Scientists had long been intrigued by Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system. Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury remained largely unexplored, with many questions remaining about its surface features, geological composition, and magnetic field. The scientific community … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #437 – Mariner 10 – Venus & Mercury first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Pioneer 11 detected Saturn’s bow shock on Aug. 31, 1979, about 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) out from the planet, thus providing the first conclusive evidence of the existence of Saturn’s magnetic field.

The post Space Rocket History #436 – Pioneer 11 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz 7k-T was flown on Soyuz 12 through Soyuz 40 missions from 1973–1981. The new 7K-T spacecraft was designed to accommodate only two cosmonauts who would wear pressure suits at all times … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #435 – Soyuz 12 & 13 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

At this point in 1973, the Soviets were attempting to fly 2 types of space station, the long duration orbital station scientific version called DOS.  The other station was a military spy space station equipped with a machine gun, called … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #434 – Salyut 2, Mars 4, 5, 6, 7 & Tang Ceremony first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Despite predictions, events seldom occur precisely as expected. The calculated breakup altitude of Skylab was based on its intended structural strength specifications. However, the actual vehicle was stronger than the specified strength requirements.

The post Space Rocket History #433 – Skylab – Crashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The official decision to proceed with the Skylab reboost mission was made on September 1st 1977, initiating a two-year preparation period for the development and production of the required hardware and systems.

The post Space Rocket History #432 – Skylab – Reboost first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Early in the planning stages of the Skylab flight, there was a desire to keep it in orbit long enough to use it as the core of a larger station.

The post Space Rocket History #431 – Skylab – Skylab 5 & Skylab B first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Activating the station upon arrival was a challenge, but packing up to return home was also a major event that took several days. For Carr and his crew, this was the last planned visit, but they left open the possibility … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #430 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Leaving Skylab first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The next time an American would venture outside of a spacecraft would be on a Space Shuttle flight and that was nine years later. In less than a decade, from June 1965 to February 1974, American astronauts had learned to … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #429 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Solar Observations and the Last EVA first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This crew was the first to celebrate a new year in space 17 times as they orbited the earth and moved through the time zones.

The post Space Rocket History #428 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Kohoutek in all its Glory first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“We and everybody on the ground thought that it was going to be a beautiful, brilliant comet. It turned out to be beautiful all right, but it was so faint that we really had to work to find it. Once … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #427 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Christmas in Space first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.