On February 29 in Space History
Chronology
20 events
1936 February 29
- Birth of Jack Robert Lousma - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Lousma. American pilot astronaut 1966-1983. 2 spaceflights, 67.5 days in space. Flew to orbit on Skylab 3 (1973), STS-3..
1944 February 29
Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Pad: GWO?. Launch Vehicle: Wasserfall. FAILURE: Failure.1956 February 29
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral RW30/12. LV Family: Navaho. Launch Vehicle: Navaho X-10.- Navaho X-10 flight 19 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: Navaho. The vehicle reached a record Mach 2.1 speed and autolanded safely on the skid strip after a 62 minute flight..
1960 February 29
Launch Vehicle: Saturn I.- Eleven companies submitted contract proposals for the Saturn second stage - .
Nation: USA.
Program: Apollo.
Eleven companies submitted contract proposals for the Saturn second stage (S-IV): Bell Aircraft Corporation; The Boeing Airplane Company; Chrysler Corporation; General Dynamics Corporation, Convair Astronautics Division; Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc.; Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation; Lockheed Aircraft Corporation; The Martin Company; McDonnell Aircraft Corporation; North American Aviation, Inc.; and United Aircraft Corporation.
1960 February 29
LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas Centaur.- USAF selects Advent as sole military communication satellite. - .
Spacecraft: Advent.
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) issued an interim directive cancelling the three-phase development program for a military communication satellite system. Pending a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and OSD review, Projects Steer, Tackle, and Decree were replaced by a single synchronous communications satellite system subsequently designated Project Advent. AFBMD was directed to conduct a single integrated research and development program for a 24-hour synchronous equatorial global communication satellite system. The Army was to develop the communications equipment while AFBMD handled the booster and spacecraft.
1960 February 29
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18C.1964 February 29
Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LF04. LV Family: Minuteman. Launch Vehicle: Minuteman 1A.- Operational missile test - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF SAC.
Apogee: 1,300 km (800 mi).
The second multiple launch of two SAC Minuteman I missiles was conducted at Vandenberg AFB. Minuteman I (LGM-30A) missiles (FTM 581 and 636) were successfully launched from Vandenberg 20 minutes apart in the first ripple mode launch ever conducted. In this mode, a single launch crew gave both commands to launch.
1964 February 29
Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LF05. LV Family: Minuteman. Launch Vehicle: Minuteman 1A.- Operational missile test - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF SAC.
Apogee: 1,300 km (800 mi).
The second multiple launch of two SAC Minuteman I missiles was conducted at Vandenberg AFB. Minuteman I (LGM-30A) missiles (FTM 581 and 636) were successfully launched from Vandenberg 20 minutes apart in the first ripple mode launch ever conducted. In this mode, a single launch crew gave both commands to launch.
1964 February 29
05:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Fort Churchill. LV Family: Deacon. Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache.1968 February 29
LV Family: Proton. Launch Vehicle: Proton-K/D.- L1 commsision meeting. - .
Nation: Russia.
Related Persons: Chelomei.
Program: Lunar L1.
Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz.
Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-L1.
For this L1 launch Chelomei wants to film separation of the first and second stages of the Proton rocket at 126 seconds into the flight - altitude 41 km, distance downrange 47 km. To do this two An-12 and one Tu-124 with long focal-length cameras will orbit 35 to 40 km from base. The discussion turns to how to recover the L1 if it lands in the ice-bound Aral Sea. The circle of possible landing points has a radius of 500 km from a point west of Karaganda. For political reasons it is not possible to deploy recovery forces to areas of Iran and India that are within this circle.
1968 February 29
Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur PU31. LV Family: R-36. Launch Vehicle: R-36 8K67.1968 February 29
17:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Kheysa. Launch Vehicle: MR-12.1968 February 29
21:18 GMT - . Launch Site: South Uist. Launch Vehicle: Petrel.1972 February 29
01:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Kwajalein. LV Family: Deacon. Launch Vehicle: Rocketsonde.1976 February 29
01:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Kheysa. Launch Vehicle: MR-12.- Aeronomy/Ionosphere/Chemical release/Plasma mission - . Nation: Russia. Apogee: 180 km (110 mi).
1976 February 29
03:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Tanegashima. Launch Complex: Tanegashima N. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: N-1.- ISS 1 - .
Payload: ISS a. Mass: 139 kg (306 lb). Nation: Japan.
Agency: NASDA.
Class: Earth.
Type: Ionosphere satellite. Spacecraft: JISS.
USAF Sat Cat: 8709 . COSPAR: 1976-019A. Apogee: 1,003 km (623 mi). Perigee: 988 km (613 mi). Inclination: 69.70 deg. Period: 105.00 min.
Ionospheric sounding. Japanese Ionospheric Sounding Satellite (JISS - national name 'Ume') is intended for regular observations by means of radio waves of the global distribution of the critical frequencies of the ionosphere, and for utilization of the results of the observati on for radio wave forecasts and warning necessary for effective operation of short-wave radio-communication. Time of launch 0330UT.
1984 February 29
Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LF04. LV Family: Minuteman. Launch Vehicle: Minuteman 2.1988 February 29
08:34 GMT - . Launch Site: Kiruna. LV Family: Black Brant. Launch Vehicle: Black Brant IX.1996 February 29
- Landing of Soyuz TM-22 - . Return Crew: Avdeyev, Gidzenko, Reiter. Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Avdeyev, Gidzenko, Reiter. Program: Mir. Flight: Soyuz TM-22, Soyuz TM-23. Soyuz TM-22 landed at 10:42 GMT. .
2008 February 29
- ISS On-Orbit Status 02/29/08 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Eyharts, Linnehan, Love, Malenchenko, Reisman, Whitson. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-11, STS-122, STS-122 ISS EO-16, STS-123, STS-123 ISS EO-16, STS-124. Today is February's fifth Friday, because of its 29 Leap Year days; the last time February had 5 Fridays was in 1980 and next time will be in 2036.. Additional Details: here....