Astronautical and Aeronautical Events of 1962 - NASA's History Office

OCt 27
Nov 16
Dec 13
Dec 16
EXPLORER XV -....- S-3b Scientific earth satellite.
Saturn ________-____ SA4 hunch vehicle development
test.
RELAY I _____.______
A-15 Communications
earth satellite.
EXPLORER XVI----- S-55b Scientific earth satel-
lite.
Thor-Delta
(AMR).
Saturn C-1
(AMR).
Thor-Delta
(AMR).
scout (U’S).
May 28, 1959. Included In the nose cone of an Army-launched (from AMR) Jupiter
IRRM were medid experiments sponsored by NASA. Two monkeys, Able and Baker,
were successfully recovered after a 1.700-mile flight.
Aug 21, 1969. While a Little Joe was being readied for firing (at ws) a malfunction
caused the Mercury escspe rocket to Are. The vehicle was undamaged but the capsulc
wan lost In the oman.
* 8ep 16,1959. An Amy Jupiter IRBM, containing 8 NASA biological experiment, was
destroyed by the Range Safety Offlcer shortly after launch (from AMR).
X
X
X
X
-
dummy upper stages. -
First launch with uprsted Delta. Power sup
ply voltage originally too low for communi-
cations experiments voltage built up and
early in an. IB trdsatlantic TV transmis-
sions began.
Micrometeoroid satellite.
4 Sep 24 1959 An Atlas-Able vehicle scheduled to launch a Pioneer lunar-orbit pay-
load, explbded bn the launching pad (it AMR) while being static-tested.
May 9 1860. The flrst production model of the Mercury capsule was tested in a
“pad abort” test (at WR). The escape rocket was used rather than a launch vehicle.
8 Nov 21 1860. Upon being flred (from AMR) a Mercury-Redstone (MR-1) row one
inch stopied 5ring and settled back on the laurhing Dad; was Rred again on December
19. %he Mercury dapsule rocket also fired. The eaDsule was recovored and also reused
on December 19.