1952 in spaceflight
In 1952, several branches of the United States' military, often in partnership with civilian organizations, continued their programs of
The same year, groundwork was laid for the launch of the first artificial satellite when, in October, the General Assembly of the
No new models of
missiles had operational test runs during the year.Space exploration highlights
In the late spring of 1952, the
On 6 June 1952, Viking 8 broke loose of its moorings during a static firing test. After it was allowed to fly for 55 seconds in the hope that it would clear the immediate area and thus pose no danger to ground crew, Nat Wagner, head of the "Cutoff group", delivered a command to the rocket to cease its thrust. 65 seconds later, the rocket crashed 4 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) downrange to the southeast.[2]: 180–181
With lessons learned from the Viking 8 failure, the successful 9 December static firing of Viking 9 was followed on 15 December by a successful launch from White Sands. The rocket reached an altitude of 135 miles (217 km), roughly the same as that of the first-generation Viking 7 in 1950. In addition to cameras that photographed the Earth during flight, Viking 9 carried a full suite of cosmic ray, ultraviolet, and X-ray detectors, including sixteen plates of emulsion gel for tracking the path of individual high energy particles. The experiment package was recovered intact after it had secured measurements high above the Earth's atmosphere.[2]: 185–203
US Army
The final flight of the
American civilian efforts
1952 saw the first rockoon flights. These balloon-mounted rockets were significantly cheaper than sounding rocket flights: $1800 per launch versus $25,000 for each Aerobee launch and $450,000 for each Viking launch. A series of seven ship-launched tests conducted by a University of Iowa team under James Van Allen achieved considerable success, with one flight grazing the edge of space with an apogee of 55 miles (89 km).[4]: 10–18
Spacecraft development
US Air Force
Progress remained slow throughout 1952 on the
US Army
On 8 April 1952, Redstone Arsenal in Alabama officially gave the name of "Redstone" to the surface-to-surface missile, capable of delivering nuclear or conventional warheads to a range of 200 miles (320 km), which they had started developing on 10 July 1951. The office of the Chief of Ordnance of the Army (OCO) tasked Chrysler Corporation to proceed with active work as the prime contractor on the missile by a letter order contract in October 1952; this contract definitized on 19 June 1953.[6]
Soviet military
In 1952, the Soviet Union focused its strategic rocket development on the
This dramatic increase in performance of the R-5 over its predecessors was made possible through development of the RD-103 engine, an evolution of the RD-101 used in the R-2 missile, and by reducing the weight of the rocket through use of integrated tankage (while at the same time increasing propellant load by 60% over the R-2). The military had much more confidence in this incremental design than the radical leap forward that was the R-3, and work proceeded apace. Other innovations over the R-1 and R-2 included small aerodynamic rudders run by servomotors to replace the big fins of the R-1/R-2, and longitudinal acceleration integrators to improve the precision of engine cutoff and thus accuracy.[8]: 99–100 Two of the first ten R-5s produced underwent stand tests through February 1952,[9] and the sleek, cylindrical R-5, "the first Soviet strategic rocket", would be ready for its first launch March 1953.[8]: 99–100
Also in 1952, the design bureau OKB-486, under
That same year, there was also a series of fourteen test launches of the mass-produced version of R-2 missile, with a range of 600 kilometres (370 mi).[7]: 48–9 Twelve of the missiles reached their targets.[7]: 266 The R-1 also was test-launched seven times.[10]
Civilian efforts
In October 1952, the General Assembly of the
In 1951, the
Launches
January
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
30 January 20:45 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1a | USAF 21 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
Ionosphere 1 | AFCRC / University of Utah
|
Suborbital
|
Ionospheric | 30 January | Launch failure | ||
Apogee: 0 kilometres (0 mi), rocket exploded in tower[3]: 85 |
February
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
19 February 14:49 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1c | USAF 22 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Utah
|
Suborbital | Airglow | 19 February | Launch failure | |||
Apogee: 0 kilometres (0 mi), maiden (and only) flight of the RTV-A-1c, which was an unboosted version of the RTV-A-1a. There was a thrust chamber explosion in the tower, but the instrumentation was recovered intact.[3]: 86 | |||||||
19 February 17:00 |
Aerobee RTV-N-10 | NRL 7 | White Sands LC-35 | US Navy | |||
NRL | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation | 19 February | Successful | |||
Apogee: 81.3 kilometres (50.5 mi)[3]: 303–304 | |||||||
29 February 14:40 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 23 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Utah | Suborbital | Airglow | 29 February | Successful | |||
Apogee: 89.3 kilometres (55.5 mi)[3]: 87–88 |
April
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
22 April 17:28 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 24 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / Boston University
|
Suborbital | Ionospheric | 22 April | Successful | |||
Apogee: 113 kilometres (70 mi)[3]: 89–90 | |||||||
30 April 13:30 |
Aerobee RTV-N-10 | NRL 8 | White Sands LC-35 | US Navy | |||
NRL | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation | 30 April | Successful | |||
Apogee: 127.8 kilometres (79.4 mi)[3]: 305 |
May
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
1 May 14:59 |
Aerobee RTV-N-10 | NRL 9 | White Sands LC-35 | US Navy | |||
NRL | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation | 1 May | Successful | |||
Apogee: 126.0 kilometres (78.3 mi)[3]: 305 | |||||||
1 May 15:42 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 25 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Rhode Island
|
Suborbital | Solar UV | 1 May | Successful | |||
Apogee: 91 kilometres (57 mi)[3]: 91–92 | |||||||
5 May 13:44 |
Aerobee RTV-N-10 | NRL 10 | White Sands LC-35 | US Navy | |||
NRL | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation / Solar Radiation | 5 May | Successful | |||
Apogee: 127.0 kilometres (78.9 mi)[3]: 305 | |||||||
15 May 01:15 |
Aerobee XASR-SC-1
|
SC 23 | White Sands LC-35 | US Army | |||
Sphere | SCEL / University of Michigan | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 15 May | Successful | ||
Apogee: 76.1 kilometres (47.3 mi)[3]: 233–234 | |||||||
20 May 02:07 |
Aerobee XASR-SC-1 | SC 24 | White Sands LC-35 | US Army | |||
Grenades | USASC | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 20 May | Successful | ||
Apogee: 89.5 kilometres (55.6 mi)[3]: 235–236 | |||||||
20 May 16:06 |
V-2
|
V-2 No. 59 / TF-2 | LC-33
|
US Army | |||
SCEL / University of Michigan | Suborbital | Aeronomy / Photography | 20 May | Successful | |||
Apogee: 103.5 kilometres (64.3 mi)[3]: 455–456, 464 | |||||||
21 May 15:15 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 26 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
Aeromed 3 | AFCRL / WADC Aero-Medical Laboratory
|
Suborbital | Biological | 21 May | Successful | ||
Carried 2 Philippine monkeys, Pat and Mike, and 2 mice; all recovered. Apogee: 61 kilometres (38 mi)[3]: 93–94 |
June
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
6 June 17:30 |
Viking (second model) | LC-33
|
US Navy | ||||
Viking 8 | NRL | Suborbital | Accidental launch | 6 June | Launch failure | ||
Apogee: 6 kilometres (3.7 mi), accidentally launched during static fire ground test[12] | |||||||
18 June 17:50 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 27 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Denver
|
Suborbital | Solar UV | 18 June | Successful | |||
Apogee: 105 kilometres (65 mi)[3]: 95–96 | |||||||
30 June 14:32 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 28 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
Airglow 1 | AFCRC | Suborbital | Sky Brightness | 30 June | Successful | ||
Apogee: 101 kilometres (63 mi)[3]: 97–98 |
August
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
8 August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1
| ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 8 August | ||||
First of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Second of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Third of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Fourth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Fifth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Sixth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Seventh of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
August | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Eighth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
20 August | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 20 August | Successful[10] | |||
21 August | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 August | Successful[10] | |||
21 August 06:25 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 1 | USCGC Eastwind, Kane Basin | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 21 August | Partial failure | |||
Maiden flight of the Deacon Rockoon, (balloon) apogee: 21.4 kilometres (13.3 mi), rocket failed to fire[3]: 312 | |||||||
22 August 07:33 |
V-2
|
TF-3 | LC-33
|
US Army | |||
AFCRC / National Institutes of Health
|
Suborbital | Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation / Solar X-Ray / Magnetic Field / Sky Brightness | 22 August | Successful | |||
Apogee: 78.1 kilometres (48.5 mi)[3]: 465–466 | |||||||
24 August 03:34 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 2 | USCGC Eastwind, northern Baffin Bay | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 24 August | Partial failure | |||
(Balloon) Apogee: 21.4 kilometres (13.3 mi),[3]: 312 rocket failed to fire, but instrument package worked[4]: 17 | |||||||
25 August | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 25 August | Successful[10] | |||
26 August 18:53 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1a | USAF 29 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
Ionosphere 2 | AFCRC / University of Utah
|
Suborbital | Ionospheric | 26 August | Launch failure | ||
Apogee: 32 kilometres (20 mi)[3]: 99–100 | |||||||
29 August 00:26 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 3 | USCGC Eastwind, northern Baffin Bay | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 29 August | Spacecraft failure | |||
Apogee: 61.0 kilometres (37.9 mi),[3]: 312 first successful firing of balloon-launched rocket, instruments failed to return data[4]: 18 | |||||||
29 August 07:36 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 4 | USCGC Eastwind, northern Baffin Bay | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 29 August | Successful | |||
Apogee: 59.4 kilometres (36.9 mi)[3]: 312 | |||||||
29 August 18:15 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 5 | USCGC Eastwind, northern Baffin Bay | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 29 August | Successful | |||
Apogee: 76.1 kilometres (47.3 mi)[3]: 312 | |||||||
31 August 21:10 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 6 | USCGC Eastwind, northern Baffin Bay | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 31 August | Successful | |||
Apogee: 64.1 kilometres (39.8 mi)[3]: 313 |
September
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
September | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1
| ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Ninth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
September | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Tenth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
September | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Eleventh of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
September | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Twelfth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
September | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | Same day | ||||
Thirteenth of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
3 September 14:49 |
Aerobee RTV-N-10 | NRL 11 | White Sands LC-35 | US Navy | |||
NRL | Suborbital | Solar Radiation | 3 September | Successful | |||
Apogee: 99.0 kilometres (61.5 mi)[3]: 305 | |||||||
4 September 09:17 |
Deacon rockoon | SUI 7 | USCGC Eastwind, northern Baffin Bay | US Coast Guard | |||
University of Iowa | Suborbital | Cosmic Radiation | 4 September | Successful | |||
Apogee: 64.1 kilometres (39.8 mi)[3]: 313 | |||||||
18 September | R-2 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 18 September | ||||
Last of fourteen test launches of mass-produced version; twelve reached their target[13][7]: 266 | |||||||
19 September 15:49 |
V-2
|
TF-5 | LC-33
|
US Army | |||
SCEL / University of Michigan | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 19 September | Launch failure | |||
Final flight of the V-2, apogee: 7.1 kilometres (4.4 mi), tail exploded at 27 seconds[3]: 469–470 | |||||||
25 September 03:50 |
Aerobee XASR-SC-1 | SC 25 | White Sands LC-35 | US Army | |||
Grenades | SCEL | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 25 September | Successful | ||
Apogee: 117 kilometres (73 mi)[3]: 239 |
October
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
10 October 14:24 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 30 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Denver
|
Suborbital | Solar UV | 10 October | Successful | |||
Apogee: 110 kilometres (68 mi)[3]: 102–103 | |||||||
22 October 14:35 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 31 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Michigan | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 22 October | Successful | |||
Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi)[3]: 104–105 | |||||||
23 October 03:45 |
Aerobee XASR-SC-2 | SC 26 | White Sands LC-35 | US Army | |||
Grenades | SCEL | Suborbital | Aeronomy | 23 October | Successful | ||
Apogee: 112.0 kilometres (69.6 mi)[3]: 237–238 | |||||||
29 October | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1
| ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 29 October | Successful[10] | |||
30 October | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 October | Successful[10] | |||
30 October | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1 | ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 30 October | Successful[10] |
November
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
6 November 15:56 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 32 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
Airglow 2 | AFCRC
|
Suborbital | Sky Brightness | 6 November | Successful | ||
Apogee: 76 kilometres (47 mi)[3]: 106–107 | |||||||
21 November | R-1 | Kapustin Yar | OKB-1
| ||||
OKB-1 | Suborbital | Missile test | 21 November | Successful[10] |
December
Date and time ( UTC )
|
Rocket | Flight number | Launch site
|
LSP
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payload | Operator | Orbit | Function | Decay (UTC) | Outcome | ||
Remarks | |||||||
11 December 23:47 |
Aerobee XASR-SC-1
|
SC 29 | White Sands LC-35 | US Army | |||
Sphere | SCEL / University of Michigan | Suborbital | Aeronomy / Cosmic Radiation | 11 December | Successful | ||
Apogee: 105.1 kilometres (65.3 mi)[3]: 244–245 | |||||||
12 December 19:38 |
Aerobee RTV-A-1 | USAF 33 | Holloman LC-A | US Air Force | |||
AFCRC / University of Colorado
|
Suborbital | Solar UV | 12 December | Successful | |||
Final flight of the RTV-A-1, apogee: 89 kilometres (55 mi)[3]: 108–109 | |||||||
15 December 21:38 |
Viking (second model) | LC-33
|
US Navy | ||||
Viking 9 | NRL | Suborbital | Solar Radiation / Cosmic Radiation / Photography | 15 December | Successful | ||
Apogee: 219 kilometres (136 mi)[3]: 494 |
Suborbital launch summary
By country
Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 35 | 27 | 5 | 3 | |
Soviet Union | 21 | 19 | 0 | 2 |
By rocket
- V-2 (American)
- Viking (second model)
- Aerobee RTV-N-10
- Aerobee XASR-SC-1
- Aerobee XASR-SC-2
- Aerobee RTV-A-1
- Aerobee RTV-A-1a
- Aerobee RTV-A-1c
- Deacon rockoon
- R-1
- R-2
Rocket | Country | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
V-2
|
United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Retired |
Viking (second model) | United States | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight |
Aerobee RTV-N-10
|
United States | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Aerobee XASR-SC-1
|
United States | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Aerobee XASR-SC-2
|
United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Aerobee RTV-A-1
|
United States | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | Retired |
Aerobee RTV-A-1a
|
United States | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Aerobee RTV-A-1c
|
United States | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Maiden flight, retired |
Deacon rockoon | United States | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | Maiden flight |
R-1 | Soviet Union | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
R-2 | Soviet Union | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
See also
References
- from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ OCLC 317524549.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Charles P. Smith Jr. (April 1958). Naval Research Laboratory Report No. 4276: Upper Atmosphere Research Report No. XXI, Summary of Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Firings (pdf). Washington D.C.: Naval Research Laboratory. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ OCLC 845256256.
- OCLC 492591218.
- ^ "Installation History 1950 – 1952". US Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command. 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ OCLC 946818748.
- ^ OCLC 1001823253. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ Mark Wade (7 January 2021). "R-5". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mark Wade. "R-1 8A11". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-97353-209-5. SP-4202. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Mark Wade. "Viking Sounding Rocket". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Mark Wade. "R-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.