Von Braun's German Ordnance group launches A-2 'Max' from the Island of Borkum in the North Sea before the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army. The rocket is at an altitude of 1.7 km at burn-out, and reaches 2.2 km before falling back to impact 800 m from the launch point.

US industry to investigate the feasibility of a manned, hypersonic, rocket-powered, bombardment and reconnaissance weapon system. The Air Force requested the aviation industry to investigate the feasibility of developing a manned, hypersonic, rocket-powered, bombardment and reconnaissance weapon system.

The flight was successful, Actual range was 401.6 nm; 84.9 nm over the intended impact point. The missile used Hydyne fuel. The primary test objective was to test the control of an unstable missile configuration by using an angle-of-attack meter (boom type) in the ascending phase (Jupiter control). Missed aimpoint by 157,200 m.

Fired from AMR at 1507 hours EST. The main-stage, lift-off, and powered flight were normal. The missile followed the prescribed trajectory. Thrust ended abruptly at 116.87 seconds of flight which resulted in a short-range impact. Failure was again attributed to turbo-pump malfunction. The long-range mission. was not accomplished; however, other primary and secondary missions were successfully accomplished. The abrupt shutdown of the power plant resulted in a range of approximately 149 nm and an altitude of approximately 50 nm.

The eighth Thor flight test missile, the fourth success, completed the first fully-guided flight using an all-inertial guidance and control system. A Thor missile, the eighth tested and the fourth successfully, completed the first fully-guided Thor IRBM flight using an all-inertial guidance system.

Mercury-Redstone 1A (MR-1A) was launched from Cape Canaveral in a repeat of the November 21, 1960, mission and was completely successful. This was the third attempt to accomplish the objectives established for this flight. The first attempt on November 7, 1960, was canceled as a result of a helium leak in the spacecraft reaction control system relief valve, and on November 21, 1960, the mission could not be completed because of premature cut-off of the launch vehicle engines. Objectives of the MR-1A flight were to qualify the spacecraft for space flight and to qualify the flight system for a primate flight scheduled shortly thereafter. Close attention was given to the spacecraft-launch vehicle combination as it went through the various flight sequences: powered flight; acceleration and deceleration; performance of the posigrade rockets; performance of the recovery system; performance of the launch, tracking, and recovery phases of the operation; other events of the flight including retrorocket operation in a space environment; and operation of instrumentation. Except that the launch vehicle cut-off velocity was slightly higher than normal, all flight sequences were satisfactory; tower separation, spacecraft separation, spacecraft turnaround, retrofire, retropackage jettison, and landing system operation occurred or were controlled as planned. The spacecraft reached a maximum altitude of 130.68 statute miles, a range of 234.8 statute miles, and a speed of 4,909.1 miles per hour. Fifteen minutes after landing in the Atlantic Ocean, the recovery helicopter picked up the spacecraft to complete the successful flight mission.

When the high-voltage power supplies were first turned-on, intermittent high-voltage breakdowns occurred, and the beam power supply became inoperative. Post-flight examination of the power supply indicated the high-voltage breakdowns were probably caused by pressure buildup in the primary propulsion unit due to gas vented from the spacecraft batteries. The primary propulsion unit high voltage section was not adequately vented to keep the pressure low enough. Engine thrusting was not accomplished in this test.

NASA Hq advised the centers regarding the agency's official position vis-a-vis the Defense Department's Manned Orbiting Laboratory project. Both NASA and DOD viewed MOL as a project designed to fulfill immediate military requirements. The project could not be construed as meeting the much broader objectives and goals of a national space station program being studied by both organizations under post-Apollo research and development program policy agreements between NASA Administrator James E. Webb and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (dated 14 September 1963).

In its first NASA use from Vandenberg AFB a Scout rocket (#122) was successfully launched. The 18-pound Explorer 19 atmosphere density satellite was successfully injected into orbit. 12 foot dia. balloon; identical to Explorer 9; atmospheric density studies. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

NASA Hq. announced establishment of the Lunar Exploration Office within the Office of Manned Space Flight's Apollo Program Office. The new office, headed by Lee R. Scherer, merged program units directing Apollo lunar exploration and planning exploration beyond the first manned lunar landing. OMSF would staff the Systems Development element; the Lunar Science group would be staffed by the Office of Space Science and Applications, which would approve operating plans and scientific objectives, payloads, and principal investigators for specific missions.

Over Brazil. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Atlantic Ocean at 24 deg W in 1969-1970. As of 3 September 2001 located at 96.04 deg E drifting at 9.557 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 48.04W drifting at 9.553W degrees per day.

Lunokhod-1 and Venera-7 missions continue well. The NIITsPK conference is completed, final total 88 papers. The conference has recommended a cautious build-up in manned flight durations - the next mission should be 22 days long, then 26, then 30. But Ustinov has ordered Mishin to ensure that the first flight to DOS will be 30 days long. Kamanin is categorically opposed to this. Kamanin runs through the principal differences between himself and Mishin:

• Mishin wants to continue work on the N1-L3 moon project. Kamanin thinks the whole thing should be cancelled
• Kamanin wants the L3 to land on Soviet territory. Mishin wants it to land in the Indian Ocean
• Mishin wants to make the next manned flight 30 days long. Kamanin wants to limit it to 18 days

Reentry, landing, and recovery were normal. The Apollo 17 command module parachuted into the mid-Pacific at 19:25 GMT, 6.4 kilometers from the prime recovery ship, U.S.S. Ticonderoga. The crew was picked up by helicopter and was on board the U.S.S. Ticonderoga 52 minutes after the CM landed. Manned exploration of the moon had ended.

Experimental commsat. Jointly registered by the Federal Republic of Germany (A/AC.105/INF.305) and France (A/AC.105/INF.306). Symphonie flying model no. 1, constructed jointly by France and the Federal Republic of Germany. Description: Experimental teleco mmunications satellite. Orbit: geostationary. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Atlantic Ocean at 11 deg W in 1975-1977; over the Indian Ocean 49 deg E in 1977-1983 As of 25 August 2001 located at 179.98 deg E drifting at 1.086 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 11 located at 72.77E drifting at 1.184W degrees per day.

Did not achieve geostationary orbit due to malfunction of Block D. Operation of telephone and telegraph radiocommunications and transmission of television programmes. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean at 53 deg E in 1979-1980 As of 29 August 2001 located at 75.87 deg E drifting at 0.132 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 57.49E drifting at 0.119E degrees per day.

Telephone and telegraph communications and transmission of television programmes. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 35 deg E in 1992-1999; 45 deg E in 1999. As of 5 September 2001 located at 61.74 deg E drifting at 0.302 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 115.81E drifting at 0.085E degrees per day.

European Space Agency Gaia spacecraft to measure the three-dimensional positions and velocities of galactic stars, placed in Lagrangian Point 2. As Gaia rotated, a gigapixel detector array consisting of a complex arrangement of mirrors, CCD's, and photometers measured stellar positions, brightness and color; and Doppler shifts of stars with unprecedented accuracy. The Gaia catalog, when it is available in the 2020's, was expected to put the whole field of astrophysics on a firmer footing. Soyuz ST-B with upper stage Fregat-MT No. 1039 from Kourou-Sinnamary. The Fregat upper stage separated from the Soyuz booster at suborbital velocity. It then made a first burn to a 175 x 175 km parking orbit, then reignited for a 16-minute burn from 09:33 GMT to propel Gaia to a 344 km x 962,690 km x 15.0 deg orbit, on its way to the Sun-Earth L2 point. Gaia fired its own propulsion system of 6 10-N thrusters to raise apogee to around 1.5 million km towards midnight; after a few weeks it entered a Lissajous orbit around the L2 point and began observations. Gaia's data will take years to process and was to result in the best yet catalog of galactic stars.