8 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=How_I_Met_Al,_Gus_and_John&diff=17970How I Met Al, Gus and John2012-06-08T02:47:24Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
"HOW I MET AL,GUS AND JOHN"<br />
<br />
The first astronauts I met was Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn of the Mercury-Redstone Program. Al was chosen in 1960 to be the first American in space. <br />
<br />
I had the assignment to beef up the Redstone A7 engine for man flight and to hand select the components with the highest acceptance values for our first man rocket flight. <br />
<br />
In January, 1960, Dr. von Braun called my Lab to tell us he was bringing over the astronauts, Shepard wanted to “see his ride,” I got the job to give them the tour.<br />
<br />
I called the shop (Harold Parker, from my hone town) to give them the “heads up” alert for important guest! <br />
<br />
We walked down the back street to the shop. Everyone was harding at work.<br />
<br />
Parker was a horsemen and had brought in a saddle that day for a co-worker. <br />
<br />
We viewed the work being done and I was explaining how we used the best and reliable hardware for safety. I was removing the blue cover from the engine (talking and trying to give Shepard some encouragement).<br />
<br />
The astronauts and von Braun looked astonished! Gus had a grin, John was awed, Dr. von Braun was stomping his feet and saying to us, “Get Serious!” Al was laughing and pushed me aside to climb upon the engine’s thrust chamber and sat in the saddle strapped to it. Al asked that the left foot strap be adjusted. <br />
<br />
The workers in the shop were laughing and “rolling on the floor” pointing to us! I just had a joke pulled on me at the worst moment. Dr. von Braun stormed out of the building. <br />
<br />
I just knew I was going to be fired. John says, “fellows, we need to catch up with the boss, lets go!”<br />
<br />
Alan Shepard followed up with more visits himself to ask questions and see the progress of his rocket. <br />
<br />
He was launched May 5, 1961, on rocket MR-3 for a 60 mile ride into space (up and down). After his brief 15 minute flight Shepard splashed down near Bermuda. <br />
<br />
An ear problem grounded Shepard and he was put in charge of the Astronauts’ Office until his private doctor did unauthorized surgery and Al went to the moon on Apollo 14.<br />
<br />
Al, with humor, hit a golf ball a mile with his sampling tool.<br />
<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 02:45, 8 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=How_I_Met_Al,_Gus_and_John&diff=17969How I Met Al, Gus and John2012-06-08T02:45:43Z<p>Grady: How I met astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn, a joke by the Shop on me.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
"HOW I MET AL,GUS AND JOHN"<br />
<br />
The first astronauts I met was Alan Shepard, Gus Grison and John Glenn of the Mercury-Redstone Program. Al was chosen in 1960 to be the first American in space. <br />
<br />
I had the assignment to beef up the Redstone A7 engine for man flight and to hand select the components with the highest acceptance values for our first man rocket flight. <br />
<br />
In January, 1960, Dr. von Braun called my Lab to tell us he was bringing over the astronauts, Shepard wanted to “see his ride,” I got the job to give them the tour.<br />
<br />
I called the shop (Harold Parker, from my hone town) to give them the “heads up” alert for important guest! <br />
<br />
We walked down the back street to the shop. Everyone was harding at work.<br />
<br />
Parker was a horsemen and had brought in a saddle that day for a co-worker. <br />
<br />
We viewed the work being done and I was explaining how we used the best and reliable hardware for safety. I was removing the blue cover from the engine (talking and trying to give Shepard some encouragement).<br />
<br />
The astronauts and von Braun looked astonished! Gus had a grin, John was awed, Dr. von Braun was stomping his feet and saying to us, “Get Serious!” Al was laughing and pushed me aside to climb upon the engine’s thrust chamber and sat in the saddle strapped to it. Al asked that the left foot strap be adjusted. <br />
<br />
The workers in the shop were laughing and “rolling on the floor” pointing to us! I just had a joke pulled on me at the worst moment. Dr. von Braun stormed out of the building. <br />
<br />
I just knew I was going to be fired. John says, “fellows, we need to catch up with the boss, lets go!”<br />
<br />
Alan Shepard followed up with more visits himself to ask questions and see the progress of his rocket. <br />
<br />
He was launched May 5, 1961, on rocket MR-3 for a 60 mile ride into space (up and down). After his brief 15 minute flight Shepard splashed down near Bermuda. <br />
<br />
An ear problem grounded Shepard and he was put in charge of the Astronauts’ Office until his private doctor did unauthorized surgery and Al went to the moon on Apollo 14.<br />
<br />
Al, with humor, hit a golf ball a mile with his sampling tool.<br />
<br />
<br />
“[[User:Grady|Grady]] 02:45, 8 June 2012 (UTC)“</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=JFK_Moon_Order&diff=16214JFK Moon Order2011-06-22T01:27:37Z<p>Grady: moved Create an Article to this category to JFK Moon Order: Move to Category Historical Essays</p>
<hr />
<div>Grady's Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
Moon Order - JKF<br />
<br />
“President Kennedy Visits MSFC, Gives Moon Order”<br />
<br />
On Tuesday, September 11, 1962, the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, arrived on Air Force One at the Redstone Arsenal Air Strip at 10:35 AM. The President’s visit to the Marshall Space Flight Center reason was to give an order to the Rocket Team in person and to visit the facilities. <br />
<br />
It was a warm sunny day and 438 German Rocket Scientists, engineers (me included) and with special invited local City, County, State, Washington representatives to welcome President Kennedy, his family, staff and British scientists. The President had with him, the first lady Jacqueline, his two children Caroline and John Jr. “John John”, the kids’ Nanny, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, NASA Administrator James Webb and the British leading rocket scientist Dr. Jerome Wiesner.<br />
<br />
Local welcoming representatives were Senator John Sparkman, Huntsville’s Mayor Speck Searcy, Dr. von Braun and the German Rocket Team including other Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) leading engineers and managers. A reviewing stand and chairs were set up next to the Airstrip’s hanger and office building on the tarmac with Air Force One in the background. A band was playing and things were appearing to be a very important event. The President had come to give an order to the MSFC Rocket Center employees in person. After things got settled down and all those present had found their seats, we all stood and the Army Band played. Washington’s representatives were seated on the right side of the stand, the local representatives were on the left and the President with his family seated in the center behind the Presidential Seal Podium.<br />
<br />
The first speaker, the Mayor of Huntsville who welcomed the visitors followed Dr. von Braun and Senator Sparkman introduced the President. The President recognized those present and thanked them for coming to the event.<br />
<br />
“I am delighted to be here and I’m particularly delighted to be here on this occasion,” the President said. “Recently, in a join speech to the U.S. Congress, I told them about my dream of putting an American on the Moon. People asked, “Why should we place a man on the moon?” If history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, weather we join in or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.” President Kennedy said.<br />
<br />
“Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it-we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we will not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by an banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.” the President expressly stated. <br />
<br />
All eyes and ears were glued to the President, for this day has been an eternity coming for these great German Rocket Scientist, with all of the hardships they have endured. President Kennedy spoke with his eyes upon each face in the crowd and everyone knew he was speaking directly to them, as on a one to one level. Just as the President was well into his delivery, John John, got loose from his Nanny and was playing on the stand steps, jumping up and down on them and swinging on the hand rails making load noises. No one tried to quit him, even though he was disturbing, we had to endure John John’s three year old mischief. We were not about to miss one word of the President’s order.<br />
<br />
“Yet, the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading space-faring nation,” said the President. “There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. It’s hazards are hostile to us all conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal?<br />
<br />
And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.<br />
<br />
It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the President. I am asking this Rocket Team to place a man on the moon in this decade. I want it, the Congress wants it and the American people want it.” President Kennedy said. Dr. von Braun responded and thanked the President and accepted the challenge saying, “We will put a man on the moon this decade.” The Band played as everyone was leaving. The President’s car departed with a following convoy.<br />
<br />
It was after twelve noon, when everyone got away. We rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries.<br />
<br />
The German Rocket Team members and all of the MSFC attendees were elated with smiles and handshakes. Finely, since 1927, the Team will build a rocket not intended for War but for space exploring of the new frontier. Excitement fell on the Marshall Space Flight Center, the Army’s Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, State and America. <br />
<br />
Four years after the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik shock of 1957 greatly embarrassing us, Kennedy felt great pressure to have the United States “catch up to and overtake” the Russians in the space race. He wanted to announce a program that the U.S. had a strong chance at achieving before the Soviet Union. After consulting with Johnson, Webb, Dr. von Braun and others, that landing an American on the moon would be a very challenging technological feat, but an area of space exploration in which the U.S. actually had a potential lead because of having the famed German Rocket Team.<br />
<br />
The enormous human efforts and expenditures for the Apollo Program would rank with the construction of the Panama Canal, the Manhattan Project were comparable. The Apollo was designed to execute Kennedy’s goal. CIA reports were circulated often in MSFC to inform everyone how the Russians were progressing, a move to energize the workers.<br />
<br />
President Kennedy Promised the United States would let a man walk on the moon before the decade was out. Then, almost nobody believed him, except the German Rocket Team was very serious about taking the order from the Commanding Chief, and completing the project before the decade was out. During the Building 4705 tour, the British expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner, and Dr. von Braun argued. The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon. To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!”<br />
<br />
The next morning, activity was wide spread at MSFC. Meetings and conferences were taking place. Every aspects of the Saturn 5 vehicle was being reviewed and status reports compiled. Developing a schedule for the massive moon rocket was given the priority. A meeting was held in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab the following day and I was given the task to develop a Master Schedule Plan to place an American on the moon. The entire staff of the MSFC was beaming with joy and some concerns at the same time. The Rocket Team took command and orders were followed intensely. The President was pleased with the progress and offered his support to Dr. von Braun in the coming years. The President was killed on November 22, 1963, and didn’t see his dream come true. On July 20, 1969, an American walked on the moon.<br />
<br />
[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:48, 20 June 2011 (UTC),</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=How_I_Met_Al,_Gus_and_John&diff=16215How I Met Al, Gus and John2011-06-22T01:27:37Z<p>Grady: moved Create an Article to this category to JFK Moon Order: Move to Category Historical Essays</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[JFK Moon Order]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=JFK_Moon_Order&diff=16210JFK Moon Order2011-06-20T19:10:09Z<p>Grady: Minor changes.</p>
<hr />
<div>Grady's Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
Moon Order - JKF<br />
<br />
“President Kennedy Visits MSFC, Gives Moon Order”<br />
<br />
On Tuesday, September 11, 1962, the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, arrived on Air Force One at the Redstone Arsenal Air Strip at 10:35 AM. The President’s visit to the Marshall Space Flight Center reason was to give an order to the Rocket Team in person and to visit the facilities. <br />
<br />
It was a warm sunny day and 438 German Rocket Scientists, engineers (me included) and with special invited local City, County, State, Washington representatives to welcome President Kennedy, his family, staff and British scientists. The President had with him, the first lady Jacqueline, his two children Caroline and John Jr. “John John”, the kids’ Nanny, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, NASA Administrator James Webb and the British leading rocket scientist Dr. Jerome Wiesner.<br />
<br />
Local welcoming representatives were Senator John Sparkman, Huntsville’s Mayor Speck Searcy, Dr. von Braun and the German Rocket Team including other Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) leading engineers and managers. A reviewing stand and chairs were set up next to the Airstrip’s hanger and office building on the tarmac with Air Force One in the background. A band was playing and things were appearing to be a very important event. The President had come to give an order to the MSFC Rocket Center employees in person. After things got settled down and all those present had found their seats, we all stood and the Army Band played. Washington’s representatives were seated on the right side of the stand, the local representatives were on the left and the President with his family seated in the center behind the Presidential Seal Podium.<br />
<br />
The first speaker, the Mayor of Huntsville who welcomed the visitors followed Dr. von Braun and Senator Sparkman introduced the President. The President recognized those present and thanked them for coming to the event.<br />
<br />
“I am delighted to be here and I’m particularly delighted to be here on this occasion,” the President said. “Recently, in a join speech to the U.S. Congress, I told them about my dream of putting an American on the Moon. People asked, “Why should we place a man on the moon?” If history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, weather we join in or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.” President Kennedy said.<br />
<br />
“Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it-we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we will not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by an banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.” the President expressly stated. <br />
<br />
All eyes and ears were glued to the President, for this day has been an eternity coming for these great German Rocket Scientist, with all of the hardships they have endured. President Kennedy spoke with his eyes upon each face in the crowd and everyone knew he was speaking directly to them, as on a one to one level. Just as the President was well into his delivery, John John, got loose from his Nanny and was playing on the stand steps, jumping up and down on them and swinging on the hand rails making load noises. No one tried to quit him, even though he was disturbing, we had to endure John John’s three year old mischief. We were not about to miss one word of the President’s order.<br />
<br />
“Yet, the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading space-faring nation,” said the President. “There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. It’s hazards are hostile to us all conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal?<br />
<br />
And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.<br />
<br />
It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the President. I am asking this Rocket Team to place a man on the moon in this decade. I want it, the Congress wants it and the American people want it.” President Kennedy said. Dr. von Braun responded and thanked the President and accepted the challenge saying, “We will put a man on the moon this decade.” The Band played as everyone was leaving. The President’s car departed with a following convoy.<br />
<br />
It was after twelve noon, when everyone got away. We rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries.<br />
<br />
The German Rocket Team members and all of the MSFC attendees were elated with smiles and handshakes. Finely, since 1927, the Team will build a rocket not intended for War but for space exploring of the new frontier. Excitement fell on the Marshall Space Flight Center, the Army’s Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, State and America. <br />
<br />
Four years after the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik shock of 1957 greatly embarrassing us, Kennedy felt great pressure to have the United States “catch up to and overtake” the Russians in the space race. He wanted to announce a program that the U.S. had a strong chance at achieving before the Soviet Union. After consulting with Johnson, Webb, Dr. von Braun and others, that landing an American on the moon would be a very challenging technological feat, but an area of space exploration in which the U.S. actually had a potential lead because of having the famed German Rocket Team.<br />
<br />
The enormous human efforts and expenditures for the Apollo Program would rank with the construction of the Panama Canal, the Manhattan Project were comparable. The Apollo was designed to execute Kennedy’s goal. CIA reports were circulated often in MSFC to inform everyone how the Russians were progressing, a move to energize the workers.<br />
<br />
President Kennedy Promised the United States would let a man walk on the moon before the decade was out. Then, almost nobody believed him, except the German Rocket Team was very serious about taking the order from the Commanding Chief, and completing the project before the decade was out. During the Building 4705 tour, the British expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner, and Dr. von Braun argued. The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon. To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!”<br />
<br />
The next morning, activity was wide spread at MSFC. Meetings and conferences were taking place. Every aspects of the Saturn 5 vehicle was being reviewed and status reports compiled. Developing a schedule for the massive moon rocket was given the priority. A meeting was held in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab the following day and I was given the task to develop a Master Schedule Plan to place an American on the moon. The entire staff of the MSFC was beaming with joy and some concerns at the same time. The Rocket Team took command and orders were followed intensely. The President was pleased with the progress and offered his support to Dr. von Braun in the coming years. The President was killed on November 22, 1963, and didn’t see his dream come true. On July 20, 1969, an American walked on the moon.<br />
<br />
[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:48, 20 June 2011 (UTC),</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=JFK_Moon_Order&diff=16208JFK Moon Order2011-06-20T18:48:12Z<p>Grady: Moon Order - JFK. is about the visit of President Kennedy to MSFC to give his order to the moon.</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Joining The Space Race!]]<br />
Grady's Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
"Moon Order - JKF"<br />
<br />
“President Kennedy Visits MSFC, Gives Moon Order”<br />
<br />
On Tuesday, September 11, 1962, the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, arrived on Air Force One at the Redstone Arsenal Air Strip at 10:35 AM. The President’s visit to the Marshall Space Flight Center reason was to give an order to the Rocket Team in person and to visit the facilities. <br />
<br />
It was a warm sunny day and 438 German Rocket Scientists, engineers (me included) and with special invited local City, County, State, Washington representatives to welcome President Kennedy, his family, staff and British scientists. The President had with him, the first lady Jacqueline, his two children Caroline and John Jr. “John John”, the kids’ Nanny, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, NASA Administrator James Webb and the British leading rocket scientist Dr. Jerome Wiesner.<br />
<br />
Local welcoming representatives were Senator John Sparkman, Huntsville’s Mayor Speck Searcy, Dr. von Braun and the German Rocket Team including other Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) leading engineers and managers. A reviewing stand and chairs were set up next to the Airstrip’s hanger and office building on the tarmac with Air Force One in the background. A band was playing and things were appearing to be a very important event. The President had come to give an order to the MSFC Rocket Center employees in person. After things got settled down and all those present had found their seats, we all stood and the Army Band played. Washington’s representatives were seated on the right side of the stand, the local representatives were on the left and the President with his family seated in the center behind the Presidential Seal Podium.<br />
<br />
The first speaker, the Mayor of Huntsville who welcomed the visitors followed Dr. von Braun and Senator Sparkman introduced the President. The President recognized those present and thanked them for coming to the event.<br />
<br />
“I am delighted to be here and I’m particularly delighted to be here on this occasion,” the President said. “Recently, in a join speech to the U.S. Congress, I told them about my dream of putting an American on the Moon. People asked, “Why should we place a man on the moon?” If history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, weather we join in or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.” President Kennedy said.<br />
<br />
“Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it-we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we will not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by an banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.” the President expressly stated. <br />
<br />
All eyes and ears were glued to the President, for this day has been an eternity coming for these great German Rocket Scientist, with all of the hardships they have endured. President Kennedy spoke with his eyes upon each face in the crowd and everyone knew he was speaking directly to them, as on a one to one level. Just as the President was well into his delivery, John John, got loose from his Nanny and was playing on the stand steps, jumping up and down on them and swinging on the hand rails making load noises. No one tried to quit him, even though he was disturbing, we had to endure John John’s three year old mischief. We were not about to miss one word of the President’s order.<br />
<br />
“Yet, the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading space-faring nation,” said the President. “There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. It’s hazards are hostile to us all conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal?<br />
<br />
And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.<br />
<br />
It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the President. I am asking this Rocket Team to place a man on the moon in this decade. I want it, the Congress wants it and the American people want it.” President Kennedy said. Dr. von Braun responded and thanked the President and accepted the challenge saying, “We will put a man on the moon this decade.” The Band played as everyone was leaving. The President’s car departed with a following convoy.<br />
<br />
It was after twelve noon, when everyone got away. We rushed to our Labs to get ready for the President’s visit to see our facilities and a Saturn C-1 static firing. We in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab had an awesome display set up in our Missile Assembly Building 4705 for the President and his dignitaries.<br />
<br />
The German Rocket Team members and all of the MSFC attendees were elated with smiles and handshakes. Finely, since 1927, the Team will build a rocket not intended for War but for space exploring of the new frontier. Excitement fell on the Marshall Space Flight Center, the Army’s Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, State and America. <br />
<br />
Four years after the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik shock of 1957 greatly embarrassing us, Kennedy felt great pressure to have the United States “catch up to and overtake” the Russians in the space race. He wanted to announce a program that the U.S. had a strong chance at achieving before the Soviet Union. After consulting with Johnson, Webb, Dr. von Braun and others, that landing an American on the moon would be a very challenging technological feat, but an area of space exploration in which the U.S. actually had a potential lead because of having the famed German Rocket Team.<br />
<br />
The enormous human efforts and expenditures for the Apollo Program would rank with the construction of the Panama Canal, the Manhattan Project were comparable. The Apollo was designed to execute Kennedy’s goal. CIA reports were circulated often in MSFC to inform everyone how the Russians were progressing, a move to energize the workers.<br />
<br />
President Kennedy Promised the United States would let a man walk on the moon before the decade was out. Then, almost nobody believed him, except the German Rocket Team was very serious about taking the order from the Commanding Chief, and completing the project before the decade was out. During the Building 4705 tour, the British expert, Dr. Jerome Wiesner, and Dr. von Braun argued. The British wanted to directly hit the moon’s broadside with a Nova rocket and Dr. von Braun had select a lunar orbit and descend to the surface of the moon. To end the argument, President Kennedy turns and said, “Show me something else!”<br />
<br />
The next morning, activity was wide spread at MSFC. Meetings and conferences were taking place. Every aspects of the Saturn 5 vehicle was being reviewed and status reports compiled. Developing a schedule for the massive moon rocket was given the priority. A meeting was held in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab the following day and I was given the task to develop a Master Schedule Plan to place an American on the moon. The entire staff of the MSFC was beaming with joy and some concerns at the same time. The Rocket Team took command and orders were followed intensely. The President was pleased with the progress and offered his support to Dr. von Braun in the coming years. The President was killed on November 22, 1963, and didn’t see his dream come true. On July 20, 1969, an American walked on the moon.<br />
<br />
[[User:Grady|Grady]] 18:48, 20 June 2011 (UTC),</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=User_talk:Grady&diff=16207User talk:Grady2011-06-17T01:33:25Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>Hello, My Name Is Grady.<br />
<br />
I was one of the first NASA Engineers at MSFC from the Army's ABMA with Dr. von Braun's Rocket Team. I was the engineer on the rocket engines, destruct systems, stage seperations and retro rocket explosives; and Cape Launch Coordinator for the Redstone-Mercury and Apollo Programs. I worked with the German Rocket Team for ten years, both at Huntsville and Cape Kennedy. I developed the SkyLab Astro Enviomental System. I also served as the Projects Engineer on many projects such as getting all the bits and components to the Cape with instructions.<br />
<br />
I got to work with the first seven astros, I liked Al, Gus and John a lot. Al was my pick and explained to him often about his "Ride". I was the last person out of the Apollo I spacecraft when the astros went in before the fire on 1/27/1967. I did nothing wrong. It was a sad time for all of us.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, I do tell space stories of events that took place during the time we pioneered space.<br />
<br />
-Grady, <br />
Email SStarBar2@aol.com<br />
<br />
<br />
We're honored to have you on board! -- [[User:Jarogers2001|Jarogers2001]] 21:03, 19 January 2007 (PST)</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=User_talk:Grady&diff=16206User talk:Grady2011-06-17T01:22:28Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>Hello, my name is Grady.<br />
<br />
I was one of the first NASA Engineers at MSFC from the Army's ABMA with Dr. von Braun's Rocket Team. I was the engineer on the rocket engines, destruct systems, stage seperations and retro rocket explosives; and Cape Launch Coordinator for the Redstone-Mercury and Apollo Programs. I worked with the German Rocket Team for ten years, both at Huntsville and Cape Kennedy. I developed the SkyLab Astro Enviomental System. I also served as the Projects Engineer on many projects such as getting all the bits and components to the Cape with instructions.<br />
<br />
I got to work with the first seven astros, I liked Al, Gus and John a lot. Al was my pick and explained to him often about his "Ride". I was the last person out of the Apollo I spacecraft when the astros went in before the fire on 1/27/1967. I did nothing wrong. It was a sad time for all of us.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, I do tell space stories of events that took place during the time we pioneered space.<br />
<br />
-Grady<br />
Email SStarBar2@aol.com<br />
<br />
<br />
We're honored to have you on board! -- [[User:Jarogers2001|Jarogers2001]] 21:03, 19 January 2007 (PST)</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=User_talk:Grady&diff=16205User talk:Grady2011-06-17T01:21:54Z<p>Grady: Minor change, added e-mail address.</p>
<hr />
<div>Hello, my name is Grady.<br />
<br />
I was one of the first NASA Engineers at MSFC from the Army's ABMA with Dr. von Braun's Rocket Team. I was the engineer on the rocket engines, destruct systems, stage seperations and retro rocket explosives; and Cape Launch Coordinator for the Redstone-Mercury and Apollo Programs. I worked with the German Rocket Team for ten years, both at Huntsville and Cape Kennedy. I developed the SkyLab Astro Enviomental System. I also served as the Projects Engineer on many projects such as getting all the bits and components to the Cape with instructions.<br />
<br />
I got to work with the first seven astros, I liked Al, Gus and John a lot. Al was my pick and explained to him often about his "Ride". I was the last person out of the Apollo I spacecraft when the astros went in before the fire on 1/27/1967. I did nothing wrong. It was a sad time for all of us.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, I do tell space stories of events that took place during the time we pioneered space.<br />
<br />
-Grady<br />
Email SSatBar2@aol.com<br />
<br />
<br />
We're honored to have you on board! -- [[User:Jarogers2001|Jarogers2001]] 21:03, 19 January 2007 (PST)</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Something_I_Felt,_My_NASA_Moment&diff=16200Something I Felt, My NASA Moment2011-06-14T02:10:51Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>Grady's Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
"Something I Felt, My NASA Moment"<br />
<br />
On April 16, 1965 - Everyone at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was waiting for the Saturn <br />
S-IC-T, 5 PM first static firing of the World’s biggest rocket. I was the Engine Project Engineer and was worried about the assembly of five huge rocket engines firing 7.5 million pounds of thrust in one concentrated package. It had the power of an Atom bomb and never before had this been achieved on a rocket. From my office building, I crossed the street to the far end of the parking lot for a view of the hillside Test Stand. I was about 2,000 yards away. The rocket’s tail section was getting sprayed with 28,000 gallons of water per minute to cool the rocket, test stand and the flame shield deflector pointed in a downstream cannel to the Tennessee River away from the City of Huntsville.<br />
<br />
Warning horns were blasting and the test firing was near. With the loudest blast of 118 volume decibels, the whole hill side and rocket was engulfed in black smoke and red flames. I was thinking the rocket blew up and it was my fault! With my eyes glued to hill, a heavy sonic blast of sound waves traveling at a velocity of 6,900 m/s, struck me like a ten ton truck The force knocked me down, caved in my stomach and knocked my breath out. With my hands over my ears, I felt my eyeballs were popping out I didn‘t take my eyes of that hill. I was wishing the firing would shut off for pain relief. The 6.5 second test felt like twenty minutes. The rocket shut off and the black smoke gave way to the color of white and settling nearer the ground. I could see the dim shape of the rocket, it was still there! Getting my breath back, I got to my feet. Everything looked Great as white smoke trailed from the engines. I mumbled, “Oh God, what have we done, Man has no business fooling with this kind of power.” <br />
<br />
The next day, everyone was excided and partying with cake and coffee. I was feeling sad and felt what Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer felt when he exploded the Atom bomb on July 16, 1945. I was depressed and I didn’t want anything to do with this new found “God like” power, where would this lead us? If mismanaged, awesome things could come to us! My coworkers inquired why I was not celebrating? My old German Branch Head, Robert Paetz, now Saturn 5 Project Manager, came to visit us and he talked to me. Mr. Paetz said, “It means we can fulfill President Kennedy and America’s dream of putting a Man on the Moon, achieving one of the Greatest events ever for Mankind!” I then joined the celebration and our work continued. It was something I felt, “My NASA Moment.”<br />
<br />
We always had damage in the City from our rocket blasts. This time, store windows were broken, pictures fell and dishes were broken. The Saturn 5 rocket stands 36 stories tall,33 feet in Diameter and burns 30,000 lbs of fuel per second. It is still and may always be, the biggest rocket man ever built! Ten times the speed of a rifle bullet. On July 20, 1969, we put a Man on the Moon. <br />
<BR/>-- [[User:Grady|Grady]] 02:10, 14 June 2011 (UTC), <br />
[[category:Historical Essays]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Something_I_Felt,_My_NASA_Moment&diff=16199Something I Felt, My NASA Moment2011-06-13T19:59:47Z<p>Grady: "Something I Felt, My NASA Moment" is about the first static firing of the S-IC-T Moon Rocket and its power.</p>
<hr />
<div>Grady's Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
"Something I Felt, My NASA Moment"<br />
<br />
On April 16, 1965 - Everyone at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was waiting for the Saturn <br />
S-IC-T, 5 PM first static firing of the World’s biggest rocket. I was the Engine Project Engineer and was worried about the assembly of five huge rocket engines firing 7.5 million pounds of thrust in one concentrated package. It had the power of an Atom bomb and never before had this been achieved on a rocket. From my office building, I crossed the street to the far end of the parking lot for a view of the hillside Test Stand. I was about 2,000 yards away. The rocket’s tail section was getting sprayed with 28,000 gallons of water per minute to cool the rocket, test stand and the flame shield deflector pointed in a downstream cannel to the Tennessee River away from the City of Huntsville.<br />
<br />
Warning horns were blasting and the test firing was near. With the loudest blast of 118 volume decibels, the whole hill side and rocket was engulfed in black smoke and red flames. I was thinking the rocket blew up and it was my fault! With my eyes glued to hill, a heavy sonic blast of sound waves traveling at a velocity of 6,900 m/s, struck me like a ten ton truck The force knocked me down, caved in my stomach and knocked my breath out. With my hands over my ears, I felt my eyeballs were popping out I didn‘t take my eyes of that hill. I was wishing the firing would shut off for pain relief. The 6.5 second test felt like twenty minutes. The rocket shut off and the black smoke gave way to the color of white and settling nearer the ground. I could see the dim shape of the rocket, it was still there! Getting my breath back, I got to my feet. Everything looked Great as white smoke trailed from the engines. I mumbled, “Oh God, what have we done, Man has no business fooling with this kind of power.” <br />
<br />
The next day, everyone was excided and partying with cake and coffee. I was feeling sad and felt what Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer felt when he exploded the Atom bomb on July 16, 1945. I was depressed and I didn’t want anything to do with this new found “God like” power, where would this lead us? If mismanaged, awesome things could come to us! My coworkers inquired why I was not celebrating? My old German Branch Head, Robert Paetz, now Saturn 5 Project Manager, came to visit us and he talked to me. Mr. Paetz said, “It means we can fulfill President Kennedy and America’s dream of putting a Man on the Moon, achieving one of the Greatest events ever for Mankind!” I then joined the celebration and our work continued. It was something I felt, “My NASA Moment.”<br />
<br />
We always had damage in the City from our rocket blasts. This time, store windows were broken, pictures fell and dishes were broken. The Saturn 5 rocket stands 36 stories tall,33 feet in Diameter and burns 30,000 lbs of fuel per second. It is still and may always be, the biggest rocket man ever built! Ten times the speed of a rifle bullet. On July 20, 1969, we put a Man on the Moon. <br />
<br />
[[category:Historical Essays]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Rocket_Pioneers,_Schemers_and_Dreamers!&diff=15490Rocket Pioneers, Schemers and Dreamers!2010-05-14T23:57:48Z<p>Grady: Show Robert's death.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
Rocket Pioneers, Schemers and Dreamers!<br />
<br />
Space pioneer Hermann Oberth was one of the most significant rocketry pioneers of the 20th-century, by birth a Romanian but by nationality a German. Born on June 25, 1894, in Hermannstadt, Romania, Oberth's theories into practical space vehicles started German rocket clubs all over Germany as hardcore rocket enthusiasts tried to translate Oberth's theories into practical space vehicles. The most important of these clubs was the Verein fur Raumschiffarht (Rocket Society) or the "Society for Space Travel." Oberth became something of a godfather for the VfR during the 1920s, encouraging the efforts of the young Wernher von Braun, who developed the V-2 rocket.<br />
<br />
Oberth was the dreamer that fueled the Rocket Societies that scientists joined and all were the pioneers and schemers for interplanetary space travel. The hotbed of rocketry was Germany. The Group served the Germany Army at Peenemuende during World War II. After the war, spent time in Britain, then the U.S. Army recruited as many as possible for V-2 rocket work at Ft. Bliss, Texas. This Group had always schemed to get support funding in developing rockets for their dreams of interplanetary space travel. Building weapons of War helped by providing that funding. <br />
<br />
After his transfer to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama in April 1950, von Braun was appointed Director of Development Operations. Dr. von Braun invited Oberth to work for him on his program. On 1 July 1960, his team were transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. Hermann Oberth died December 29, 1989, in a hospital in Nuremberg, West Germany. This is the listing of the original group’s arrival with the addition of where they worked and what their jobs were after leaving Ft. Bliss, Texas. Many more were recruited at Redstone. The Group’s dream came true, man did travel in space to the moon and did interplanetary probes. <br />
<br />
All of us who worked in the Mercury and Apollo Programs with these Rocket Pioneers, Schemers and Dreamers, were most fortunate. To be part of a program that has been ranked by all Americans as the greatest peacetime achievement of mankind in the last one hundred years, in putting a man on the moon! To build seventeen Saturn 5 rockets, the world’s largest in history and all performed well without failure, is an awesome record!<br />
<br />
All had moved to the United States around 1945 when Wernher von Braun and the 118 members of his rocket team emigrated from Germany to Redstone Arsenal Alabama. <br />
I’m so grateful to have been be picked to work with these great scientists and project. <br />
--------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<u>Rocket Pioneers, Schemers and Dreamers:</u><br />
Groups= (1) SS Argentina arrived 11/16/1945, (2) Victory Ship Central Falls arrived 2/3/1946, (3) USS Florence Nightingale on 4/8/1946, (4) Was at Fort Bliss in January 1947, <br />
(5) Scientists recruited to other US locations like Wright Field. (6) Arrive at Newcastle Army Field on September 18, 1945. Total First Arrivals=131.<br />
* = Names of the "Original 118 Team" at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama <br />
<br />
List shows names after Ft. Bliss with their reference work location and building number, from Redstone-Army Missile Command Roster - June 1966, MSFC 1960-1967 Charts, Organization Roster - June 1967, Organization Codes, I=Industrial(Contracts), R=R&D, ASTR=Astrionics, AERO= Astrodynamics, P&VE=Propulsion & Vehicle Engineering, TEST= Test Firing, COMP=Computer, ME=Manufacturing Engineering, QUAL=Quality Inspection, Others Noted or Unknown:<br />
<br />
<u>Names - Locations - Status:</u> <br />
*Angele, Wilhelm - Group(4) MSFC R-ASTR-P Prototype Development 4487<br />
*Axster, Dr. Herbert - Group(1) Redstone Army - Guided Missiles - Died in Germany <br />
*Ball, Erich K. - Group(1) MSFC R-TEST-SA Chief, Test Support 4453<br />
Bauschinger, Oskar - Group(1) Returned to Germany<br />
*Bedurftig, Hermann M. - Group(1) Army-MSFC Mechanical Systems<br />
*Beichel, Rudolf - Group(1) - Moved to Aerojet<br />
*Beier, Anton - Group(1) Army-MSFC - Died at Huntsville 9-12-1960<br />
*Bergeler, Herbert R. - Group(1) MSFC R-P&VE-PE 4619<br />
*Boehm, Josef - Group(4) MSFC R-ASTR-M Electro-Mechanical 4487<br />
Bruenecke, Gerhardt - Group(4) Returned to Germany<br />
*Buchhold, Dr. Theodor - Group(4) Returned to Germany<br />
*Burose, Walter - Group(4) Army-MSFC, Died at Huntsville 4-22-1983<br />
Dahm, Werner K. - Group(5) MSFC R-AERO-A Aerodynamics 4200<br />
*Dannenberg, Konrad K. - Group(1) MSFC R-S Technical Assistant R&D 4200<br />
*De Beek, Gerd W. - Group(1) MSFC MS-G Graphics Engineering 4471 <br />
*Debus, Dr. Kurt - Group(4) KSC DIR Director, Launch Operations<br />
*Deppe, Kurt - Group(5) Returned to Germany<br />
*Dhom, Friedrich - Group(4) MSFC I-IB-E - Moved from private sector in USA<br />
*Dobrick, Herbert - Group(4) Returned to Germany<br />
Dornberger, Walter - Group(5) Redstone Visit - Bell Aircraft - Returned to Germany<br />
*Drawe, Gerhard P. - Group(1) MSFC R-ASTR-R Applied Research 4487 <br />
*Duerr, Friedrich - Group(1) MSFC I-V-IU Saturn 5 Mgr. Instrument Unit 4201<br />
Eckert, Ernst - Group(5) USAF - Wright-Patterson Field - Joined The Univerity of Minnesota<br />
Ehricke, Kraft - Group(5) Redstone - Army Aeronautical - Joined Bell Aircraft<br />
*Eisenhardt, Otto K. - Group(1) MSFC R-ME-D Director, Development 4712<br />
*Fichtner, Hans J. - Group(1) MSFC R-ASTR-E Electrical Integration 4487 <br />
*Finzel, Alfred J. - Group(1) MSFC I-DIR Staff to Director, Industrial Operations 4201<br />
*Fischel, Dr. Edward - group(4) Returned to Germany<br />
*Fleischer, Karl - Group(1) Returned to Germany<br />
*Friedrich, Dr. Hans - Group(4) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
Friedrich Michael - Group(6) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Fuhrmann, Herbert - Group(1) MSFC R-P&VE-PM Mechanical Systems 4610<br />
*Geissler, Dr. Ernst - Group(1) MSFC R-AERO-DIR Aero-Astrodynamics Lab 4200<br />
*Gengelbach, Werner - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Grau, Dieter E. MSFC R-QUAL-DIR Director, Quality Lab 4708 <br />
*Gruene, Dr. Hans F. - Group(1) MSFC JA 4200, KSC-Director Launch Operations<br />
*Guendel, Herbert - Group(4) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
Gustav, Johann - Group(4)- Ft. Bliss, Moved to private sector in USA - Returned to Germany <br />
Hager, Dr. Carl - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Haukohl, Guenther H. - Group(1) MSFC R-TEST-CV 4666 Returned to Germany<br />
Häussermann, Walter - Group(4) MSFC R-ASTR-DIR Astrionics Lab 4487 <br />
*Heimburg, Karl L. MSFC R-TEST-DIR Test Division 4666<br />
*Hellebrand, Emil A. H. - Group(1) MSFC R-P&VE-DIR Propulsion & Vehicles 4610<br />
*Heller, Gerhard - Group(4) MSFC R-RP Experiments Research 4481 <br />
*Helm, Bruno K. - Group(1) MSFC R-ME-DA Assembly Development Shops 4755<br />
*Henning, Alfred H. - Group(4) Army Deputy Director Weapons Office<br />
*Heusinger, Bruno K. - Group(1) MSFC R-P&VE-P Propulsion Division 4610<br />
*Hintze, Guenther - Group(4) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Hirschler, Otto H. - Group(1) Army- Missile Com. R&D/MSFC <br />
*Hoberg, Otto A. - Group(1) MSFC R-ASTR-I Instrumentations 4487<br />
*Hoelker, Dr. Rudolf - Group(1) Army-MSFC Deputy, Aeroballistics <br />
*Hoelzer, Helmut - Group(4) MSFC R-COMP Computer Lab 4663<br />
*Holderer, Oscar C. - Group(1) MSFC R-AERO-A Aerophysics 4200 <br />
*Horn, Helmut - Group(1) MSFC R-AERO-D Flight Mechanics 4200<br />
*Hosenthien, Hans H. - Group(1) MSFC R-ASTR-F Flight Test 4487<br />
*Hueter, Hans W. - Group(1) MSFC I-DIR Deputy, Industrial Operations 4200<br />
*Huzel, Dieter K. F. - Group( 2) KSC (1962). Cape Canaveral -Moved from Rocketdyne<br />
*Jacobi, Walter W. - Group(1) MSFC R-P&VE-VD Chief, Systems Operations 4610<br />
*Jungert, Wilhelm - Group(6) Returned to Germany<br />
*Kaschig, Erich K. - Group(1) Army-MSFC - Died at Huntsville 9-9-1988<br />
*Klauss, Ernst K. - Group(1) MSFC R-QUAL-J Sr. Engineer, Quality Lab 4708<br />
*Klein, Johann - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Kroll, Gustav A. - Group(4) MSFC R-P&VE-S Structures Design 4610<br />
*Kuers, Werner R. - Group(1) MSFC R-ME-DIR Manufacturing Lab 4712<br />
Kurzweg, Hermann - Group(5) Naval Ordnance Lab.- NASA Headquarters D.C.<br />
*Lange, Hermann - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Lindenberg, Hans - Group(3) MSFC R-AERO-F Flight Test 4200<br />
*Lindenmayr, Hans J. - Group(1) MSFC R-AERO-F 4484 Returned to Germany<br />
*Lindner, Kurt - Group(1) Redstone Army - Returned to Germany<br />
*Leuhersen, Hannes Mandel, - Group(4) MSFC F&D-CH 4200 Returned to Germany<br />
*Mandel, Carl Heinz - Group(4) MSFC R-ASTR-G Gyros 4487<br />
*Maus, Hans H. - Group(4) MSFC E-DIR Director, Executive Staff 4200<br />
*Merk, Helmut - Group(1) Redstone Army - MSFC Rail Technology <br />
*Michel, Dr. Joseph - Group(1) Redstone Army - Returned to Germany<br />
*Milde, Hans W. - Group(4) MSFC R-ASTR-GDA Design Section 4487<br />
*Millinger, Heinz - Group(4) Redstone Army - Returned to Germany<br />
*Minning, Rudolf - Group(4) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Mrazek, Dr. William - Group(4) MSFC I-DIR Assistant Director Industrial Ops. 4201<br />
*Muehlner, Dr. Joachim W.- Group(4) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Mueller, Dr. Fritz - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Neubert, Erich W. - Group(6) MSFC DEP-T Associate Technical Director 4200<br />
*Neuhoefer, Kurt - Group(4) - Redstone, Private sector in USA Died in Huntsville<br />
*Novak, Max E. - Group(1) MSFC R-ME-A Chief, Assembly 4712<br />
Oberth, Hermann - Group(5) Redstone, Army-July 5,1955, to November,1958<br />
*Paetz, Robert - Group(4) MSFC I-V-SIC Saturn 5 Stage Manager 4201. Died in Huntsville.<br />
*Palaoro, Hans R. - Group(4) MSFC R-P&VE-DIR Vehicle Engineering 4610<br />
*Patt, Kurt E. - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Paul, Hans G. - Group(1) MSFC R-P&VE-P Chief, Propulsion Division 4610<br />
*Poppel, Theodor A. - Group(6) KSC - Launch Facility - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Rees, Dr. Eberhard - Group(4) MSFC DEP-T Deputy Director Technical 4200<br />
*Reisig, Gerhard H. - Group(4) Army-MSFC Engineering Physics - Retired in Huntsville<br />
*Riedel, Walther Johannes - Group(4) Redstone Army - Moved to Rocketdyne<br />
Rickhey George - Group(5) Army - Edgewood Arsenal Chemicals Division<br />
*Rosinski, Werner K. - Group(4) MSFC R-ASTR-ESE Electrical Equipment 4492<br />
*Roth, Ludwig - Group(1) (V-1 Rocket) - Redstone- Douglas Aircraft S-IVB Stage<br />
*Rothe, Heinrich C. - Group(4) - Army-MSFC-Moved to private sector in USA<br />
Rudolf, Hermann - Group(1) USAF Wright Field - Hercules Solid Rockets<br />
*Rudolph, Dr. Arthur - Group(4) MSFC I-V-MGR 4201 Returned to Germany<br />
*Scheufelen, Klaus Eduard - Group(1) Redstone - Army<br />
*Schilling, Dr. Martin - Group(1) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Schlidt, Rudolf Karl Hans - Group(1) Redstone - Army<br />
*Schlitt, Dr. Helmuth - Group(1) - Redstone Army - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
Schmidt, Helmut Heinrich - Group(1) Army-MSFC- Returned to Germany<br />
*Schnarowski, Heinz Ludwig - Group(1) Returned to Germany <br />
*Schuler, Albert E. - Group(1) MSFC R-TEST-ID Chief, Instrumentation 4650<br />
*Schulze, William A. - Group(6) MSFC R-P&VE-V Vehicle Systems 4610<br />
*Schwarz, Friedrich - group(4) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Schwidetzky, Dr. Walter Hans - Group(6) - Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Sendler, Karl - Group(1) KSC DIR - Instrumentation-Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Sieber, Dr. Werner - Group(4) MSFC R-TEST-I Chief, Test Instrument Controls 4566<br />
*Spohn, Eberhard Julius - Group(4) Returned to Germany<br />
*Steinhoff, Dr. Ernst - Group(1) Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Steuer, Dr. Wolfgang - Group(1) Moved to private sector in USA <br />
*Stuhlinger, Dr. Ernst - Group(2) MSFC R-RP Director, Research Projects 4481<br />
*Tessmann, Bernhard - Group(1) MSFC R-TEST-DIR Deputy Director 4666<br />
*Thiel, Dr. Adolf K. - Group(4) Moved to private sector in USA<br />
*Tiller, Werner G. - Group(4)MSFC R-QUAL-DIR Assist. Quality Lab 4708<br />
*Tschinkel, Dr. Johann G. - Group(1) Redstone - Army<br />
*Urbanski, Arthur - Group(1) MSFC R-QUAL-M Mechanical Analysis 4708<br />
*Vandersee, Fritz - Group(1) MSFC R-TEST-BS Test Shop 4650<br />
*Von Braun, Magnus-Group(1) Redstone-Chemicals-Moved to private sector USA<br />
*Von Braun, Dr. Wernher - Group(6) MSFC DIR Director of MSFC 4200 <br />
*Voss, Werner E. - Group(4) MSFC R-P&VE-PM Propulsion Mechanics 4610<br />
*Vowe, Theodor K. - Group(4) Redstone Army-MSFC- Dies in Huntsville 6-7-1989<br />
*Wagner, Karl - Group(4) Redstone - Army Physical Chemist<br />
*Weidner, Dr. Hermann - Group(4) MSFC R-DIR Director, R&D 4200<br />
*Wiesman, Walter F. - Group(4) MSFC MA-S 4202 Manpower Administration <br />
*Wittmann, Albin E. - Group(4) MSFC R-QUAL-T Electrical Analysis 4708<br />
*Woerdemann, Hugo - Group(1) Army-MSFC, to Ramco-Woolridge d.6-24-1999 Cal.<br />
*Zeiler, Albert - Group(4) MSFC/KSC Launch Ops. 4200 - To private sector USA<br />
*Zoike, Helmut - Group(4) Redstone Arsenal - Moved to private sector in USA <br />
<br />
First Arrivals:<br />
Deceased prior to 1965 (8) = Beir, Burose, Friedrich, Henning, Lindenberg, Lindner, Scharnowski and Schwarz. Returned to Germany before 1965 (17) = Boehm, De Beek, Heller, Heusinger, Mandel, Minning, Neuhoefer, Palaoro, Patt, Roth, Rothe, Schlidt, Schlitt, Schwidetzky, Steurer, Tiller and Vandersee. <br />
<br />
More that 6.000 of the Germans rocket scientists went to Russia loved the Russian country and its people. However, living conditions were not what they had been used to in Germany. As such, the ones that survived, returned to their country of birth. Later, 8 of the 12 German scientists that came to Point Mugu, CA to the Naval Air Missile Test Center in 1947 under "Operation Paperclip" were Wilfried H. Hell, Dr. Herbert A. Wagner, W. Hohenner, Edgar W. Kutzscher, Reinhard N. Lahde, Dr. Ernst O.H. Friedrich, Dr. Hans E. Hollmann, Theodore Sturm, Robert Lusser, Willy Fiedler and Otto Schwede.</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Konrad_Dannenberg_Inspires&diff=15186Konrad Dannenberg Inspires2009-07-06T02:48:37Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<!-- CHAPTER I does this label belong here? uncomment if the answer is 'yes' --><br />
[[image:MSFC_Early_Rockets.jpg|thumb|240px|Juno, Mercury Redstone, and Saturn I rockets. This photo was taken during preparations for a visit from [[John F Kennedy|JFK]].]]<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
At the Marshall Space Flight Center (Redstone Arsenal), Huntsville, Alabama, the moon space race with the Russians was well underway in 1962. The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory of the Research and Development Operations, was very busy building the Saturn rockets. The Engine Unit, where I worked in the Planning and Engineering Branch, was moved from Headquarters Building 4712 to the Missile Assembly Shop Mezzanine in Building 4705. It was next to the Office of Max E. Nowak, Chief, of the Assembly Branch. The Engine Unit would to be closer to the work and assist Mr. Novak with engine problems better. The Mezzanine Offices over looked the shops below, which included the missile assembly line,other shops and the engine work area. <br />
<br />
On Tuesday, May 15, 1962, I was in my Engine Unit Office, when Mr. Nowak and his Deputy Bruno K. Helm, came by and asked me to go with them to the engine area and look at the repair of an engine thrust chamber after a static firing test. Numerous cracks in the engine thrust chamber cooling tubes that make up the chamber itself, were cracking and a repair was developed for them. The cracks were cut out of the damaged stainless steel tubes and a patch was welded in and that was covered by a welded back up steel plate. If the weld didn’t hold, the “pressure vessel” created by the cover plate, would not let the hot gases leak out and would not be an explosive risk to man flight.<br />
<br />
The engines were mounted on rotating work stands we designed with a large hand wheel with an adjustable counter balance weight that could be rotated in positions, to make work on the engine very assessable for technicians. We were looking how well the repair held up as the cracks became a huge problem and we were behind schedule because of it. We found that the repair worked great and now we could return to the schedule to beat the Russians to the moon. <br />
<br />
As we examined the repair on the engine near the Missile Assembly Line, a large group of sixty-seven Seniors from the Susan Moore High School, of Susan Moore, Alabama, was on tour in the buildings. This school was in the middle of crossroads of America farming country, just eight miles from my home town, sixty-five miles South of Huntsville. My school played basketball and football with their teams. <br />
<br />
The tour guide stopped the group between us and the assembly of a Saturn I rocket. A MSFC speaker begin to talk to the young and inquiring future Americans. We were held spellbound by the words of the speaker. I asked Bruno Helm, “Who is this guy?” “His name is Konrad Dannenberg, Technical Assistant to our R&D Division Director Hermann Weidner.“ Bruno said. We were very puzzled as to why our very busy Konrad Dannenberg was doing tours, which had became an everyday occurrence. <br />
<br />
We stood frozen, listening to Dannenberg’s speech. He told the kids about how we were working hard toward winning the space race as he explained the Saturn C-1 vehicle to them. He urged the graduates to continue their valued education and help in the space race. Dannenberg told them about Auburn University’s Nuclear Center Program and the educational opportunities it would provide. Konrad Dannenberg’s beautiful address to these fine young Americans were most inspiring. <br />
<br />
Mr. Novak, Helm and myself could not leave during the twenty minute speech. I wish all high school graduates could hear this great German Rocket Scientist speak. It was the first time I had know about Konrad Dannenberg. From that day forward, Dannenberg became a hero to many people. Bruno Helm said, “Now that we have been inspired, we need to rush back upstairs and solve the next problem.” Max Novak looks at us over his glasses for a moment and said, “Mr. Woodard is young enough to rush, but you and I will take our time.” We all laughed and went back to our offices feeling very good that we had solved a major problem that moved us a step closer to the moon and winning the space race. We were walking with a spring in our step, chest high and chin up from the great inspiring speech from Konrad Dannenberg. We knew America’s future was in good hands with those graduates. Konrad Dannenberg, 96, died February 16, 2009, in Huntsville, Alabama.<br />
<br />
<!-- See Contributing Photo with this story under Images - Category: Transportation Title: MSFC Early Rockets --><br />
<!-- -Grady Woodard, Retired NASA Engineer --><br />
<br />
<!-- [[Category: ]] --><br />
[[Category: Historical Essays]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Konrad_Dannenberg_Inspires&diff=15185Konrad Dannenberg Inspires2009-07-06T02:39:44Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<!-- CHAPTER I does this label belong here? uncomment if the answer is 'yes' --><br />
[[image:MSFC_Early_Rockets.jpg|thumb|240px|Juno, Mercury Redstone, and Saturn I rockets. This photo was taken during preparations for a visit from [[John F Kennedy|JFK]].]]<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
At the Marshall Space Flight Center (Redstone Arsenal), Huntsville, Alabama, the moon space race with the Russians was well underway in 1962. The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory of the Research and Development Operations, was very busy building the Saturn rockets. The Engine Unit, where I worked in the Planning and Engineering Branch, was moved from Headquarters Building 4712 to the Missile Assembly Shop Mezzanine in Building 4705. It was next to the Office of Max E. Nowak, Chief, of the Assembly Branch. The Engine Unit would to be closer to the work and assist Mr. Novak with engine problems better. The Mezzanine Offices over looked the shops below, which included the missile assembly line,other shops and the engine work area. <br />
<br />
On Tuesday, May 15, 1962, I was in my Engine Unit Office, when Mr. Nowak and his Deputy Bruno K. Helm, came by and asked me to go with them to the engine area and look at the repair of an engine thrust chamber after a static firing test. Numerous cracks in the engine thrust chamber cooling tubes that make up the chamber itself, were cracking and a repair was developed for them. The cracks were cut out of the damaged stainless steel tubes and a patch was welded in and that was covered by a welded back up steel plate. If the weld didn’t hold, the “pressure vessel” created by the cover plate, would not let the hot gases leak out and would not be an explosive risk to man flight.<br />
<br />
The engines were mounted on rotating work stands we designed with a large hand wheel with an adjustable counter balance weight that could be rotated in positions, to make work on the engine very assessable for technicians. We were looking how well the repair held up as the cracks became a huge problem and we were behind schedule because of it. We found that the repair worked great and now we could return to the schedule to beat the Russians to the moon. <br />
<br />
As we examined the repair on the engine near the Missile Assembly Line, a large group of sixty-seven Seniors from the Susan Moore High School, of Susan Moore, Alabama, was on tour in the buildings. This school was in the middle of crossroads of America farming country, just eight miles from my home town, sixty-five miles South of Huntsville. My school played basketball and football with their teams. <br />
<br />
The tour guide stopped the group between us and the assembly of a Saturn I rocket. A MSFC speaker begin to talk to the young and inquiring future Americans. We were held spellbound by the words of the speaker. I asked Bruno Helm, “Who is this guy?” “His name is Konrad Dannenberg, Technical Assistant to our R&D Division Director Hermann Weidner.“ Bruno said. We were very puzzled as to why our very busy Konrad Dannenberg was doing tours, which had became an everyday occurrence. <br />
<br />
We stood frozen, listening to Dannenberg’s speech. He told the kids about how we were working hard toward winning the space race as he explained the Saturn C-1 vehicle to them. He urged the graduates to continue their valued education and help in the space race. Dannenberg told them about Auburn University’s Nuclear Center Program and the educational opportunities it would provide. Konrad Dannenberg’s beautiful address to these fine young Americans were most inspiring. <br />
<br />
Mr. Novak, Helm and myself could not leave during the twenty minute speech. I wish all high school graduates could hear this great German Rocket Scientist speak. It was the first time I had know about Konrad Dannenberg. From that day forward, Dannenberg became a hero to many people. Bruno Helm said, “Now that we have been inspired, we need to rush back upstairs and solve the next problem.” Max Novak looks at us over his glasses for a moment and said, “Mr. Woodard is young enough to rush, but you and I will take our time.” We all laughed and went back to our offices feeling very good that we had solved a major problem that moved us a step closer to the moon and winning the space race. We were walking with a spring in our step, chest high and chin up from the great inspiring speech from Konrad Dannenberg. We knew America’s future was in good hands with those graduates. Konrad Dannenberg, 96, died February 17, 2009, in Huntsville, Alabama.<br />
<br />
<!-- See Contributing Photo with this story under Images - Category: Transportation Title: MSFC Early Rockets --><br />
<!-- -Grady Woodard, Retired NASA Engineer --><br />
<br />
<!-- [[Category: ]] --><br />
[[Category: Historical Essays]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Joining_The_Space_Race!&diff=14720Joining The Space Race!2008-12-16T03:42:44Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
JOINING THE SPACE RACE! <br />
<br />
On Monday, April 14, 1958, I reported to work at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The famed German Rocket team was working for ABMA building rockets for War. The Soviet Union had launched two satellites, Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and Sputnik II on November 3, 1957. These space firsts caught the United States by total surprise and Soviets had command of the skies. After the Navy and the Air Force had failures attempting to launch this country's first satellite, President Eisenhower ordered the ABMA team to do it in ninety days. That was done on January 31, 1958, with Explorer I in eight-eight days with the Redstone rocket.<br />
<br />
Both Nations were rushing to be the first to place a man into space. Project Mercury was conceived for the US to put up our first astronauts in a crash program. The Air Force was banking on their Atlas rocket and the Army (ABMA) looked at their Redstone for this task. It was the Mercury - Redstone rocket, with one man up and down in space payload, work for ABMA and the Mercury - Atlas rocket, one man orbit payload work for the Air Force. ABMA was to follow with developing a large Saturn rocket and the Air Force to follow with the two man Gemini orbit docking project as this was needed for us to go into space exploration.<br />
<br />
Before our first astronauts had been picked to fly into space in the Mercury Program, I was already doing upgrade man flight work on the Redstone A7 engine in May of 1958 with the Army at Redstone Arsenal. The Mercury Program was not initiated until October 7, 1958<br />
<br />
Our mission at ABMA was to prepare the Redstone rocket for our man flight rating. Three weeks after I arrived, I was assigned to man-rate the rocket engine. The seventy eight thousand pound thrust Redstone A 7 used Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene fuels. The Redstone rocket was sixty nine feet tall, seventy inches in diameter and had a payload weight of two thousand pounds.<br />
<br />
The Mercury-Redstone Project started on a twelve hour - seven days a week overtime schedule. The production of new Mercury-Redstone rockets began in Building 4706. The directives, shop orders, memorandums and all documentation was stamped using a priority action system. A stamp saying "BLAST" and was used for the first step above routine priority. Two "BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a priority of urgent. Three "BLAST -BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a hand carry, emergency highest priority action.<br />
<br />
Our work came with training. We were told that even a small mistake could cost a person's life. We were told to work as if we ourselves, were riding the rockets. That "huge consequences" would be paid to the one who "killed someone" and this was the first chance for the rocket team during in it's long history, to explore space with man launches," said our Group Leader. "Dr. von Braun will not stand for failures or mistakes," he added.<br />
<br />
We were unaware that on October 24, 1960, the Russian's large unmanned R-16 rocket exploded on its pad. The Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev on September 23, 1960, was pounding his shoe on his desk in protest at the United Nations. Khrushchev had ordered his space officer, Marshall Nedelin, to launch the moon rocket while he was in the limelight. The window for a moon launch was about to close and the R-16 was in a delay because of a misfire. After a few minutes with fuel onboard, Nedelin ordered the technicians to inspect the failure when the R-16 blew up killing 165 people. <br />
<br />
Mr. Khrushchev was irate that he had missed an important political event to prove that the Soviet Union was the better Nation. Later. Four accidents with the N1 moon rocket and money problems caused the Russians to abandon their moon project. We had won that race and didn't know it! We launched Apollo 8 moon fly by on 12/21/1968 and Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place<br />
between the Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players, in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
MY SPACE RACE LOG OF EVENTS <br />
* = [[Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center|ARMY ABMA-MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER]] EVENTS<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
<br />
*08-20-53 [[REDSTONE]] #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
<br />
*01-31-58 EXPLORER I JUPITER-C RADIATION<br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-29-58 [[NASA]] ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*08-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*5-28-59 USAF JUPITER AM-8 MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
*9-12-59 USSR [[Luna 2|LUNA 2]] PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 JUNO II -STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS-TO MSFC-NASA<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1,METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING<br />
165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I [[Yuri Gagarin|YURI GARGRIN]]-l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
<br />
11-29-62 ATLAS CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS MA-5<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN Cl SA-l LAUNCH-H20/16 STORIES/THRUST=I,296,OOO LBS<br />
02-20-62 MA-6 ATLAS GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 SCHIRRA MA-8 ATLAS 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN Cl SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN Cl SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 MA-9 ATLAS COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 6T-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT <br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
<br />
01-19-65 GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
<br />
03-23-65 GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
<br />
05-30-66 [[Surveyor I|SURVEYOR I]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 [[Surveyor III|SURVEYOR III]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
<br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
<br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC <br />
*1-22-68 [[Apollo 5|APOLLO 5]] S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 [[Apollo 6|APOLLO 6]] SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 [[Apollo 7|APOLLO 7]] S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 [[Apollo 8|APOLLO 8]] SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 [[Apollo 9|APOLLO 9]] SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 [[Apollo 10|APOLLO 10]] SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 [[Apollo 11|APOLLO 11]] SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR [[Luna 15|LUNA 15]] MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 [[Apollo 12|APOLLO 12]] SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 [[Apollo 13|APOLLO 13]] SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 [[Apollo 14|APOLLO 14]] SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 [[Apollo 15|APOLLO 15]] SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 [[Apollo 16|APOLLO 16]] SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 [[Apollo 17|APOLLO 17]] SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 DR.von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 DR.von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
<br />
??-??-98 USSR" ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCTED WITH ISS - 1ST TIME<br />
<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS<br />
<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED:<br />
<br />
USA=17<br />
<br />
USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS:<br />
<br />
USA = 4</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Joining_The_Space_Race!&diff=14719Joining The Space Race!2008-12-16T03:41:46Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
JOINING THE SPACE RACE! <br />
<br />
On Monday, April 14, 1958, I reported to work at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama. The famed German Rocket team was working for ABMA building rockets for War. The Soviet Union had launched two satellites, Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and Sputnik II on November 3, 1957. These space firsts caught the United States by total surprise and Soviets had command of the skies. After the Navy and the Air Force had failures attempting to launch this country's first satellite, President Eisenhower ordered the ABMA team to do it in ninety days. That was done on January 31, 1958, with Explorer I in eight-eight days with the Redstone rocket.<br />
<br />
Both Nations were rushing to be the first to place a man into space. Project Mercury was conceived for the US to put up our first astronauts in a crash program. The Air Force was banking on their Atlas rocket and the Army (ABMA) looked at their Redstone for this task. It was the Mercury - Redstone rocket, with one man up and down in space payload, work for ABMA and the Mercury - Atlas rocket, one man orbit payload work for the Air Force. ABMA was to follow with developing a large Saturn rocket and the Air Force to follow with the two man Gemini orbit docking project as this was needed for us to go into space exploration.<br />
<br />
Before our first astronauts had been picked to fly into space in the Mercury Program, I was already doing upgrade man flight work on the Redstone A7 engine in May of 1958 with the Army at Redstone Arsenal. The Mercury Program was not initiated until October 7, 1958<br />
<br />
Our mission at ABMA was to prepare the Redstone rocket for our man flight rating. Three weeks after I arrived, I was assigned to man-rate the rocket engine. The seventy eight thousand pound thrust Redstone A 7 used Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene fuels. The Redstone rocket was sixty nine feet tall, seventy inches in diameter and had a payload weight of two thousand pounds.<br />
<br />
The Mercury-Redstone Project started on a twelve hour - seven days a week overtime schedule. The production of new Mercury-Redstone rockets began in Building 4706. The directives, shop orders, memorandums and all documentation was stamped using a priority action system. A stamp saying "BLAST" and was used for the first step above routine priority. Two "BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a priority of urgent. Three "BLAST -BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a hand carry, emergency highest priority action.<br />
<br />
Our work came with training. We were told that even a small mistake could cost a person's life. We were told to work as if we ourselves, were riding the rockets. That "huge consequences" would be paid to the one who "killed someone" and this was the first chance for the rocket team during in it's long history, to explore space with man launches," said our Group Leader. "Dr. von Braun will not stand for failures or mistakes," he added.<br />
<br />
We were unaware that on October 24, 1960, the Russian's large unmanned R-16 rocket exploded on its pad. The Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev on September 23, 1960, was pounding his shoe on his desk in protest at the United Nations. Khrushchev had ordered his space officer, Marshall Nedelin, to launch the moon rocket while he was in the limelight. The window for a moon launch was about to close and the R-16 was in a delay because of a misfire. After a few minutes with fuel onboard, Nedelin ordered the technicians to inspect the failure when the R-16 blew up killing 165 people. <br />
<br />
Mr. Khrushchev was irate that he had missed an important political event to prove that the Soviet Union was the better Nation. Later. Four accidents with the N1 moon rocket and money problems caused the Russians to abandon their moon project. We had won that race and didn't know it! We launched Apollo 8 moon fly by on 12/21/1968 and Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place<br />
between the Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players, in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
MY SPACE RACE LOG OF EVENTS <br />
* = [[Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center|ARMY ABMA-MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER]] EVENTS<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
<br />
*08-20-53 [[REDSTONE]] #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
<br />
*01-31-58 EXPLORER I JUPITER-C RADIATION<br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-29-58 [[NASA]] ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*08-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*5-28-59 USAF JUPITER AM-8 MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
*9-12-59 USSR [[Luna 2|LUNA 2]] PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 JUNO II -STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS-TO MSFC-NASA<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1,METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING<br />
165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I [[Yuri Gagarin|YURI GARGRIN]]-l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
<br />
11-29-62 ATLAS CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS MA-5<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN Cl SA-l LAUNCH-H20/16 STORIES/THRUST=I,296,OOO LBS<br />
02-20-62 MA-6 ATLAS GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 SCHIRRA MA-8 ATLAS 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN Cl SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN Cl SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 MA-9 ATLAS COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 6T-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT <br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
<br />
01-19-65 GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
<br />
03-23-65 GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
<br />
05-30-66 [[Surveyor I|SURVEYOR I]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 [[Surveyor III|SURVEYOR III]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
<br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
<br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC <br />
*1-22-68 [[Apollo 5|APOLLO 5]] S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 [[Apollo 6|APOLLO 6]] SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 [[Apollo 7|APOLLO 7]] S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 [[Apollo 8|APOLLO 8]] SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 [[Apollo 9|APOLLO 9]] SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 [[Apollo 10|APOLLO 10]] SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 [[Apollo 11|APOLLO 11]] SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR [[Luna 15|LUNA 15]] MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 [[Apollo 12|APOLLO 12]] SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 [[Apollo 13|APOLLO 13]] SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 [[Apollo 14|APOLLO 14]] SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 [[Apollo 15|APOLLO 15]] SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 [[Apollo 16|APOLLO 16]] SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 [[Apollo 17|APOLLO 17]] SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 DR.von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 DR.von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
<br />
??-??-98 USSR" ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCTED WITH ISS - 1ST TIME<br />
<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS<br />
<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED:<br />
<br />
USA=17<br />
<br />
USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS:<br />
<br />
USA = 4</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Joining_The_Space_Race!&diff=14717Joining The Space Race!2008-12-16T03:36:17Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Joining The Space Race!: Give a titile.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
JOINING THE SPACE RACE! <br />
<br />
On Monday, April 14, 1958, I reported to work at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama. The famed German Rocket team was working for ABMA building rockets for War. The Soviet Union had launched two satellites, Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and Sputnik II on November 3, 1957. These space firsts caught the United States by total surprise and Soviets had command of the skies. After the Navy and the Air Force had failures attempting to launch this country's first satellite, President Eisenhower ordered the ABMA team to do it in ninety days. That was done on January 31, 1958, with Explorer I in eight-eight days with the Redstone rocket.<br />
<br />
Both Nations were rushing to be the first to place a man into space. Project Mercury was conceived for the US to put up our first astronauts in a crash program. The Air Force was banking on their Atlas rocket and the Army (ABMA) looked at their Redstone for this task. It was the Mercury - Redstone rocket, with one man up and down in space payload, work for ABMA and the Mercury - Atlas rocket, one man orbit payload work for the Air Force. ABMA was to follow with developing a large Saturn rocket and the Air Force to follow with the two man Gemini orbit docking project as this was needed for us to go into space exploration.<br />
<br />
Before our first astronauts had been picked to fly into space in the Mercury Program, I was already doing upgrade man flight work on the Redstone A7 engine in May of 1958 with the Army at Redstone Arsenal. The Mercury Program was not initiated until October 7, 1958<br />
<br />
Our mission at ABMA was to prepare the Redstone rocket for our man flight rating. Three weeks after I arrived, I was assigned to man rate the rocket engine. The seventy eight thousand pound thrust Redstone A 7 used Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene fuels. The Redstone rocket was sixty nine feet tall, seventy inches in diameter and had a payload weight of two thousand pounds.<br />
<br />
The Mercury-Redstone Project started on a twelve hour - seven days a week overtime schedule. The production of new Mercury-Redstone rockets began in Building 4706. The directives, shop orders, memorandums and all documentation was stamped using a priority action system. A stamp saying "BLAST" and was used for the first step above routine priority. Two "BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a priority of urgent. Three "BLAST -BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a hand carry, emergency highest priority action.<br />
<br />
Our work came with training. We were told that even a small mistake could cost a person's life. We were told to work as if we ourselves, were riding the rockets. That "huge consequences" would be paid to the one who "killed someone" and this was the first chance for the rocket team during in it's long history, to explore space with man launches," said our Group Leader. "Dr. von Braun will not stand for failures or mistakes," he added.<br />
<br />
We were unaware that on October 24, 1960, the Russian's large unmanned R-16 rocket exploded on its pad. The Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev on September 23, 1960, was pounding his shoe on his desk in protest at the United Nations. Khrushchev had ordered his space officer, Marshall Nedelin, to launch the moon rocket while he was in the limelight. The window for a moon launch was about to close and the R-16 was in a delay because of a misfire. After a few minutes with fuel onboard, Nedelin ordered the technicians to inspect the failure when the R-16 blew up killing 165 people. <br />
<br />
Mr. Khrushchev was irate that he had missed an important political event to prove that the Soviet Union was the better Nation. Later. Four accidents with the N1 moon rocket and money problems caused the Russians to abandon their moon project. We had won that race and didn't know it! We launched Apollo 8 moon fly by on 12/21/1968 and Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place<br />
between the Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players, in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
MY SPACE RACE LOG OF EVENTS <br />
* = [[Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center|ARMY ABMA-MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER]] EVENTS<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
<br />
*08-20-53 [[REDSTONE]] #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
<br />
*01-31-58 EXPLORER I JUPITER-C RADIATION<br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-29-58 [[NASA]] ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*08-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*5-28-59 USAF JUPITER AM-8 MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
*9-12-59 USSR [[Luna 2|LUNA 2]] PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 JUNO II -STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS-TO MSFC-NASA<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1,METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING<br />
165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I [[Yuri Gagarin|YURI GARGRIN]]-l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
<br />
11-29-62 ATLAS CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS MA-5<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN Cl SA-l LAUNCH-H20/16 STORIES/THRUST=I,296,OOO LBS<br />
02-20-62 MA-6 ATLAS GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 SCHIRRA MA-8 ATLAS 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN Cl SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN Cl SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 MA-9 ATLAS COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 6T-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT <br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
<br />
01-19-65 GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
<br />
03-23-65 GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
<br />
05-30-66 [[Surveyor I|SURVEYOR I]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 [[Surveyor III|SURVEYOR III]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
<br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
<br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC <br />
*1-22-68 [[Apollo 5|APOLLO 5]] S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 [[Apollo 6|APOLLO 6]] SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 [[Apollo 7|APOLLO 7]] S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 [[Apollo 8|APOLLO 8]] SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 [[Apollo 9|APOLLO 9]] SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 [[Apollo 10|APOLLO 10]] SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 [[Apollo 11|APOLLO 11]] SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR [[Luna 15|LUNA 15]] MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 [[Apollo 12|APOLLO 12]] SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 [[Apollo 13|APOLLO 13]] SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 [[Apollo 14|APOLLO 14]] SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 [[Apollo 15|APOLLO 15]] SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 [[Apollo 16|APOLLO 16]] SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 [[Apollo 17|APOLLO 17]] SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 DR.von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 DR.von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
<br />
??-??-98 USSR" ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCTED WITH ISS - 1ST TIME<br />
<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS<br />
<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED:<br />
<br />
USA=17<br />
<br />
USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS:<br />
<br />
USA = 4</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=JFK_Moon_Order&diff=14718JFK Moon Order2008-12-16T03:36:15Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Joining The Space Race!: Give a titile.</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Joining The Space Race!]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Joining_The_Space_Race!&diff=14716Joining The Space Race!2008-12-16T03:33:47Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
JOINING THE SPACE RACE! <br />
<br />
On Monday, April 14, 1958, I reported to work at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama. The famed German Rocket team was working for ABMA building rockets for War. The Soviet Union had launched two satellites, Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and Sputnik II on November 3, 1957. These space firsts caught the United States by total surprise and Soviets had command of the skies. After the Navy and the Air Force had failures attempting to launch this country's first satellite, President Eisenhower ordered the ABMA team to do it in ninety days. That was done on January 31, 1958, with Explorer I in eight-eight days with the Redstone rocket.<br />
<br />
Both Nations were rushing to be the first to place a man into space. Project Mercury was conceived for the US to put up our first astronauts in a crash program. The Air Force was banking on their Atlas rocket and the Army (ABMA) looked at their Redstone for this task. It was the Mercury - Redstone rocket, with one man up and down in space payload, work for ABMA and the Mercury - Atlas rocket, one man orbit payload work for the Air Force. ABMA was to follow with developing a large Saturn rocket and the Air Force to follow with the two man Gemini orbit docking project as this was needed for us to go into space exploration.<br />
<br />
Before our first astronauts had been picked to fly into space in the Mercury Program, I was already doing upgrade man flight work on the Redstone A7 engine in May of 1958 with the Army at Redstone Arsenal. The Mercury Program was not initiated until October 7, 1958<br />
<br />
Our mission at ABMA was to prepare the Redstone rocket for our man flight rating. Three weeks after I arrived, I was assigned to man rate the rocket engine. The seventy eight thousand pound thrust Redstone A 7 used Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene fuels. The Redstone rocket was sixty nine feet tall, seventy inches in diameter and had a payload weight of two thousand pounds.<br />
<br />
The Mercury-Redstone Project started on a twelve hour - seven days a week overtime schedule. The production of new Mercury-Redstone rockets began in Building 4706. The directives, shop orders, memorandums and all documentation was stamped using a priority action system. A stamp saying "BLAST" and was used for the first step above routine priority. Two "BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a priority of urgent. Three "BLAST -BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a hand carry, emergency highest priority action.<br />
<br />
Our work came with training. We were told that even a small mistake could cost a person's life. We were told to work as if we ourselves, were riding the rockets. That "huge consequences" would be paid to the one who "killed someone" and this was the first chance for the rocket team during in it's long history, to explore space with man launches," said our Group Leader. "Dr. von Braun will not stand for failures or mistakes," he added.<br />
<br />
We were unaware that on October 24, 1960, the Russian's large unmanned R-16 rocket exploded on its pad. The Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev on September 23, 1960, was pounding his shoe on his desk in protest at the United Nations. Khrushchev had ordered his space officer, Marshall Nedelin, to launch the moon rocket while he was in the limelight. The window for a moon launch was about to close and the R-16 was in a delay because of a misfire. After a few minutes with fuel onboard, Nedelin ordered the technicians to inspect the failure when the R-16 blew up killing 165 people. <br />
<br />
Mr. Khrushchev was irate that he had missed an important political event to prove that the Soviet Union was the better Nation. Later. Four accidents with the N1 moon rocket and money problems caused the Russians to abandon their moon project. We had won that race and didn't know it! We launched Apollo 8 moon fly by on 12/21/1968 and Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place<br />
between the Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players, in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
MY SPACE RACE LOG OF EVENTS <br />
* = [[Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center|ARMY ABMA-MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER]] EVENTS<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
<br />
*08-20-53 [[REDSTONE]] #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
<br />
*01-31-58 EXPLORER I JUPITER-C RADIATION<br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-29-58 [[NASA]] ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*08-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*5-28-59 USAF JUPITER AM-8 MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
*9-12-59 USSR [[Luna 2|LUNA 2]] PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 JUNO II -STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS-TO MSFC-NASA<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1,METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING<br />
165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I [[Yuri Gagarin|YURI GARGRIN]]-l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
<br />
11-29-62 ATLAS CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS MA-5<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN Cl SA-l LAUNCH-H20/16 STORIES/THRUST=I,296,OOO LBS<br />
02-20-62 MA-6 ATLAS GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 SCHIRRA MA-8 ATLAS 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN Cl SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN Cl SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 MA-9 ATLAS COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 6T-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT <br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
<br />
01-19-65 GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
<br />
03-23-65 GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
<br />
05-30-66 [[Surveyor I|SURVEYOR I]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 [[Surveyor III|SURVEYOR III]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
<br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
<br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC <br />
*1-22-68 [[Apollo 5|APOLLO 5]] S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 [[Apollo 6|APOLLO 6]] SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 [[Apollo 7|APOLLO 7]] S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 [[Apollo 8|APOLLO 8]] SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 [[Apollo 9|APOLLO 9]] SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 [[Apollo 10|APOLLO 10]] SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 [[Apollo 11|APOLLO 11]] SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR [[Luna 15|LUNA 15]] MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 [[Apollo 12|APOLLO 12]] SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 [[Apollo 13|APOLLO 13]] SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 [[Apollo 14|APOLLO 14]] SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 [[Apollo 15|APOLLO 15]] SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 [[Apollo 16|APOLLO 16]] SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 [[Apollo 17|APOLLO 17]] SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 DR.von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 DR.von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
<br />
??-??-98 USSR" ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCTED WITH ISS - 1ST TIME<br />
<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS<br />
<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED:<br />
<br />
USA=17<br />
<br />
USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS:<br />
<br />
USA = 4</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Joining_The_Space_Race!&diff=14715Joining The Space Race!2008-12-16T03:32:17Z<p>Grady: Joining The Space Race!</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
JOINING THE SPACE RACE! <br />
<br />
On Monday, April 14, 1958, I reported to work at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama. The famed German Rocket team was working for ABMA building rockets for War. The Soviet Union had launched two satellites, Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and Sputnik II on November 3, 1957. These space firsts caught the United States by total surprise and Soviets had command of the skies. After the Navy and the Air Force had failures attempting to launch this country's first satellite, President Eisenhower ordered the ABMA team to do it in ninety days. That was done on January 31, 1958, with Explorer I in eight-eight days with the Redstone rocket.<br />
<br />
Both Nations were rushing to be the first to place a man into space. Project Mercury was conceived for the US to put up our first astronauts in a crash program. The Air Force was banking on their Atlas rocket and the Army (ABMA) looked at their Redstone for this task. It was the Mercury - Redstone rocket, with one man up and down in space payload, work for ABMA and the Mercury - Atlas rocket, one man orbit payload work for the Air Force. ABMA was to follow with developing a large Saturn rocket and the Air Force to follow with the two man Gemini orbit docking project as this was needed for us to go into space exploration.<br />
<br />
Before our first astronauts had been picked to fly into space in the Mercury Program, I was already doing upgrade man flight work on the Redstone A7 engine in May of 1958 with the Army at Redstone Arsenal. The Mercury Program was not initiated until October 7, 1958<br />
<br />
Our mission at ABMA was to prepare the Redstone rocket for our man flight rating. Three weeks after I arrived, I was assigned to man rate the rocket engine. The seventy eight thousand pound thrust Redstone A 7 used Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene fuels. The Redstone rocket was sixty nine feet tall, seventy inches in diameter and had a payload weight of two thousand pounds.<br />
<br />
The Mercury-Redstone Project started on a twelve hour - seven days a week overtime schedule. The production of new Mercury-Redstone rockets began in Building 4706. The directives, shop orders, memorandums and all documentation was stamped using a priority action system. A stamp saying "BLAST" and was used for the first step above routine priority. Two "BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a priority of urgent. Three "BLAST -BLAST - BLAST" stamps indicated a hand carry, emergency highest priority action.<br />
<br />
Our work came with training. We were told that even a small mistake could cost a person's life. We were told to work as if we ourselves, were riding the rockets. That "huge consequences" would be paid to the one who "killed someone" and this was the first chance for the rocket team during in it's long history, to explore space with man launches," said our Group Leader. "Dr. von Braun will not stand for failures or mistakes," he added.<br />
<br />
We were unaware that on October 24, 1960, the Russian's large unmanned R-16 rocket exploded on its pad. The Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev on September 23, 1960, was pounding his shoe on his desk in protest at the United Nations. Khrushchev had ordered his space officer, Marshall Nedelin, to launch the moon rocket while he was in the limelight. The window for a moon launch was about to close and the R-16 was in a delay because of a misfire. After a few minutes with fuel onboard, Nedelin ordered the technicians to inspect the failure when the R-16 blew up killing 165 people. <br />
<br />
Mr. Khrushchev was irate that he had missed an important political event to prove that the Soviet Union was the better Nation. Later. Four accidents with the N1 moon rocket and money problems caused the Russians to abandon their moon project. We had won that race and didn't know it! We launched Apollo 8 moon fly by on 12/21/1968 and Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place between the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
<br />
This is my Events Log that I kept over the years, as events took place<br />
between the Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the rest of the space players, in the race to the moon with other events referenced.<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
MY SPACE RACE LOG OF EVENTS <br />
* = [[Army ABMA-Marshall Space Flight Center|ARMY ABMA-MARSHALL SPACE FIGHT CENTER]] EVENTS<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------<br />
10-03-42 V-2 LAUNCHED TEST STAND 7-PEENEMUNDE GERMANY-ALBERT ZEILER<br />
<br />
*08-20-53 [[REDSTONE]] #1 LAUNCHED, 76 SEC. USE FLAME COLOR TO LAUNCH-ZEILER<br />
<br />
10-04-57 USSR R-7, 2-STAGE ROCKET LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I<br />
<br />
11-03-57 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIK II - DOG DIED IN SPACE AFTER 5 DAYS<br />
<br />
*01-31-58 EXPLORER I JUPITER-C RADIATION<br />
05-15-58 USSR LAUNCHED SPUTNIC III<br />
*7-29-58 [[NASA]] ORGANIZED BY IKE<br />
*08-15-58 SATURN TO BE DEVELOPED (JUNO 2) BY ARMY-ABMA<br />
*5-28-59 USAF JUPITER AM-8 MONKEYS ABLE/BAKER 1ST LIVING 300 MILE UP <br />
*9-12-59 USSR [[Luna 2|LUNA 2]] PROBE 3700 MILES OF MOON<br />
*10-13-59 EXPLORER 7 JUNO II -STUDY STATIC FIELDS<br />
*10-21-59 ABMA TRANSFER STARTS-TO MSFC-NASA<br />
10-28-59 SERGEANT X248-ECHO 1,METALLIZED BALLOON BOUNCED SIGNALS <br />
*3-28-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 2-ENGINE 8 SEC TEST<br />
*4-06-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 4-ENGINE 7 SEC TEST<br />
*5-26-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 35 SEC TEST<br />
*6-15-60 NASA SATURN SA-T 8-ENGINE 122 SEC TEST<br />
07-60/12-60 USSR - 3 FAILURES KILLS 6 DOGS<br />
??-??-?? USSR WOMEN COSMONAUTS KILLED IN TRAINING-IRINA/TANYA/LUDMILLA<br />
<br />
10-24-60 USSR MOON R-16 ROCKET-UNMANDED, EXPLODED ON PAD KILLING<br />
165 AFTER IGNITION FAILURE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, NEDELIN IGNORED DEFUELING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND SENT SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. NEDELIN WAS KILLED TOO! KHRUSHCHEV ORDERED MARSHALL NEDELIN TO LAUNCH WHILE HE WAS AT U.N. KRUSHCHEV WAS IRATE THAT HE MISSED AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENT.<br />
*11-3-60 EXPLORER 8 JUNO II STATIC FIELDS<br />
*9-08-60 IKE VISITS MSFC & OPENED MSFC<br />
*1-31-61 HAM MR-2 ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
02-02-61 UNKN RUSSIAN COSMONANT PASSED OUT IN FLIGHT-HEART FAILURE<br />
<br />
03-??-61 USSR PAD SPACECRAFT FIRE-ELEC. PROBLEM-KILLED ONE COSMONAUT<br />
<br />
04-07-61 RUSSIAN VLADIMIR LLYUSHIN CRASHED IN CHINA, BUT SURVIVED<br />
<br />
04-12-61 VOSTOK I [[Yuri Gagarin|YURI GARGRIN]]-l0 ORBITS<br />
*5-05-61 MR-3 LAUNCHED, SHEPHARD ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
*7-21-61 MR-4 LAUNCHED, GRISSOM ARCHED FLIGHT<br />
08-06-61 USSR VOSTOK 2 -GHERMAN TITOV 1 DAY ORBIT<br />
<br />
11-29-62 ATLAS CHIMP "ENOS" 2-0RBITS MA-5<br />
*10-27-61 SATURN Cl SA-l LAUNCH-H20/16 STORIES/THRUST=I,296,OOO LBS<br />
02-20-62 MA-6 ATLAS GLENN 3-0RBIT,ENTRY NEAR FAILURE,LOOSE SHIELD<br />
*4-25-62 SATURN Cl SA-2 LAUNCH-H2O PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
05-24-62 CARPENTER MA-7 ATLAS 3-0RBIT RECOVERY 250 MILES OVERSHOOT<br />
*9-11-62 JFK VISITS MSFC - ORDERS MOON SHOT<br />
10-03-62 SCHIRRA MA-8 ATLAS 6-0RBITS<br />
*11-16-62 SATURN Cl SA-3 LAUNCH PROJECT "HIGH WATER"<br />
*1-25-63 SATURN V STARTED<br />
*3-28-63 SATURN Cl SA--4 LAUNCH "ENGINE OUT TEST"<br />
05-15-63 MA-9 ATLAS COOPER 22-0RBITS<br />
<br />
06-16-63 USSR VOSTOK 6 -1ST WOMAN-VALENTINA TERECUKOVA, 45 ORBITS<br />
*7-05-63 MOON MODE DECISION MADE<br />
11-22-63 PRESIDENT KENNEDY KILLED<br />
*1-29-64 SA-5 LAUNCH ORBIT WITH 1ST SECOND LIVE STAGE TEST<br />
04-08-64 6T-l LAUNCH UNMANNED<br />
*3-24-64 MSFC VISIT BY LADY BIRD JOHNSON, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENT<br />
*5-28-64 SA-6 LAUNCH ORBIT 1ST APOLLO<br />
*9-18-64 SA-7 LAUNCH ORBIT SPACECRAFT <br />
10-12-64 USSR VOSKHOD 1, 3 MAN ORBIT-NO SUITS-RETURN OK<br />
<br />
01-19-65 GT-2 LAUNCH UNMANNED <br />
*2-16-65 SA-9 PEGASUS A<br />
03-18-65 USSR VOSKHOD 2- 2 MAN ALEXEI LEONOV SPACE WALK (LOST 1 DAY)<br />
<br />
03-23-65 GT-3 GRISSOM/YOUNG 3-0RBIT<br />
*5-25-65 SA-8 PEGASUS B<br />
06-03-65 GT-4 McDIVITT/WHITE 66-0RBIT<br />
*4-16-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC FIRED 6.5 SEC<br />
*7-30-65 SA-l0 PEGASUS C END OF SATERN C1 PROGRAM<br />
*8-05-65 SATURN S-1C-T 1ST STAGE STATIC DURATION FIRED 165 SEC <br />
*8-o9-65 NAA/DOUGLAS SATURN S-II & S-IV STAGES FULL DURATION TESTS <br />
08-21-65 GT-5 COOPER/CONRAD LIGHTING ROVZ<br />
12-04-65 GT-7 BORMAN/LOVELL 2-WKS<br />
12-15-65 GT-6 SHIRRA/STAFFORD <br />
01-06-66 GT-9 STAFFORD/CERNAN DOCKING<br />
*2-26-66 S-IB-201 LAUNCH-ORBIT<br />
03-16-66 GT-8 ARMSTRONG/SCOTT DOCKING<br />
<br />
05-30-66 [[Surveyor I|SURVEYOR I]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
*7-05-66 S-IB-203 LAUNCH S-IVB HYDROGEN J2 ENGINE<br />
07-18-66 GT-10 YOUNG/COLLINS DOCK/WALK<br />
*8-25-66 S-IB-202 LAUNCH APOLLO HEAT SHIELD RE-ENTRY TEST<br />
*8-26-66 SA-501 SHIPS TO KSC <br />
09-12-66 GT-11 CONRAD/GORDON DOCK/WALK ATLAS-CENTAUR <br />
*9-11-66 SA-501 ARRIVES AT KSC <br />
11-11-66 GT-12 LOVEL/ALDRIN DOCK/WALK <br />
*12-6-66 AST-1 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA -CLOUDS STUDY <br />
*1-27-67 S-IB-204 APOLLO I FIRE KILLED GRISSOM/WHITE/CHAFFEE <br />
04-17-67 [[Surveyor III|SURVEYOR III]] ATLAS/CENTAUR-MOON SURFACE LANDING <br />
<br />
04-23-67 USSR SOYUZ-l PILOT VLADIMIR KOMAROV KILLED<br />
<br />
11-??-67 USSR MOON SHOT FAILED-UNMANNED <br />
<br />
*11-9-67 SA-501 LAUNCH " ALL-UP" APOLLO 4 ORBIT<br />
12-12-67 PRESIDENT JOHNSON VISITS MSFC <br />
*1-22-68 [[Apollo 5|APOLLO 5]] S-1B-205 (S-IVB) ORBIT TEST RE-ENRTY<br />
04-??-68 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*4-04-68 [[Apollo 6|APOLLO 6]] SA-502 TEST RE-ENTRY, 2-J2 S-II #2&3 ENG CUTOFF<br />
*4-05-68 AST-2 SATELLITE ATLAS-AGENA GRAVITY<br />
07-14-68 USSR L1 ZOND EXPLODED, KILLS ONE<br />
*10-11-68 [[Apollo 7|APOLLO 7]] S-IB-206 SCHIRRA/EISELE/CUNNINGHAM-163 ORBITS <br />
10-30-68 USSR SOYUZ 2 & 3 DOCKING-ALL RETURNED SAFE <br />
12-??-68 USSR ZOND MAN AROUND MOON CANCELLED <br />
*12-21-68 [[Apollo 8|APOLLO 8]] SA-503 BORMAN/LOVELL/ANDERS-MOON ORBIT<br />
01-14-69 USSR SOYUZ 4 & 5 DOCKED IN SPACE (TWO SPACECRAFTS)<br />
<br />
02-21-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET BLEW-UP 68 SEC. IN FLT/UNMANNED<br />
*3-3-69 [[Apollo 9|APOLLO 9]] SA-504 SCOTT/McDIVITT/SCHWEICKART S-IVB DOCKING 11 DAYS <br />
*5-18-69 [[Apollo 10|APOLLO 10]] SA-505 STAFFORD/YOUNG/CERNAN-ORBIT<br />
07-03-69 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET 5L DISASTER-UNMANNED<br />
*7-16-69 [[Apollo 11|APOLLO 11]] SA-506 ARMSTRONG/ALDRIN/COLLINS MOON-LANDING<br />
07-19-69 USSR [[Luna 15|LUNA 15]] MOON PROBE LANDED<br />
11-??-69 USSR MOON SHOT FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*11-14-69 [[Apollo 12|APOLLO 12]] SA-507 CONRAD/BEAN/GORDON-MOON LANDING<br />
*2-25-70 von BRAUN TRANSFERS TO WASHINGTON<br />
*4-11-70 [[Apollo 13|APOLLO 13]] SA-508 LOVELL/SWIGERT/HAISE MOONSHOT NEAR FAIL 200K MILES TO MOON, OXYGEN TANK EXPLODED. LEM USED FOR RESCUE.<br />
*1-31-71 [[Apollo 14|APOLLO 14]] SA-509 SHEPHARD/MITCHELL/ROOSA-MOON LANDING <br />
04-19-71 USSR SALYUT I -SPACE STATION LAUNCHED-3 CREWMEN DIES ON LANDING <br />
06-??-71 USSR Nl SUPER ROCKET FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
06-06-71 USSR SOYUZ-11 AFTER 24 DAYS IN ORBIT, CREW DOBROVOLSKY, VOLKOV<br />
&PATSAYEV WERE KILLED ON RE-ENTRY. OXYGEN LEAKED OUT-NO SPACE SUITS<br />
*7-30-71 [[Apollo 15|APOLLO 15]] SA-510 SCOTT/IRWIN/WORSEN-MOON LANDING<br />
01-05-72 NIXON ORDERS MFG OF SPACE SHUTTLE <br />
*4-21-72 [[Apollo 16|APOLLO 16]] SA-511 YOUNG/DUKE/MATTINGLY-MOON LANDING<br />
07-29-72 USSR LAUNCH FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
<br />
11-??-72 USSR SUPER BOOSTER FAILURE-UNMANNED<br />
*6-10-72 von BRAUN TO FAIRCHILD INC<br />
*12-7-72 [[Apollo 17|APOLLO 17]] SA-513 NITE-CERNAN/SCHMITT/EVANS-MOON LANDING<br />
*1-??-73 GERMAN FINAL SOLUTION-START RETIRING,GERMANS REPLACED<br />
*5-11-73 SKYLAB SA-513 MAN ORBITING LABORATORY LAUNCHED<br />
*5-25-73 SKYLAB CREW-2 S-IB-207 REPAIRED SKYLAB KERWIN,WEITZ,CONRAD <br />
*7-28-73 SKYLAB CREW-3 S-IB-208 BEAN/GARRITT/LOUSMA (TRUSTERS) <br />
*11-16-73 SKYLAB CREW-4 S-IB-209 CARR/POGUE/GIBSON<br />
08-??-77 USSR 2 SPACESHIPS_ SIMULTANEOUS SHOTS FAILED-UNMANNED<br />
*7-17-75 APOLLO SA-514 ASTP ROVZ STAFFORD/SLAYTON/BRAND-DOCK WITH USSR<br />
07-17-75 USSR SOYUZ 19 SPACE LEONOV/KUBASOV (LAST APOLLO & SATURN)<br />
*12-31-76 DR.von BRAUN RETIRES, HAS CANCER<br />
*6-16-77 DR.von BRAUN DIED IN ALEXANDRIA, VA<br />
03-02-78 USSR 18T NON-STOP FLIGHT ENDED<br />
<br />
04-12-81 VALDIMIR REMEK-185 DAYS<br />
<br />
04-12-81 STS-1 COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE 1ST FLIGHT YOUNG & CRIPPEN<br />
<br />
09-26-83 SOYUZ 18 TRIP TO MIR/FIRE ON PAD/ESCAPE TOWER SAVES 2<br />
<br />
01-28-86 SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER EXPLODED AFTER LIFT-OFF, KILLED MCNAIR/ONIZUKA/McAULIFFE/JARVIS/SMITH/RESNIK/SCOBEE<br />
<br />
02-20-86 USSR MIR LAUNCHED IN (6) DOCKINGS/PARTS FOR MODULES<br />
<br />
11-15-88 USSF: SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
10-29-97 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY -JOHN GLENN RETURNS TO SPACE<br />
<br />
??-??-98 USSR" ZARYA" 1ST INT. SPACE STATION CONTROL MODULE LAUNCHED<br />
<br />
12-04-98 USA LAUNCHED "UNITY" CONNECTING MODULE INT. SFACE STATION<br />
<br />
05-27-99 SHUTTLE STS-96 DOCTED WITH ISS - 1ST TIME<br />
<br />
07-23-99 SHUTTLE ST8-93 DEPLOYS CHANDRA X-RAY SCOPE-COM.EILEEN COLLINS<br />
<br />
02-07-01 SHUTTLE TO ISS WITH DESTINY LAB MODULE<br />
<br />
02-12-01 NASA 'NEAR' SPACECRAFT LANDED ON ASTEROID EROS AFTER 4 ORBITS<br />
<br />
02-01-03 SHUTTLE COLIMBIA RE-ENTRY BURNED UP-KILLS 2 WOMEN & 5 MEN RICK HUSBAND, MICHAEL ANDERSON, LAUREL CLARK, DAVID BROWN, WILLIAM McCOOL, DR.KALPAPA CHAWLA(INDIA) & ILAN RAMON(ISEAEL)<br />
<br />
07-26-05 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO SPACE - MORE FOAM PROBLEMS<br />
<br />
09-23-05 NASA ANNOUNCE PLAN - RETURN TO MOON AND BEYOND TO MARS<br />
<br />
<br />
TOTAL KILLED:<br />
<br />
USA=17<br />
<br />
USSR= 173 + 7 DOGS<br />
<br />
OTHER ACCIDENTS:<br />
<br />
USA = 4</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Walking_The_Moon_Rocket&diff=14713Walking The Moon Rocket2008-12-13T17:18:32Z<p>Grady: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
WALKING THE MOON ROCKET!<br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm System<br />
<br />
The massive Crawler-Transporter used to transport the huge Saturn V moon rocket to the launch pad was a giant machine. The hydraulic leveling system for the platform was used to balance a 5,400 metric ton load with precision. The motion of the Transporter, the height of the load, variations in the level of the roadway, the wind - all combines to throw the cargo off balance going to the pad. The leveling and equalization systems on the Crawler was quick and sensitive in their actions. <br />
<br />
Moving the 363 foot tall rocket in a level vertical plane was tricky at best. It was decided that a device for holding the rocket at the top was needed. The device, a Motion Damper Arm System, to hold the rocket with two support beams from the Transporter tower with a computerized, duel hydraulic wrenches with cables to hold the rocket in the vertical position. This would help the bending and wind distortions corrections. A slight tilt of a one-half degree, could allow the Vehicle possible a fall-over on the road to the Launch Pad .<br />
<br />
A crash project in February of 1967, was initiated at MSFC to build two Damper System for the two Crawlers at the Cape. The project was lead by Project Engineer, Hugh King, of the PV&E Lab Design Engineering Section.<br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm’s “Claw” was 13 feet wide and 4 feet high. It had two hydraulic operated hinged floating outriggers to adjust and hold the Vehicle in place. The “Claw” would be attached to the two support beams from the tower. The units were assembled and tested in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab’s, Vehicle Packaging and Shipping Building 4755. Overtime was authorized to meet the date to roll out the first Saturn SA-501 to the Pad for launch.<br />
<br />
The Project Engineers at MSFC, have total responsibility for everything involved with a project. He or she may take control of the final process of shipping the project and installing it in position and it’s use. The Project Engineer, sometimes may feel that he or she should work around normal processes or make changes for his Project as seen necessary for the safety and certification.<br />
<br />
For shipment, the Project Engineer, accepted the plan of the Supply Technical Branch Traffic Management Section, which was directed to always use the best shipping method to keep the cost down as much as possible. The 13 foot wide “Claw” was put onboard a flat bed truck as an escorted wide load and packaged to procedures establish for shipping standards. The Project Engineer could change or submit the packaging instructions accordingly, he always must approve the job.<br />
<br />
On arrival at Cape Kennedy, the entire Damper System was unusable due to the damage from the rain, road grim, loose tie downs, components and hydraulic lines shaking loose and damaged. A most urgent order went out to rush to completion and prepare the second Damper System for the Cape. <br />
<br />
This time, Hugh, the Project Engineer, solicited help from me, the Manufacturing Engineering Lab’s Project Engineer and Cape Launch Coordinator. I handle the special shipments, the Saturn rockets, explosives or large or small components and develop special procedures and equipment for storage or shipping.<br />
<br />
For the delicate Motion Damper Arm System, I use any method or equipment such as barge, the Pregnant Guppy Aircraft, MSFC’s equipment or public transportation equipment to do the necessary job. In this case, airborne shipment was called for, using the Guppy landing directly onto the KSC Landing Strip and transported by special equipment to the VAB Building for inspection, testing and assembly to the Crawler-Transporter.<br />
<br />
I ordered in a 14 x 50 foot pallet used in the Guppy’s onboard shipping tracks, two weeks before the shipping date. The “Claw”, which looks like a paw with three parts that forms a carved claw and holds the rocket, support beams, wenches and associated equipment was mounted on the shipping pallet with cranes in Building 4755 and inspected to written instructions. <br />
<br />
The Guppy arrived at the Redstone Airstrip and a review meeting was held with the crew and it’s Load Master. Plans were made and the Guppy flew to Memphis, the only near facility for calculation and fueling the Guppy, for the load to the KSC Airstrip and to the next destination for the Guppy. The Guppy is successful by keeping itself trimmed and having good weather for flying.<br />
<br />
When the Guppy returned to Redstone, the pallet was loaded onto a special Scissor Platform Transport Trailer to the Airstrip for lifting the pallet to the Guppy. The Guppy’s Nose, including the Cockpit is unbolted and hinged aside or rotated to open the fuselage’s cargo area.<br />
<br />
Good weather was selected both at MSFC and KSC for transportation. The hazards of the road was eliminated and the second Damper System arrived in it’s receiving building at KSC without any problems. The Damper System No. 2 inspection and functional testing indicated no problems. Launch schedules were held and was successful! <br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm System did a great job holding and insuring the leveling of the rocket during the movement to the Pad. I was glad to have been part of the project in “Walking The Moon Rocket,“ to the Pad, as we called it.</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Walking_The_Moon_Rocket&diff=14711Walking The Moon Rocket2008-12-13T17:17:23Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Walking The Moon Rocket: Give a title.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
WALKING THE MOON ROCKET!<br />
The Motion Damper Arm System<br />
<br />
The massive Crawler-Transporter used to transport the huge Saturn V moon rocket to the launch pad was a giant machine. The hydraulic leveling system for the platform was used to balance a 5,400 metric ton load with precision. The motion of the Transporter, the height of the load, variations in the level of the roadway, the wind - all combines to throw the cargo off balance going to the pad. The leveling and equalization systems on the Crawler was quick and sensitive in their actions. <br />
<br />
Moving the 363 foot tall rocket in a level vertical plane was tricky at best. It was decided that a device for holding the rocket at the top was needed. The device, a Motion Damper Arm System, to hold the rocket with two support beams from the Transporter tower with a computerized, duel hydraulic wrenches with cables to hold the rocket in the vertical position. This would help the bending and wind distortions corrections. A slight tilt of a one-half degree, could allow the Vehicle possible a fall-over on the road to the Launch Pad .<br />
<br />
A crash project in February of 1967, was initiated at MSFC to build two Damper System for the two Crawlers at the Cape. The project was lead by Project Engineer, Hugh King, of the PV&E Lab Design Engineering Section.<br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm’s “Claw” was 13 feet wide and 4 feet high. It had two hydraulic operated hinged floating outriggers to adjust and hold the Vehicle in place. The “Claw” would be attached to the two support beams from the tower. The units were assembled and tested in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab’s, Vehicle Packaging and Shipping Building 4755. Overtime was authorized to meet the date to roll out the first Saturn SA-501 to the Pad for launch.<br />
<br />
The Project Engineers at MSFC, have total responsibility for everything involved with a project. He or she may take control of the final process of shipping the project and installing it in position and it’s use. The Project Engineer, sometimes may feel that he or she should work around normal processes or make changes for his Project as seen necessary for the safety and certification.<br />
<br />
For shipment, the Project Engineer, accepted the plan of the Supply Technical Branch Traffic Management Section, which was directed to always use the best shipping method to keep the cost down as much as possible. The 13 foot wide “Claw” was put onboard a flat bed truck as an escorted wide load and packaged to procedures establish for shipping standards. The Project Engineer could change or submit the packaging instructions accordingly, he always must approve the job.<br />
<br />
On arrival at Cape Kennedy, the entire Damper System was unusable due to the damage from the rain, road grim, loose tie downs, components and hydraulic lines shaking loose and damaged. A most urgent order went out to rush to completion and prepare the second Damper System for the Cape. <br />
<br />
This time, Hugh, the Project Engineer, solicited help from me, the Manufacturing Engineering Lab’s Project Engineer and Cape Launch Coordinator. I handle the special shipments, the Saturn rockets, explosives or large or small components and develop special procedures and equipment for storage or shipping.<br />
<br />
For the delicate Motion Damper Arm System, I use any method or equipment such as barge, the Pregnant Guppy Aircraft, MSFC’s equipment or public transportation equipment to do the necessary job. In this case, airborne shipment was called for, using the Guppy landing directly onto the KSC Landing Strip and transported by special equipment to the VAB Building for inspection, testing and assembly to the Crawler-Transporter.<br />
<br />
I ordered in a 14 x 50 foot pallet used in the Guppy’s onboard shipping tracks, two weeks before the shipping date. The “Claw”, which looks like a paw with three parts that forms a carved claw and holds the rocket, support beams, wenches and associated equipment was mounted on the shipping pallet with cranes in Building 4755 and inspected to written instructions. <br />
<br />
The Guppy arrived at the Redstone Airstrip and a review meeting was held with the crew and it’s Load Master. Plans were made and the Guppy flew to Memphis, the only near facility for calculation and fueling the Guppy, for the load to the KSC Airstrip and to the next destination for the Guppy. The Guppy is successful by keeping itself trimmed and having good weather for flying.<br />
<br />
When the Guppy returned to Redstone, the pallet was loaded onto a special Scissor Platform Transport Trailer to the Airstrip for lifting the pallet to the Guppy. The Guppy’s Nose, including the Cockpit is unbolted and hinged aside or rotated to open the fuselage’s cargo area.<br />
<br />
Good weather was selected both at MSFC and KSC for transportation. The hazards of the road was eliminated and the second Damper System arrived in it’s receiving building at KSC without any problems. The Damper System No. 2 inspection and functional testing indicated no problems. Launch schedules were held and was successful! <br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm System did a great job holding and insuring the leveling of the rocket during the movement to the Pad. I was glad to have been part of the project in “Walking The Moon Rocket,“ to the Pad, as we called it.</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Joining_The_Space_Race!&diff=14712Joining The Space Race!2008-12-13T17:17:23Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Walking The Moon Rocket: Give a title.</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Walking The Moon Rocket]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Walking_The_Moon_Rocket&diff=14710Walking The Moon Rocket2008-12-13T17:16:35Z<p>Grady: Walking The Moon Rocket</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
WALKING THE MOON ROCKET!<br />
The Motion Damper Arm System<br />
<br />
The massive Crawler-Transporter used to transport the huge Saturn V moon rocket to the launch pad was a giant machine. The hydraulic leveling system for the platform was used to balance a 5,400 metric ton load with precision. The motion of the Transporter, the height of the load, variations in the level of the roadway, the wind - all combines to throw the cargo off balance going to the pad. The leveling and equalization systems on the Crawler was quick and sensitive in their actions. <br />
<br />
Moving the 363 foot tall rocket in a level vertical plane was tricky at best. It was decided that a device for holding the rocket at the top was needed. The device, a Motion Damper Arm System, to hold the rocket with two support beams from the Transporter tower with a computerized, duel hydraulic wrenches with cables to hold the rocket in the vertical position. This would help the bending and wind distortions corrections. A slight tilt of a one-half degree, could allow the Vehicle possible a fall-over on the road to the Launch Pad .<br />
<br />
A crash project in February of 1967, was initiated at MSFC to build two Damper System for the two Crawlers at the Cape. The project was lead by Project Engineer, Hugh King, of the PV&E Lab Design Engineering Section.<br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm’s “Claw” was 13 feet wide and 4 feet high. It had two hydraulic operated hinged floating outriggers to adjust and hold the Vehicle in place. The “Claw” would be attached to the two support beams from the tower. The units were assembled and tested in the Manufacturing Engineering Lab’s, Vehicle Packaging and Shipping Building 4755. Overtime was authorized to meet the date to roll out the first Saturn SA-501 to the Pad for launch.<br />
<br />
The Project Engineers at MSFC, have total responsibility for everything involved with a project. He or she may take control of the final process of shipping the project and installing it in position and it’s use. The Project Engineer, sometimes may feel that he or she should work around normal processes or make changes for his Project as seen necessary for the safety and certification.<br />
<br />
For shipment, the Project Engineer, accepted the plan of the Supply Technical Branch Traffic Management Section, which was directed to always use the best shipping method to keep the cost down as much as possible. The 13 foot wide “Claw” was put onboard a flat bed truck as an escorted wide load and packaged to procedures establish for shipping standards. The Project Engineer could change or submit the packaging instructions accordingly, he always must approve the job.<br />
<br />
On arrival at Cape Kennedy, the entire Damper System was unusable due to the damage from the rain, road grim, loose tie downs, components and hydraulic lines shaking loose and damaged. A most urgent order went out to rush to completion and prepare the second Damper System for the Cape. <br />
<br />
This time, Hugh, the Project Engineer, solicited help from me, the Manufacturing Engineering Lab’s Project Engineer and Cape Launch Coordinator. I handle the special shipments, the Saturn rockets, explosives or large or small components and develop special procedures and equipment for storage or shipping.<br />
<br />
For the delicate Motion Damper Arm System, I use any method or equipment such as barge, the Pregnant Guppy Aircraft, MSFC’s equipment or public transportation equipment to do the necessary job. In this case, airborne shipment was called for, using the Guppy landing directly onto the KSC Landing Strip and transported by special equipment to the VAB Building for inspection, testing and assembly to the Crawler-Transporter.<br />
<br />
I ordered in a 14 x 50 foot pallet used in the Guppy’s onboard shipping tracks, two weeks before the shipping date. The “Claw”, which looks like a paw with three parts that forms a carved claw and holds the rocket, support beams, wenches and associated equipment was mounted on the shipping pallet with cranes in Building 4755 and inspected to written instructions. <br />
<br />
The Guppy arrived at the Redstone Airstrip and a review meeting was held with the crew and it’s Load Master. Plans were made and the Guppy flew to Memphis, the only near facility for calculation and fueling the Guppy, for the load to the KSC Airstrip and to the next destination for the Guppy. The Guppy is successful by keeping itself trimmed and having good weather for flying.<br />
<br />
When the Guppy returned to Redstone, the pallet was loaded onto a special Scissor Platform Transport Trailer to the Airstrip for lifting the pallet to the Guppy. The Guppy’s Nose, including the Cockpit is unbolted and hinged aside or rotated to open the fuselage’s cargo area.<br />
<br />
Good weather was selected both at MSFC and KSC for transportation. The hazards of the road was eliminated and the second Damper System arrived in it’s receiving building at KSC without any problems. The Damper System No. 2 inspection and functional testing indicated no problems. Launch schedules were held and was successful! <br />
<br />
The Motion Damper Arm System did a great job holding and insuring the leveling of the rocket during the movement to the Pad. I was glad to have been part of the project in “Walking The Moon Rocket,“ to the Pad, as we called it.</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Moon_Rocket_Stressful_Days&diff=14704Moon Rocket Stressful Days2008-12-11T17:23:01Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Moon Rocket Stressful Days: Give a title.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
MOON ROCKET STRESSFUL DAYS <br />
<br />
Some of the most stressful days for me at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. One was the first static firing of our Saturn 5 Test Vehicle Booster<br />
S-IC-T. <br />
<br />
The Saturn 5 Moon Rocket Project started on January 25, 1963, to build seventeen flight rockets with and supporting tests vehicles. Supporting was a Static Test Vehicle, S-IC-T (live engines), a Dynamics Vehicle, S-IC-D (center engine functional with four outboard engine simulators), that followed by a Facility Test Vehicle, S-IC-F (no engines) and the Structural Test Model load test, S-IC-S (no engines).<br />
<br />
MSFC built the research and development S-IC-T (SA-500) and the first production flight rockets, S-IC-1 (SA-501) and S-IC-2 (SA-502); and contracted to Boeing for the follow on production rockets, S-IC-3 through S-IC-17. The first static firing of the S-IC-T was on April 16, 1965, for 6.5 seconds with a full duration firing on August 5, 1965. <br />
<br />
Everyone was waiting for the 5 PM static firing of the S-IC-T vehicle’s first firing. Being the Engine Project Engineer, I was worried about the assembly of five huge rocket engines firing 7.5 million pounds of thrust in one concentrated package. The power of an atom bomb never before has this been achieved on a rocket. I walked out of my office building across the street to the far end of the parking lot to get a view of this hillside event. I was about 2,000 yards from the test stand. The rocket’s tail section was sprayed with 28,000 gallons of water per minute to cool the rocket, test stand and the flame shield deflector is pointed in a downstream cannel to the Tennessee River away from the City of Huntsville..<br />
<br />
Warning horns were blasting and when they stopped, the test firing was near. Then the whole hill side and the rocket was engulfed in black smoke and red flames. I was thinking the rocket blew up and it was my fault. With my eyes glued to the hill side, a heavy concussion of air traveling sound waves struck me like a ten ton truck The force caved in my stomach and knocked my breath out. I felt my eyeballs were popping out and with my hands over my ears, I was knocked down on the ground on my back. I didn‘t take my eyes of that hill side. In pain, I was wishing the firing would shut off for relief. <br />
<br />
The 6.5 second test felt like twenty minutes. The black smoke gave way to the color of white smoke and settled nearer to the ground. I could see the rocket was still there. Getting by breath back, I slowly got to my feet after the rocket shut off. Everything looked great while white smoke trailed from the engines. I knew we did it! Then I mumbled, “Oh God, what have we done! Man has no business fooling with this kind of power!” <br />
<br />
For the next few days, everyone was partying and was excided. I was feeling sad and felt like what Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer must have felt when he exploded the atom bomb on July 16, 1945. Creating and controlling this kind of power, the first after the atom bomb, weighted heavy on us. I was thinking about quitting my job! Co-workers urged me to join them and celebrate. Soon, work overcame this feeling and I was back into the space race. <br />
<br />
Another stressful time was shipping our first giant Saturn S-IC-1 (SA-501) Moon Rocket to the Cape and the long six weeks of work preparing and shipment. <br />
<br />
Shipment of the first booster S-IC-1, it’s various loose parts, kits, heat insulation and countdown instructions as well as the official turnover and transfer documentation was an awesome task. The barge shipments to the Cape proved to be humbling. As MSFC Center’s Cape Launch Coordinator, the job was mine. It took three months to prepare the loose equipment and ship it on a barge route as we were going to used for the first Saturn 5 Booster. I decided this in order to get a practice run on the Navy convoy to the Cape up the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and around the Florida Keys.<br />
<br />
On August 26, 1966, was the day for moving the Saturn S-IC-1 Booster to the River dock and placed it onboard the barge Poseidon, it was very stressful. In an earlier meeting with the KSC Director Dr. Kurt Debus and his staff at the Cape, a transfer requirement was made on the first flight Saturn 5 rocket, S-IC-1. Debus requested in our transfer package, that we include a copy of all Engineering Waivers and a Certification for Flight Letter from MSFC. <br />
<br />
I had spent many hours preparing the transfer package by coping and reviewing 1538 Engineering Waivers and preparing the Certification for Flight Letter for signatures on <br />
Vehicle S-IC-1. I notified my Cape Launch Co-Coordinator, Dr. Albert Zeiler, of its contents. He called me back and said, “Dr. Debus was upset about accepting a rocket with that many engineering waivers, he wanted each MSFC processing Laboratory Director to sign the Certification Letter. He wanted to be insured, that the rocket was designed, built, tested, inspected and is flight worthy.”<br />
<br />
I spend months making shipment preparations and arrangements. I had just left the Packaging Building 4755, were the S-IC-1 Booster was getting prepared to roll down to the River Dock, an hour trip by a new road. I first started to get the Certification for Flight signatures with my Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (R-ME) Director, Werner Kuers. Mr. Kuers would not sign the transfer and told me “not to move that rocket one foot” until the others have signed and he told me he wanted to pose for pictures at the roll out and for me to arrange it with our Photo Lab. <br />
<br />
I went to the Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Laboratory (R-PV&E) Director William Lucas, he signed it and that it was designed to fly. <br />
<br />
I then called on the Quality and Reliability Assurance Laboratory (R-QUAL) Director Dieter Grau, to sign. He would not sign until the Test Laboratory (R-TEST) Director Karl Heimburg, signs that the rocket was tested to flight specifications. I appealed to my friend, Dan Driscoll, Chief of Systems Test Division in R-TEST Lab, to explain the test acceptance he did on the rocket and try to get Heimburg to sign. Dan got his Lab’s signature while I waited. <br />
<br />
I went to my friend, Deputy Director of R-QUAL, Dr. Jack Trott, whom I once worked for in the R-ME Lab to get his Director, Dieter Grau, to sign. Jack got his Lab’s signature. I was running out of time.<br />
<br />
I reported to Mr. Kuers to get his signature for the rocket being built to design drawings. As he was signing, he asked me to take him to the roll out. I looked out the window over his shoulder and seen the Booster moving down the special loading road to the River Dock. I told him we needed to go now and I took him down to the River. The rocket was being backed into the barge when we got there. We stood by the filming crew, he just looked at me and I gestured that I didn’t know the rocket was on it‘s way. I was totally drained! Maybe tomorrow will be a better day!</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Walking_The_Moon_Rocket&diff=14705Walking The Moon Rocket2008-12-11T17:23:01Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Moon Rocket Stressful Days: Give a title.</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Moon Rocket Stressful Days]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Moon_Rocket_Stressful_Days&diff=14703Moon Rocket Stressful Days2008-12-11T17:21:03Z<p>Grady: MOON ROCKET STRESSFUL DAYS</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles <br />
<br />
MOON ROCKET STRESSFUL DAYS <br />
<br />
Some of the most stressful days for me at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. One was the first static firing of our Saturn 5 Test Vehicle Booster<br />
S-IC-T. <br />
<br />
The Saturn 5 Moon Rocket Project started on January 25, 1963, to build seventeen flight rockets with and supporting tests vehicles. Supporting was a Static Test Vehicle, S-IC-T (live engines), a Dynamics Vehicle, S-IC-D (center engine functional with four outboard engine simulators), that followed by a Facility Test Vehicle, S-IC-F (no engines) and the Structural Test Model load test, S-IC-S (no engines).<br />
<br />
MSFC built the research and development S-IC-T (SA-500) and the first production flight rockets, S-IC-1 (SA-501) and S-IC-2 (SA-502); and contracted to Boeing for the follow on production rockets, S-IC-3 through S-IC-17. The first static firing of the S-IC-T was on April 16, 1965, for 6.5 seconds with a full duration firing on August 5, 1965. <br />
<br />
Everyone was waiting for the 5 PM static firing of the S-IC-T vehicle’s first firing. Being the Engine Project Engineer, I was worried about the assembly of five huge rocket engines firing 7.5 million pounds of thrust in one concentrated package. The power of an atom bomb never before has this been achieved on a rocket. I walked out of my office building across the street to the far end of the parking lot to get a view of this hillside event. I was about 2,000 yards from the test stand. The rocket’s tail section was sprayed with 28,000 gallons of water per minute to cool the rocket, test stand and the flame shield deflector is pointed in a downstream cannel to the Tennessee River away from the City of Huntsville..<br />
<br />
Warning horns were blasting and when they stopped, the test firing was near. Then the whole hill side and the rocket was engulfed in black smoke and red flames. I was thinking the rocket blew up and it was my fault. With my eyes glued to the hill side, a heavy concussion of air traveling sound waves struck me like a ten ton truck The force caved in my stomach and knocked my breath out. I felt my eyeballs were popping out and with my hands over my ears, I was knocked down on the ground on my back. I didn‘t take my eyes of that hill side. In pain, I was wishing the firing would shut off for relief. <br />
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The 6.5 second test felt like twenty minutes. The black smoke gave way to the color of white smoke and settled nearer to the ground. I could see the rocket was still there. Getting by breath back, I slowly got to my feet after the rocket shut off. Everything looked great while white smoke trailed from the engines. I knew we did it! Then I mumbled, “Oh God, what have we done! Man has no business fooling with this kind of power!” <br />
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For the next few days, everyone was partying and was excided. I was feeling sad and felt like what Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer must have felt when he exploded the atom bomb on July 16, 1945. Creating and controlling this kind of power, the first after the atom bomb, weighted heavy on us. I was thinking about quitting my job! Co-workers urged me to join them and celebrate. Soon, work overcame this feeling and I was back into the space race. <br />
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Another stressful time was shipping our first giant Saturn S-IC-1 (SA-501) Moon Rocket to the Cape and the long six weeks of work preparing and shipment. <br />
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Shipment of the first booster S-IC-1, it’s various loose parts, kits, heat insulation and countdown instructions as well as the official turnover and transfer documentation was an awesome task. The barge shipments to the Cape proved to be humbling. As MSFC Center’s Cape Launch Coordinator, the job was mine. It took three months to prepare the loose equipment and ship it on a barge route as we were going to used for the first Saturn 5 Booster. I decided this in order to get a practice run on the Navy convoy to the Cape up the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and around the Florida Keys.<br />
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On August 26, 1966, was the day for moving the Saturn S-IC-1 Booster to the River dock and placed it onboard the barge Poseidon, it was very stressful. In an earlier meeting with the KSC Director Dr. Kurt Debus and his staff at the Cape, a transfer requirement was made on the first flight Saturn 5 rocket, S-IC-1. Debus requested in our transfer package, that we include a copy of all Engineering Waivers and a Certification for Flight Letter from MSFC. <br />
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I had spent many hours preparing the transfer package by coping and reviewing 1538 Engineering Waivers and preparing the Certification for Flight Letter for signatures on <br />
Vehicle S-IC-1. I notified my Cape Launch Co-Coordinator, Dr. Albert Zeiler, of its contents. He called me back and said, “Dr. Debus was upset about accepting a rocket with that many engineering waivers, he wanted each MSFC processing Laboratory Director to sign the Certification Letter. He wanted to be insured, that the rocket was designed, built, tested, inspected and is flight worthy.”<br />
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I spend months making shipment preparations and arrangements. I had just left the Packaging Building 4755, were the S-IC-1 Booster was getting prepared to roll down to the River Dock, an hour trip by a new road. I first started to get the Certification for Flight signatures with my Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (R-ME) Director, Werner Kuers. Mr. Kuers would not sign the transfer and told me “not to move that rocket one foot” until the others have signed and he told me he wanted to pose for pictures at the roll out and for me to arrange it with our Photo Lab. <br />
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I went to the Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Laboratory (R-PV&E) Director William Lucas, he signed it and that it was designed to fly. <br />
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I then called on the Quality and Reliability Assurance Laboratory (R-QUAL) Director Dieter Grau, to sign. He would not sign until the Test Laboratory (R-TEST) Director Karl Heimburg, signs that the rocket was tested to flight specifications. I appealed to my friend, Dan Driscoll, Chief of Systems Test Division in R-TEST Lab, to explain the test acceptance he did on the rocket and try to get Heimburg to sign. Dan got his Lab’s signature while I waited. <br />
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I went to my friend, Deputy Director of R-QUAL, Dr. Jack Trott, whom I once worked for in the R-ME Lab to get his Director, Dieter Grau, to sign. Jack got his Lab’s signature. I was running out of time.<br />
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I reported to Mr. Kuers to get his signature for the rocket being built to design drawings. As he was signing, he asked me to take him to the roll out. I looked out the window over his shoulder and seen the Booster moving down the special loading road to the River Dock. I told him we needed to go now and I took him down to the River. The rocket was being backed into the barge when we got there. We stood by the filming crew, he just looked at me and I gestured that I didn’t know the rocket was on it‘s way. I was totally drained! Maybe tomorrow will be a better day!</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Moon_Rocket_Stressful_Days&diff=13974Moon Rocket Stressful Days2008-11-13T19:03:36Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Saving The German Scientists: Assign a title.</p>
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<div>#REDIRECT [[Saving The German Scientists]]</div>Gradyhttps://lunarpedia.org/index.php?title=Saving_The_German_Scientists&diff=13973Saving The German Scientists2008-11-13T19:03:34Z<p>Grady: Create an Article to this category moved to Saving The German Scientists: Assign a title.</p>
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<div>{{Historical Essay|Author=[[Grady Woodard]]}}<br />
<br />
Grady’s Space Chronicles<br />
<br />
Saving The German Scientists<br />
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Headlines of The Marshall Star, a monthly tabloid at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on May 31, 1967, was “Marshall People Learn Life-Saving First Aid.” <br />
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There was more to this training than this headline story implies. Yes, we got a mandatory Red Cross training course in first aid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in lifesaving methods. A combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions delivered to victims thought to be in cardiac arrest. When cardiac arrest occurs, the heart stops pumping blood. CPR can support a small amount of blood flow to the heart and brain to “buy time” until normal heart function is restored. <br />
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Experts say cardiac arrest is often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). When VF develops, the heart quivers and doesn't pump blood. The victim in VF cardiac arrest needs CPR and delivery of a shock to the heart, called defibrillation. Defibrillation eliminates the abnormal VF heart rhythm and allows the normal rhythm to resume. Defibrillation is not effective for all forms of cardiac arrest but it is effective to treat VF, the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest.<br />
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The four day training was a shock to us in the rank and file, requiring us to add this while we were in a crash program to beat the Russians to the moon. MSFC already had our health control with a new NASA Health Center, in Building 4249. This Center was set up and staffed by NASA itself, not by MSFC and personnel were required to take physicals and check ups. I was called to the Center for a physical and regular check ups. Lots of Nurses and Doctors were working in the Center, it had it‘s own Lab.<br />
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However, there was an added dangerous instructional course given to us that was not authorized by the Red Cross, that shocked us all! <br />
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We had to take the course working with a CPR Manikin. It was when we got to the “lifesaving” part that we couldn’t figure out. Our instruction orders were, “If you turn a corner and find someone on the ground and if their heart had stopped, take a pin knife (holding up a small red handle knife), open their chest cavity and massage their heart back to life. But only on base, you can’t do that off-base, it’s not a Red Cross procedure for first aid,” our Instructor said.<br />
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Experts have said, a classical internal cardiac massage mostly can increase systolic blood pressure to maintain sufficient brain and systemic organ perfusion but diastolic blood pressure commonly remains below 10 mmHg. To be able to increase the diastolic blood pressure sufficiently, the surgeon grabs the distal part of the ascending aorta between the thumb and index finger of the left hand and squeezes it during the diastolic time period to increase the diastolic pressure. Ascending aorta is released during ventricular squeezing, and subsequently ascending aorta is squeezed during the ventricular relaxation. <br />
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“But why do this!,” we students were discussing the course, as most employees were young, except the 118 German Rocket Scientists, they were getting up into age now. So, we students were looking for the motive and decided that the Germans must be the target of this lifesaving procedure. It was common knowledge to us that the government was using the Germans for rocket science gains. Keeping the German Rocket Team healthy until a plan called, “The Final German Solution”, was implemented by Washington and the Congress. <br />
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We believed that the Plan was: Quietly, NASA was replacing deputies to our Management Staff, as the Germans put themselves in charge of everything. We had heard that a plan was slowly being implemented to learn everything from the Germans so they could be replaced. The Germans were hard to deal with and they were not giving up control to Congress in contracting out or picking favored contractors. One Congressmen said, “von Braun would launch those rockets from Huntsville if we let him.” <br />
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Current information however, says diastolic blood pressure cannot be effectively increased even with open -chest internal heart massage during resuscitation. I never did hear of anyone using this procedure, thank goodness! The Agency must have been in a panic to finish obtaining needed data from the Germans before it cut them loose.<br />
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Other signs at MSFC that seemed to indicate there was a plan to ease control or loosen the grip the Germans had. The slow replacement of Germans with Americans were well under way, I discovered this when given the assignment to give the new executives their training tour of the program, shops and offices. I did not want to see by German friends being reassigned to other duties, like consulting the new arrivals. The Germans were feeling the pressure of being used. <br />
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A few years earlier, after Boeing got the Saturn 5 booster contract, it seems something happened to help set up the “Final German Solution” plan. Boeing engineers sit beside us for six months to learn our jobs. Bowing’s thinking was this would help make their effort a success. But after the engineers returned to Boeing for a while, Boeing fell behind and knew their engineers missed something. <br />
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Boeing contacted our Program Office for help, “Fine out how the Germans do it? No one in the Program Office could come up with that information.” One of the Programs Office engineers had work with me in the past and proposed that they ordered me to talk to my German friends and get the information “in a causal way.”<br />
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After the Boeing shortfall finding, it fell upon Washington and the Congress to act. A plan was developed to protect the Government and it’s space program from the aging German Team’s demise. “The Final German Solution” plan was developed to loosen their control over the space rocket program</div>Grady