The original Soyuz 9 mission was planned to fly two Soyuz spacecraft in the August to September 1970 time frame for a rendezvous and docking; however, at the end of December 1969 the communist party bosses ordered that the mission … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #293 – Space 1970 – Soyuz 9 – Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The VENERA 7 lander was the hardiest of the Soviet Venus probes yet built. Its creators wanted the vessel to land on the planet’s surface in working order.

The post Space Rocket History #292 – Space 1970 – Venera 7 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample of lunar soil to Earth after five unsuccessful similar attempts.

The post Space Rocket History #291 – Space 1970 – Luna 16 & 17 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Three brave astronauts are alive and on Earth because of the mission operations teams’ dedication, and because at the critical moments the people of that team were wise enough and self-possessed enough to make the right decisions. Their extraordinary feat … Continue reading →

The post Space Rocket History #290 – Apollo 13 – Welcome Home first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“During blackout every team member does his own soul searching, reviewing the decisions and the data, knowing they had to be nearly perfect and knowing how tough perfection is.” Gene Kranz

The post Space Rocket History #289 – Apollo 13 – Splashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

To Kranz and his team, this crew was special. They just could not lose them.  Failure was not an option.

The post Space Rocket History #288 – Apollo 13 – Re-entry first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Three hours before dawn, Gene Kranz’ White Team took its place next to Windler’s Maroon Team controllers. The eighty hours of uncertainty were now past and mission control was down to Apollo 13’s final shift.

The post Space Rocket History #287 – Apollo 13 – Separation Anxiety first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

While the Mercury 7 were fulfilling their roles as symbols of space exploration, Korolev was once again offering the real thing. He now prepared to undertake the most demanding mission yet. The mission that would accomplish the next step in … Continue reading →

The post In Honor of China’s Moon Lander Chang’e-4 – An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #18 – Luna 2 and 3 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.