Space Forum / Space History / November 2005

First up: "Titan III Aerodynamic Characterists Data Report"
This 400 page report by the Martin Denver Company was prepared for
Headquarters, Space and Missile Systems Organization, Air Force Systems
Command.

Plantronics has a funny commercial, that is currently being showin in
the U.S., about the use of their headsets during Apollo:
Here is the URL:
http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/winatriptospace/commercial.jhtml

Have any astronauts launched from anywhere been in orbit from east to
west? If they were what would they notice about sunrises and sunsets
that is counter to what most people are taught in childhood?

Has anyone read this book?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6575242883
How does it stack up against similar early works by Clarke and Ley?
Does it rise to the level of "Good for its time but doesn't hold

...Wulp, I was hoping either Thommy Ericsson or David Sander could
help me, but I've not heard back from the former and the latter only
had these technologically superior WvB designs that I didn't need.
What I'm in search of are fairly high quality meshes for the following

Here is a NASA study of an Apollo-Stick type launch vehicle concept
from 1966. An Apollo Saturn IB type configuration had its first stage
replaced with a solid fueled 260-inch diameter first stage. The
vehicle has an S-IVB LOX/LH2 second stage. Orbital payload consists of

Hi, can someone enlighten me on Gemimi/Agena?
The Agena was on some occasions used for boosting an attached Gemini
into a higher orbit, right? I didn't find any good diagram of the Agena,
but it seems to me that the docking port was in one end, and the rocket

Hi all --
Thought you'd like to know that there is a new Apollo 8 documentary
being broadcast on PBS "American Experience" on the evening of October
31st.  This film has been in the works for several years.  I was

Myth:
The ship's structure itself ... has to be able to take the stress of
sitting next to a bunch of exploding nuclear bombs. Even with shock
absorbers, it would be under repeated stress of a type not experienced