Headquarters, 1st Missile Division, was established at Los Angeles, California, and Headquarters, 392d ABG was established at Camp Cooke, Lompoc, California. These initial ballistic missile initial operational capability (IOC) and training units were assigned to WDD.

In response to a request by the DOD-NASA) Saturn Ad Hoc Committee, the Army Ordnance Missile Command (AOMC) sent a supplement to the "Saturn System Study" to the Advanced Research Projects Agency ARPA describing the use of Titan for Saturn upper stages. Additional Details: here....

Russian engineer cosmonaut, 1998-2017. Graduated from Moscow Aviation Institute, 1987 Worked as an engineer at KBOM, then transferred to RKKE. Cosmonaut training completed November 19, 1999. 516 cumulative days in space. 2 spaceflights, 516.4 days in space. Flew to orbit on Soyuz TMA-18 (2010), Soyuz TMA-16M.

Scott Carpenter and Walter Schirra, designated as pilot and backup pilot, respectively, for the Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7) manned orbital mission, underwent a water exercise training program to review procedures for boarding the life raft and the use of survival packs.

After reviewing the results of Gemini-Titan (GT) 1, the Gemini Management Panel remained optimistic that manned flight could be accomplished in 1964. According to the work schedule, GT-2 could fly on August 24 and GT-3 on November 16, with comfortable allowances for four-week slips for each mission. Some special attention was devoted to GT-2, where the spacecraft had become the pacing item, a position held by the launch vehicle on GT-1. Spacecraft No. 2 systems tests had started one month late but were proceeding well. In addition, the schedule looked tight for starting spacecraft No. 3 systems tests on June 1.

The first firing of the LEM ascent engine test rig (HA-3) was successfully conducted at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. A second firing on April 23 lasted 14.45 sec instead of 10 sec as planned. A third firing, lasting 30 sec, completed the test series. A helium pressurization system would be installed before additional testing could begin.

NASA said to need a manned space flight goal other than "using Apollo hardware" - a Mars flyby or landing mission. MSC Director Robert R. Gilruth summarized Houston's position expressed during discussions with Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight George E. Mueller two days earlier. Gilruth cited NASA s need for a manned space flight goal other than 'using Apollo hardware' (and suggested a Mars flyby or landing mission as an in-house focus for planning.) Also, he repeated his concern over the imbalance between AAP goals and resources, as well as the extent of engineering redesign and hardware modification that had been forced upon the project. Though expressing his and MSC's desire to contribute to and be a part of AAP, Gilruth voiced concern that 'the future of manned space flight . . . is in jeopardy because we do not have firm goals, and because the present approach appears to us to be technically unsound.'

Evaluation of a Lockheed proposal to launch space probes from orbit using Agena rockets launched from AAP stations in space. Associate Administrator for Manned Space Fight George E. Mueller informed Deputy Administrator Robert C. Seamans, Jr., of the Saturn/Apollo Applications Program Office's evaluation of a Lockheed proposal to launch space probes from orbit using Agena rockets launched from AAP stations in space. The proposal was feasible, Mueller advised, but did not seem a desirable mission for inclusion in the AAP. Additional Details: here....

Cosmos 213 was the target for Cosmos 212 in a successful test of Soyuz 7K-OK rendezvous and docking systems. The Cosmos 213 launch was the most accurate yet. The spacecraft was placed in orbit only 4 km from Cosmos 212, ready for a first-orbit docking. Both spacecraft were recovered, but Cosmos 213 was dragged by heavy wind across the steppes when the parachute lines didn't jettison at touchdown. This failure caused the upcoming Soyuz 2/3 manned docking mission to be scaled back.
Officially: Investigation of outer space, development of new systems and elements to be used in the construction of space devices. Additional Details: here....

At 00:21:35 GMT Apollo 13 passed behind the moon, out of radio contact with earth. Flying high above the lunar surface, the crew reached a distance of 401,056 km from the center of the earth, an all-time altitude record. At 02:40:39 GMT the cold, exhausted, and ailing crew conducted a completely manual 4 minute 23 second burn of the LM descent engine to reduce the coast time back to earth and moved the landing point from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific. Additional Details: here....

The Salyut station was prepared in a huge two story bunker built for launch vehicle / payload processing. The contrast between the money lavished by the military on this facility for Chelomei's projects and the limited funds available for a proper N1 preparation and test facilities was enormous. Here funds were available without limit. The air was controlled by a self-contained environmental control system with its own independent electrical-diesel generators. The facility was a miracle. It was shocking that this was made available for Almaz, while the military told Mishin that he would have to prepare the immense MKBS station in the uncontrolled environment, subject to frequent power blackouts, of the N1 facility. At Chelomei's facility, everything was completely checked out on earth prior to launch.

The Proton booster is erected on the pad. The decision is made to proceed despite a prediction of 15 m/s winds -- the prediction turns out to be wrong. All of the big brass are present for the rollout. Afterwards Mishin visits the cosmonauts. He says all is ready for the first space station mission, and promises them the N1-L3 will be available soon for lunar missions.

Transport of various cargoes to the Salyut-7 orbital station. First launch of Progress by Soyuz-U2 launch vehicle. Docked with Salyut 7 on 17 Apr 1984 09:22:00 GMT. Undocked on 6 May 1984 17:46:00 GMT. Destroyed in reentry on 7 May 1984 00:32:51 GMT. Total free-flight time 2.33 days. Total docked time 19.35 days.

Stationed at 55 deg W. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 54 deg W in 1992-1997; 17 deg W in 1997-1999; DRIFT As of 4 September 2001 located at 109.00 deg E drifting at 0.022 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 108.99E drifting at 0.020W degrees per day.

Plans for the near future:

The first operation will be the launch of the module Priroda. The Russians want to launch this module on 23.04.1996, but further delay might be possible. In fact all is ready for that launch, but specialists responsible for the power supply of that module want to be sure that the accumulators are fully reliable if unexpected the Priroda has to fly longer than the estimated period between launch and docking. The Priroda has not been equipped with solar panels and if the accumulators show failures there are no alternatives. That is why the experts responsible for the power systems and energy consumption take more time for tests. The dates for some important operations can be set only after the launch and successful docking of Priroda and the redocking thereafter. Priroda has to dock to the forward axial port (-X axis) and will be repositioned from there to the radial port (+Z axis). After this the date for the launch of the freighter Progress-M31 can be determined.

2d Spacewalk (EVA) 21st Main Expedition Mir: Possibly this operation will be executed in May this year. The cosmonauts will have to transfer one of the solar panels which have been brought to Mir by Atlantis (STS-74) and who are still attached at the outer surface of the Docking Compartment (SO - so not Docking Module. SO stands for 'Stykovochnyy Otsek'). They will have to transfer that solar panel to the astrophysical module Kvant-1 (Module-E). During this operation they will use the 2d Strela, which they installed during their first EVA. With this 2d Strela-crane they have the possibility for movements between the SO and the Kvant-1. Originally the Russians planned to install on Kvant-1 the solar panel which is still at the outer surface of the Kristall-module, but they preferred the installation on Kvant-1 of a brand new one. The Russians hope to accomplish this task during that 2nd EVA, but they are ready to insert a 3rd EVA if necessary. The solar panels which have been brought to Mir on the outer surface of the SO will not be deployed from there, but will be used on parts of the Mir-complex.

VDU: This abbreviation stands for External Engine Installation. This is the box, which can be seen in the top of the long Sofora mast which has been erected on Kvant-1. Nobody was sure about the use or the usefulness of that engine. In an interview Thomas Reiter told me that this VDU often is used for the orientation of the complex during periods in which the gyrodynes have to be silenced for repositioning. These gyrodynes cannot turn through 360 degrees and so now and then repositioning is necessary. There is a problem for the future: when the fuel of the VDU has been spent refuelling will not be possible. Perhaps the Russians hoped that fuel would be sufficient for the VDU at least until the end of the operational life of Mir in 1997 or 1998. So if they want to prolong the use of Mir by some years they will have to find a way to refuel that VDU or to install a new one.

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.

The Ikar upper stage entered a 234 km x 900 km transfer orbit, then maneuvered to dispense the four spacecraft into 900 km x 950 km x 52.0 deg parking orbits. The satellite's own thrusters would be used to place them into their 1410 km circular operational orbits. The Ikar stage deorbited itself after one day. The Globalstar satellites, built by Alenia and Loral, are L-band comsats which provide satellite phone service.

The vehicle entered a 175 km x 706 km x 98.2 deg initial orbit. 57 minutes after launch the Delta stage burned again to circularize the orbit at 668 km x 698 km and Landsat 7 separated from the stage. The Delta stage then burned to depletion of its propellant, into a 184 km x 710 km x 107.5 deg orbit that would decay quickly. The Landsat 7 remote sensing satellite was to be operated by NASA/Goddard until October 2000, when operations would be transferred to the US Geological Survey.

The first railcar in space crept down the track of a newly installed truss structure at the International Space Station today, paving the way for the future use of the system on which the station's robotic arm will be mounted to travel the full length of the complex. Additional Details: here....

The Soyuz TMA-6 docked with International Space Station's Pirs module at 02:20 GMT on April 17. Commander of the long-duration EO-11 crew was Russian cosmonaut Sergey Krikalyov. Flight engineer and science officer was American astronaut John Phillips. Italian Roberto Vittori accompanied the EO-10 crew aboard Soyuz TMA-6 to the station on the European Space Agency EP-8 Eneide mission.

Delayed from April 15; October 18, 19, 26, 28; Nov. 4, 9 and 11; 2004, and March 2, 2005. Autonomous Rendezvous Technology mission, planned to guide itself to within a few metres of a US satellite. On April 16, DART closed within 100 m of the MUBLCOM satellite, then evidently began a series of out-of-control maneuvers resulting in an in-space collission and MUBLCOM being bumped into a 3 to 5 km higher orbit. Remarkably both satellites continued to function. DART then detected that it was running unexpectedly low on nitrogen cold gas used for orientation. Its autonomous software aborted further rendezvous operations and the DART was deorbited shortly thereafter. Air dropped in Point Arguello WADZ.

FORMOSAT-3 consisted of six small 62 kg Orbcomm-type satellites with GPS receivers which were to measure atmospheric conditions by studying the effect of the atmosphere on GPS satellite signals passing through it. The satellites, also known as COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate), each raised their orbits over several months, all but one reaching operational orbits of around 770 x 840 km by September 2007.