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

asic studies of the ionosphere. They were known as
Explorers 22 and 27, as well as by their BE designation.
beacon
A low-power carrier transmitted by a satellite that supplies
controlling engineers on the ground with a means
of monitoring telemetry data, tracking the satellite, or
carrying out experiments on how well the signals travel
through the atmosphere. The beacon is usually sent out
by a horn or an omnidirectional antenna.
Beagle 2
See Mars Express.
Beal Aerospace Technologies
A Dallas-based company, formed in 1997 by industrialist
Andrew Beal (1953–), to develop a completely private
medium- to heavy-lift rocket to launch commercial satellites.
The company went out of business in October 2000,
but not before it had tested its BA-810 engine—the second
largest liquid-fueled rocket engine ever built in the United
States, surpassed only by the F-1 used on the Saturn V.
The BA-810 would have boosted the second stage of
Beal’s planned three-stage BA-2 launch vehicle, capable of
placing satellites of up to 6,000 kg into geostationary
transfer orbit (GTO). The BA-2 would have been 64.6 m
tall and 6.2 m in diameter, and it would have weighed
about 970 tons at liftoff. Andrew Beal claimed that private
companies such as his could not compete with Lockheed
Martin’s Atlas V and Boeing’s Delta IV, which received
government funding from programs such as the Air
Force’s EELV (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) program
and NASA’s Space Launch Initiative (SLI).
beamed-energy propulsion
A method of propulsion that uses a remote energy source,
such as a ground- or space-based laser or microwave transmitter,
to send power to a space vehicle via a beam of electromagnetic
radiation. If the energy to propel a spacecraft
does not have to be carried onboard the vehicle, significant
weight reductions and performance improvements
can be achieved. At present, beamed-energy is one of the
most promising technologies to lower dramatically the
cost of space transportation. See laser propulsion.
Bean, Alan LaVern (1932–)
An American astronaut who became the fourth human
to walk on the Moon. Bean obtained a B.S. from the University
of Texas, Austin, entered the U.S. Navy, and even-
Beggs, James Montgomery 51
Alan Bean Bean taking a zero-g shower aboard Skylab. NASA
tually became a Navy test pilot. He also developed an
interest in art and, while serving as a test pilot, enrolled in
night classes at a nearby college. In 1963, he was chosen
by NASA to train as an astronaut and was later appointed
Lunar Module pilot aboard Apollo 12. In 1973, Bean
again flew in space as commander of Skylab 2. This was
to be his last space mission, although he was appointed as
backup commander for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
Subsequently, he served as chief of operations and training
and acting chief astronaut until the first flight of the
Space Shuttle. In 1981, Bean resigned from NASA to
devote all his time to painting and to public speaking.
His artwork of the Moon is unique in that it is the first to
draw upon firsthand experience of another world. 19
BECO (booster engine cutoff)
The point at which the booster engine stops firing.
Beggs, James Montgomery (1926–)
NASA’s sixth administrator. Beggs served in this post from
July 10, 1981, to December 4, 1985, when he took an
indefinite leave of absence pending disposition of an
indictment from the Justice Department for activities that
took place prior to his tenure at NASA. This indictment
was later dismissed and the attorney general apologized to
Beggs for any embarrassment. His resignation from NASA
was effective on February 25, 1986. Before his appointment
at NASA, Beggs had been executive vice president
and a director of General Dynamics, having previously
served with NASA in 1968 and 1969 as associate administrator
in the Office of Advanced Research and Technology.
A 1947 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Beggs served