First official test flight of the Mirak (Minimum Rakete) II. A flight-weight version of Riedel's 'flying test stand' takes off into a looping trajectory, sending the VfR experimenters running for cover, but reaching 60 m altitude in the process. Attending were Wernher Von Braun, Klaus Riedel und Kurt Heinisch (Rudolf Nebel, the chief engineer, was in Kiel at the time).

General Thomas D. White, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, informed Headquarters USAF offices and personnel that the Atlas program would be accelerated to the maximum extent that technology would permit. To insure the necessary support, the program was given the highest research and development priority in the Air Force (1-A), while it received a 1-2 category and precedence rating and a S-l supply priority. Field responsibility for the Atlas program during development and test would be assigned to Air Research and Development Command which would establish a field office on the west coast commanded by a general officer.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration instructed the missile division to combine its first order for an Atlas booster (HS-24) with a later order for nine Atlas boosters. This action would also combine fund allocations of $2,761 000 for the first booster and $6 million for the nine boosters to a fund total of $8,761, 000 for Mercury booster procurement. therefore, the missile division was requested to prepare a development and funding plan covering the amended HS-36 order and forward the plan to NASA by 15 June 1959, (Msg, no cite number, NASA to AFBMD, 14 May 1959.)

Fired from AMR at 0052 hours EST to test impact accuracy. This shot may be considered as having hit the target. The impact was: .26 nm over and 0.4 nm to the left of the predicted point of impact. Accuracy of the MILS Network was approximated at plus-or-minus 0.25 nm. All primary and secondary missions were accomplished except for photographic recording of the second separation. This could not be accomplished because of the firing date.

An attempt was made to launch Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9), but difficulty developed in the fuel pump of the diesel engine used to pull the gantry away from the launch vehicle. This involved a delay of approximately 129 minutes after the countdown had reached T-60 minutes. After these repairs were effected, failure at the Bermuda tracking station of a computer converter, important in the orbital insertion decision, forced the mission to be canceled at T-13 minutes. At 6:00 p.m. e.d.t., Walter C. Williams reported that the Bermuda equipment had been repaired, and the mission was rescheduled for May 15, 1963.

The Advanced Ballistic Reentry System (ABRES) program, Program 627A, was established as a Defense Department joint-service program for reentry vehicle research, development, and testing. The Deputy for Ballistic Missile Reentry Systems (D/BMRS) office, established at Headquarters Ballistic Systems Division at Norton AFB in February 1963 would manage the program. The program director for ABRES would be Colonel Darwin C. Middlekauff, BSD's Deputy for Ballistic Missile Reentry Systems.

The feasibility of docking a second Orbital Workshop to Skylab 1 had been under consideration. However, the practical problems that would be engendered by such an operation were formidable. They included such items as docking loads, docking control, flight attitude of tandem Skylabs, consumables, and in-orbit storage of Skylab 1.

The crews are continuing training for Soyuz 11. Mishin expects launch on 6 June. He is not opposed to limiting the flight duration to 25 days, necessary in order to make a landing in daytime at the end of the mission. Kamanin doesn't trust this change of heart - he asks the VVS ballistics section to confirm Mishin's calculations. Feoktistov visits Kamanin. He wants to be on the fourth crew to fly to DOS#2. VVS ballistics calls back. A launch as late as 11-12 June would still allow a daytime landing after 25 days. However from day 6 to 24 of the flight retrofire would be on the night side, and could only be accomplished using the technique of Soyuz 10 - aligning the spacecraft on the day side, spinning up the gyro platform, and using the gyros for night-side orientation during retrofire. At a meeting of the Central Committee, Kamanin fights with Ustinov for the safety of the crew. After a three-hour debate the majority of those present are still worried about the reliability of the docking system. But nevertheless the decision is made to proceed with Soyuz 11.

First and only US space station to date. Project began life as Apollo Orbital Workshop - outfitting of an S-IVB stage with docking adapter with equipment launched by several subsequent S-1B launches. Curtailment of the Apollo moon landings meant that surplus Saturn V's were available, so the pre-equipped, five times heavier, and much more capable Skylab resulted.

An unexpected telemetry indication of meteoroid shield deployment and solar array wing 2 beam fairing separation was received 1 minute and 3 seconds after liftoff. However, all other systems of the OWS appeared normal, and the OWS was inserted into a near-circular Earth orbit of approximately 435 km altitude. The payload shroud was jettisoned, and the ATM with its solar array was deployed as planned during the first orbit. Deployment of the Workshop solar array and the meteoroid shield was not successful. In fact the xternal solar/meteoroid shield had ripped off 63 seconds into ascent, tearing away one solar panel wing and debris jamming the remaining panel. Without shield temperatures soared in station. Repairs by crews led to virtually all mission objectives being met.

Following the final manned phase of the Skylab mission, ground controllers performed some engineering tests of certain Skylab systems--tests that ground personnel were reluctant to do while men were aboard. Results from these tests helped to determine causes of failures during the mission and to obtain data on long term degradation of space systems.

Upon completion of the engineering tests, Skylab was positioned into a stable attitude and systems were shut down. It was expected that Skylab would remain in orbit eight to ten years. It was to have been visited by an early shuttle mission, reboosted into a higher orbit, and used by space shuttle crews. But delays in the first flight of the shuttle made this impossible.

On July 11, 1979, Skylab disintegrated when it re-entered the earth's atmosphere after a worldwide scare over its pending crash. The debris stretched from the south-east Indian Ocean into Western Australia. Additional Details: here....

International Space Station Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke eased into a regular schedule of operations in orbit this week, preparing spacesuits for checkouts next week and loading trash aboard a Progress vehicle that will soon depart. Additional Details: here....

Unmanned space station resupply mission. Docked with the International Space Station at the Zarya port on 16 May. Undocked on 1 September at 19:47 GMT. It then flew for a week in independent orbit, carrying out the Plazma-Progress experiment. On 8 September at 20:47 GMT it was deorbited to destruction over the Pacific Ocean.

Carried Far Infra Red and Submillimeter Telescope. After completing a successful mission, the spacecraft was sent into solar orbit and was deactivated. Herschel departed L2 on 1 April 2013 and was turned off on 17 June in a 1.04 AU x 1.06 AU x 0.19 deg inclination solar orbit.

Cosmic background radiation anisotropy satellite, carried a telescope with a primary mirror of 1.5 meter in size. Mission was to measure the fine structure of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation over the whole sky, leading to a better understanding of conditions at the time of the big bang. After completing a successful mission, the spacecraft was sent into solar orbit and was deactivated. Planck departed L2 on 14 August 2013 and was turned off on 23 October in a 1.00 AU x 1.10 AU x 0.1 deg inclination solar orbit.