The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

the second American manned spaceflight, commanded
Gemini 3, the first two-man mission, was backup command
pilot for Gemini 4, and was scheduled to command
the first Apollo flight when he and his crewmates,
Edward White II and Roger Chaffee, were killed in a
launch pad fire on January 27, 1967. 138
ground-track
An imaginary line on the Earth’s surface that traces the
course of another imaginary line between Earth’s center
and an orbiting satellite.
GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle)
India’s latest four-stage launch vehicle, capable of placing
2,500-kg Insat-type communications satellites into
geostationary transfer orbit. The GSLV improves on the
performance of the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)
by the addition of liquid strap-on boosters and a
cryogenic upper stage. The solid first and liquid second
stages are carried over from the PSLV, while the cryogenic
upper stage is being supplied by Russia until India
has developed an indigenous version. Carrying a 1.5ton
experimental satellite, the GSLV was launched successfully
for the first time on April 18, 2001—an
important first step toward India’s independence in
space and competing in the lucrative geosynchronous
market.
Height: 49 m
Maximum diameter: 2.8 m
Mass at liftoff: 402 tons
Payload to GTO: 2,500 kg
guidance, inertial 173
GSO
Abbreviation for either geosynchronous orbit or geostationary
orbit.
g-suit
See anti-g suit.
GTO
See geosynchronous/geostationary transfer orbit.
Guiana Space Centre
Europe’s main launch facility, owned by ESA (European
Space Agency) and operated by CNES (the French space
agency). Located near Kourou in French Guiana, on the
northern coast of South America at 5.2° N, 52.8° W, it is
ideal for launching geosynchronous satellites and also
supports missions into polar orbit. It benefits from
Earth’s rotation near the equator, which gives a free boost
of 460 m/s to eastward-launched rockets. Originally
selected by CNES, the Kourou site has been vastly
expanded with funding from ESA for its Ariane launcher
programs. The Ariane 5 facilities alone cover 21 square
km out of a total of 850 square km occupied by the
spaceport. 242
guidance
The process of directing the movements of an aeronautical
or space vehicle, with particular reference to the selection
of a flight path or trajectory.
guidance, inertial
See inertial guidance.
Guiana Space Centre An Ariane
5 stands on its launch pad
at the Guiana Space Centre.
European Space Agency