APPENDIX 4


Flight Summary


November 8, 1962, through September 30, 1964

The launches described in this table include only those related to the exploration of the moon: unmanned lunar probes, unmanned tests of spacecraft designed for later manned missions, and manned spacecraft flights. The table is not intended as a comprehensive summary of all American and Soviet space flights.

AMR - Atlantic Missile Range

PMR - Pacific Missile Range

WSMR - White Sands Missile Range

WS - Wallops Station

F - Failure

S - Success

Name General Mission Launch Vehicle (Site) Performance Veh Performance Payload Performance Mission Results
November 16, 1962
Saturn (SA-3) Launch vehicle development test ("Project Highwater") Saturn C-1 (AMR) S S S
December 16
Explorer XVI (S-55b) Scientific micrometeoroid satellite Scout (WS) S S S
March 28, 1963
Saturn (SA-4) Launch vehicle development test ("engine out" capability test) Saturn C-1 (AMR) S S S
April 2
Lunik IV Lunar probe-reported attempt to soft-land instrument package Unknown (U.S.S.R) Unknown Unknown Unknown
April 2
Explorer XVII Measure atmospheric density, composition, pressure, and temperature at altitudes of 249 to 933 kilometers (155 to 580 miles) Thor-Delta (AMR) S S S
May 15
Faith 7 (MA-9) Project Mercury manned one-day mission-fourth US manned orbital flight Atlas (AMR) S S S
June 14
Vostok V Manned orbital space flight. First launch of second tandem flight Unknown (U.S.S.R.) S S S
June 16
Vostok VI Manned orbital space flight. Second launch of second tandem flight Unknown (U.S.S.R.) S S S
July 20
  Experimental heatshield reentry (29,934 kilometers per hour) (18,600mph) test Scout (WS) F F F
August 28
  Prove capability of Little Joe II as an Apollo spacecraft test vehicle Little Joe II (WSMR) S S S
November 7
Pad Abort-1 Qualification test of Apollo launch escape system to effect a safe pad abort. (Spacecraft BP-6) (WSMR) - S S
November 26
Explorer XVIII To measure interplanetary magnetic fields, solar wind, and cosmic radiation between earth and moon Thor-Delta (AMR) S S S
November 27
Centaur II In-space ignition of Centaur's liquid-hydrogen engines (second attempt, first success) Atlas-centaur (AMR) S S S
December 19
Explorer XIX To measure atmospheric density fluctuations of earth's high latitudes Scout (PMR) S S S
January 29, 1964
Saturn (SA-5) Test structure and performance of 2-stage Saturn; orbit second stage Saturn I (AMR) S S S
January 30
Ranger VI Television photographs of moon at close range Atlas-Agena B (AMR) S F F
April 8
Gemini-Titan 1 Unmanned flight test of structural integrity of Gemini spacecraft and compatibility with launch vehicle Titan II (AMR) S S S
April 14
Project Fire Test of Apollo sample heatshield material at lunar reentry speeds Atlas D (AMR) S S S
May 13
Apollo Mission A-001 Test capability of launch escape system to propel spacecraft from launch vehicle during abort at transonic speed (Spacecraft BP-12) Little Joe II (WSMR) S S S
May 28
Apollo Mission A-101 (SA-6) First flgiht of an Apollo-configured spacecraft with a Saturn launch vehicle (Spacecraft BP-13) Saturn I (AMR) S S S
July 28
Ranger VII Television photographs of the moon at close range Atlas-Agena B (AMR) S S S
August 18
  Experimental heatshield reentry test Scout (WS) S S S
August 25
Explorer XX Map irregularities in topside of earth's atmosphere; obtain electron densities and temperatures near satellite Scout (PMR) S S S
September 18
Apollo Mission A-102 (SA-7) Demonstrate spacecraft-launch vehicle compatibility (Spacecraft BP-15) Saturn I (AMR) S S S


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