Space Travel: A History : An Update of History of Rocketry & Space Travel

366 Pages·1985·155.266 MB·English

by  Wernher Von Braun, Frederick I. Ordway III, Fred Durant

WERNHER VON BRAUN >
FREDERICK I. ORDWAY,I I
DAVE DOOLING

fin Brief an die 9 @
Marsbewor, PACE TRAVEL

AHISTORY

AN UPDATE OF:
HISTORY OF ROCKETRY
AND SPACE TRAVEL
ISBN O-0b-181898-4 >$29-95
etaining the most significant material
from the highly acclaimed History of
Rocketry and Space Travel—a book that
Sky & Telescope called “an essential volume
for anyone wishing to understand how the
space age came about”—Space Travel: A His-
tory brings us up-to-the-minute coverage of
the latest events in space travel:
* Viking missions to Mars
Voyager fly-by missions past Jupiter and
Saturn
* Pioneer Venus orbiters
* Solar Maximum mission
* Space shuttles: Challenger, Columbia, and
Discovery
Plus:
* Progress by the Soviets, Japanese, and Euro-
pean Space Agency
* Glimpses of the future of astronautics
FRONT COVER:
TOP ROW, LEFT: One of the devices tested by Cyrano de
Bergerac in his Etats et empires de la Lune, first pub-
lished in 1657, was a fireworks rocket. (Arfor)
TOP ROW, CENTER: The spaceship Callisto, visiting a com-
et from John Jacob Astor's A Journey in Other Worlds
(1894), relied on antigravity for propulsion. (Arfor)
TOP ROW, RIGHT: The frontispiece from Louis Guillaume
de La Follie’s Le philosophe sans prétention ou ‘homme
rare (1775) showed an electronic flying chariot capable
of making interplanetary voyages. (Arfor)
MIDDLE ROW, LEFT: Die Rakete, the publication of the
world’s first space flight society, which was founded in
Breslau, Germany, in 1927. (Arfor)
MIDDLE ROW, RIGHT: Ralph encounters Llysanorh in the
science fiction novel Ralph 124C41+, which first ap-
peared in Modern Electrics magazine in 1911-12.
(Arfor)
BOTTOM ROW, LEFT: American astronauts Joseph P Allen
IV and Dale A. Gardner anchor the captured Palapa B-2
communications satellite in the cargo bay of space shut-
tle Discovery during extravehicular activity on Novem-
ber 12, 1984. (NASA)
BOTTOM ROW, CENTER: Leaving a trail of fire and steam in
its wake, space shuttle Challenger thunders away from
Launch Complex 39A, Cape Canaveral, Florida, early in
the morning of October 5, 1984. (NASA)
BOTTOM ROW, RIGHT: Astronauts Allen and Gardner, as-
sisted by the mechanical arm of the remote manipulator
system controlled from within Discovery, safely berth
the formerly stranded Palapa B-2 satellite for return to
earth. (NASA)
SPACE TRAVEL
A Fstory
SPACE
PRAVEL,
An Update of History of Rocketry & Space Travel
WERNHER VON BRAUN
FREDERICK I. ORDWAY III
Revised in collaboration with
DAVE DOOLING
Foreword by
C. DURANT II
FREDERICK
“ fe

1817
HARPER & ROW, WUE UREN S Te New York
Cambridge, pa San Frai
London, Mexico City,S4 0 Paulo, ee ngapore, Sydney
This is the fourth edition of a book previously published
under the title History of Rocketry & Space Travel.
SPACE TRAVEL: A HISTORY. Copyright © 1985 by the Es-
tate of Wernher von Braun, Frederick 1. Ordway III, and
David Dooling, Jr. Copyright © 1975 by Wernher von
Braun and Frederick I. Ordway ILI. Previous editions
copyright © 1969 and 1966 by Wernher von Braun, Fred-
erick I, Ordway III, and Harry H-K Lange. All rights re-
served. Printed in the United States of America. No part of
this book may be used or reproduced in any manner what-
soever without written permission except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information address Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.,
10 East 53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10022. Published si-
multaneously in Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Lim-
ited, Toronto.
Original illustrations by Harry H-K Lange.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Von Braun, Wernher, 1912-1977.
Space travel.
Updated ed. of: History of rocketry & space travel.
3rd rev. ed. 1975.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Rocketry—History. 2. Astronautics—History.
I. Ordway, Frederick Ira, 1927- . IL. Dooling,
David, Jr., 1950— . If. Von Braun, Wernher, 1912—
1977. History of rocketry & space travel. IV. Title.
TL781.V6 1985 629.409 85-42596
ISBN 0-06-181898-4

85 86 87 88 89 MPC 10987654321
Foreword to the
Previous Editions
The history of astronautics may be thought of as two The history of rocketry and astronautics can, of
separate histories—rocketry and space flight. These course, never be completely told at any one time.
fascinating stories proceeded in parallel, unrelated “New” information and insights into the past will al-
fashion for hundreds of years until the last decades of ways remain to be discovered. Military archives, long-
the nineteenth century. At about that time, the first forgotten writings, and ‘rare graphic presentations are
appreciation was gained of the necessity for rocket continually coming to light. At the same time, new
propulsion to achieve man’s ancient, hitherto unat- history is being written almost daily of space accom-
tainable dream of flight into space. plishments. Another whole segment of this history has
The beginnings of rocketry date to the thirteenth still to be written—that of the social and sociological
century and the use of black-powder rockets. The implications and impact upon man resulting from the
Chinese are generally given credit for being the first fruition of this investment of time, immense effort,
to use the rocket as a propulsive device, although no money, and materials to achieve space mobility. This
hard factual reference to this exists. It is accepted by is quite apart from the impacts which will be felt from
historians, however, that crude rockets were fired as this new knowledge of the cosmos, as well as the new
military weapons in the thirteenth century in the Far knowledge gained of man, himself.
East, the Near East, and in Europe. “Reaction pro- At this instant, however, I know of no comparable
pulsion” as an effect was known much earlier to the " reference work which documents rocket flight in such
Greeks, but the principles were apparently not fully detail, contains as many references, or presents so many
understood within the framework of the science of that fine photographs and illustrations of past and current
period. events. The authors have endeavored to encompass and
Authors Wernher von Braun and Frederick I. present in a lucid fashion the hundreds of elements of
Ordway III are each eminently qualified to present this this history and have succeeded admirably. Much is
exciting and still widely unknown story. I have known presented comprehensively for the first time in a sin-
both men for more than twenty years, during which gle volume and the work promises to be an important
period Von Braun has demonstrated his ability as the standard reference.
leading rocket engineer in the Western World. Ord- It has always been surprising to me how little of
way, through personal interest and initiative, has col- the history of rocketry and space flight is known to the
lected one of the largest private astronautical archives average intelligent person. This includes tens of thou-
in the world and has been a major contributor to as- sands of persons professionally engaged in space pro-
tronautical reference works. The interests of both men grams. I would suspect that a significant percentage of
are broad—a necessity when studying a worldwide the rocket engineers whom you might question would
technological history of intermittent and sporadic not know who Sir William Congreve was, let alone
progress spanning centuries. Both men have had a William Hale. Nor would they be likely to know that
every major nation in Europe had rocket brigades in
classic, as well as a scientific, education which enables
the nineteenth century; that rockets were used, albeit
them to recognize the impact of both the philosophical
and technical aspects of the evalution of astronautics. not widely, by the United States in the Mexican War
From a historical standpoint, the significance of events in 1846-1847, and by both the Union and Confeder-
and of individual efforts is not always evident, nor the ate armies during the Civil War. Why should they
relative impact easily seen in retrospect. In my opin- know? One reason, I suppose, is that it can be both
ion, this book represents an important contribution by interesting and satisfying to know the history of one’s
recording the manifold contributions of many individ- profession. There is a cultural aspect, also, in being
uals from many different nations. It chronicles events knowledgeable of the technical ancestry of modern
which have led to perhaps man’s greatest adventure— space launch vehicles.
the exploration of space. The study of astronautical history is exciting and
v
rewarding because one learns of the prescience and interest and open new avenues of study of one or more
insight of brilliant intellects over the centuries. One of its facets, some of which have been barely touched
learns also that improvements in technology and de- upon because of space limitations.
velopment of bold ideas were largely the result of study Man’s ancient drive to explore was limited to the
and research by individuals. These individuals, caught Earth’s surface until this century. Now the way to the
up in a dream, were driven relentlessly by the excite- Solar System is open. This is the story of how it began
ment of a concept and the possibility of contributing and how it became possible in our time.
to its fulfillment. These stories make exciting history.
FREDERICK C. DURANT III
Another aspect is that numerous and varied scientific
disciplines and technologies are involved. Interdisci- Assistant Director, Astronautics
plinary study is required and for this reason it is some- National Air and Space Museum
times difficult to make valid judgments of individual
contributions. Smithsonian Institution
Great strides in space accomplishment had to await Washington, D.C.
modern technology and the team effort of thousands of
minds simultaneously working on hundreds of prob-
lems in a tremendously complex system. Under the And to This Edition
leadership of Major General Walter R. Dornberger and
Dr. Von Braun, the opening of the German test sta- I am delighted to note the updating of this (now) clas-
tion at Peenemiinde in 1937 signaled the dawning of sic history of rocketry and space flight. Authors Ord-
the systems approach necessary to achieve space flight. way and Dooling have added documentation of the
We know now that a great cooperative effort led by significant events in astronautics of the past two de-
skilled administrators is required; a partnership of in- cades. During this period mankind has established the
dustry and government, and widespread technical capability for permanent presence in Earth orbit. Our
communications. These, together with powerful tools solar system and our galaxy have been studied by space
such as computers, far-flung ground facilities for static- probes and powerful orbiting sensors. These tools have
test and launch operations, and worldwide tracking yielded more new knowledge of astronomy than all
stations make today’s space technology possible. It is understanding in the hundreds of years before the dawn
uniquely different from the individual creative effort, of the Space Age. Applications satellites utilizing their
however brilliant, of forty years ago. unique vantage points in space routinely provide Earth
The human mind is still the common denominator observation, navigation, and global communications of
of any team effort, however vast. The individual will economic, social, and political benefit to all nations.
still be the initiator of new concepts and inventions, Now history, these momentous accomplishments
and the solver of problems. Thus, the study of this are but small steps in mankind’s emergence into the
history will reveal the creative mind in peace and in unlimited dimension of space.
war over the centuries. Oftentimes, the name of the
individual is unknown, but he is there and his contri- FREDERICK C, DURANT III
bution is evident. Consultant
I believe that this book will enlighten all who read
it. It is hoped that reading it will encourage further Chevy Chase, Maryland
vi
Preface
It has been a full decade since the third edition of this Although the Russians recorded important progress in their
book appeared. During that decade, the Space Age spacecraft probing of Venus, their manned flight activities
matured to the point that both unmanned and manned were but modest. The “race to the Moon,” it turned out,
activities became routine. Many twenty-fifth anniver- did not seem to develop into much of a race at all. From the
saries were observed: in October 1982, that of the So- vantage of mid-1969, we felt that it was too early to predict
viet Union's Sputnik 1; in late January 1983, that of how the United States and other nations would react to Apollo
11, but the ebullient mood stirred up by the historic
the first United States artificial satellite, Explorer 1; and
achievement seemed to presage, at the very least, a contin-
in October of the same year, that of the National
uing interest in Lunar exploration leading to the establish-
Aeronautics and Space Administration itself.
ment of bases on the Moon by the end of the 1970 decade.
Following the 4 July 1982 Independence Day re-
At the same time, plans for Earth and Lunar orbiting space
turn of the space shuttle Columbia to Edwards Air
stations and manned flight to Mars were unfolding in an at-
Force Base in California, NASA declared the orbital mosphere of cautious expectation.
flight test program completed and its Space Transpor- Such far-reaching ambitions on the part of the United
tation System operational. At Edwards, President States clearly had to be coordinated under the umbrella of a
Ronald Reagan drew a parallel to the golden spike that long-range plan. For this purpose, President Richard M.
Nixon established a Space Task Group chaired by Vice-Pres-
was driven to celebrate the completion of the trans-
ident Spiro T. Agnew and consisting of NASA Administrator
continental railroad. Human beings could now travel
Thomas O. Paine, Air Force Secretary Robert C. Seamans,
to and from space almost at will and in space vehicles
and the President’s science advisor Lee A. DuBridge. Three
that were in large part recoverable. And they could stay
alternative space goals were offered, all built on the premise
for long periods in space aboard orbiting stations that
of “a balanced manned and unmanned space program” with
could be revisited repeatedly. Thus, on 2 October 1984,
a manned Mars landing before the end of the twentieth cen-
three Russian cosmonauts returned from the repeat- tury as the sought-for “focus” around which America’s astro-
edly visited Salyut 7 after a record 237 days—nearly 8 nautical resources were to be brought into play. . . .
months—in space. Unfortunately, the Space Task Group’s recommenda-
tions went unheeded. No sooner had the enthusiasm cre-
The third edition of this book appeared in 1975 and
ated by Apollo 11’s success abated than doubts as to the worth
carried this preface by von Braun and Ordway:
of America’s space program began to be expressed. NASA,
When the first edition of this book appeared in late 1966, in the person of administrator Paine, immediately recog-
the Space Age was nearly a decade old. The Americans had nized the need “to find some focusing elements in the next
recently photographed a strip of Mars from Mariner 4 and decade or two.” He found it hard to admit “that the United
the Soviets had impacted a Venera probe on Venus. In the States, the wealthiest nation in the world, the nation that
manned space flight arena, after a slow start the United States has the greatest capability that mankind has ever assembled,
had moved briskly ahead and had completed its one-man can’t afford the really modest expenditures to continue an
Mercury Earth orbital flights and was well into the two-man aggressive space program. To compare a decade of costs, in
Gemini program. The Russians, for their part, had com- this time, we have spent a half-trillion dollars on our welfare
pleted the Vostok and Voshkod series and, it was widely programs. . . . I think if we indeed cripple the space pro-
suspected, were on the verge of still more ambitious activi- gram with the idea that this will help us move ahead on other
ties in space. The book looked forward, with great excite- fronts, it will have the contrary effect. I think that the nation
ment, to America’s Apollo Lunar landings scheduled to be- will indeed become even more doubtful of its ability to carry
gin late in the 1960 decade. No estimate could be given of out its responsibil i t ies.”
the target date of a supposed paralleled Soviet effort to reach But, as a result of a complex mixture of events and at-
the Moon, but it was speculated that it might be even ear- titudes (including the Vietnam war, urban and student un-
lier than Apollo. rest, racial disorders, increasing concern for the terrestrial
Three years later, the Americans landed on the Moon, environment, and growing shortages of fossil fuels and other
an event carefully covered in the second edition of this book. resources) the space program wound down. In the late 1969
vii
environment, no Apollo-type focus was to appear around 1981. The Russians, however, maintained an ever-ex-
which the next phase of the space effort could gel. The reus- panding manned space effort throughout the decade,
able space shuttle was the only major new program whose establishing a number of endurance records and other
anchor held against the ebbing tide. The idea of backing a achievements.
manned expedition to Mars was indefinitely deferred. The post-Apollo 1970’s witnessed a gradual de-
Despite the curtailment of the Apollo and follow-on cline of the national space vision in the United States,
programs and the failure of comparable Soviet programs to
as NASA struggled to keep its near-term options open
materialize, sound progress in astronautics was recorded
within taut budgetary constraints. Yet the dreams of
during the five years between the appearance of the second
space did not wither away. Witness, for example, the
and third editions. The Americans completed their manned
almost cult-like popularity of proposals for space colo-
Lunar landings with Apollo 17 in December 1972, and the
following year orbited the Skylab embryonic space sta- nies; the extraordinary success of such films as Star
Ons) ane Wars and its sequels; the simultaneous appearance on
The authors wish to acknowledge the following for their the best-seller lists of James A. Michener’s Space, Ar-
help in preparing the third edition: C. Holley Taylor-Mart- thur C. Clarke's 2010: Odyssey Two, and Isaac Asi-
lew, Cheltenham, England (research); Colonel Audrey E. mov’s Foundation’s Edge; and record-breaking crowds
Thomas, U.S. Air Force, Washington (military space pro-
at the National Air and Space Museum in Washing-
grams); and Vladimir Belyakov, Embassy of the U.S.S.R.,
ton, D.C., the Alabama Space and Rocket Center in
Washington (Soviet space program).
Huntsville, and elsewhere.
In this, the fourth edition, no solid, funded pro- Part of NASA’s post-Apollo problem was its own
grams can be chronicled for the manned exploration of record of success; it would not be an easy matter to
Mars—nor even for the resumption of manned flights top the lunar expeditions. In the aftermath of Apollo,
to the Moon. But in recent years, the case for Mars many viewed the space shuttle as utilitarian, almost
has been argued in major symposia, and the feasibility pedestrian. Its critics muttered that it had no grand
of returning to the Moon and setting up permanent mission to support, no challenging goal calling for a
lunar bases was debated at a symposium at the Na- new surge into space. All the shuttle had, they com-
tional Academy of Sciences in Washington in late Oc- plained, was a “hole in the middle.”
tober 1984. And, of more immediate importance, in It is puzzling that these same people did not try
January 1984 President Reagan approved a program for to fill this hole with their imaginations. By making ac-
the development of a space station. Many voices have cess to and return from space routine, as von Braun
been heard urging international cooperation in all these and others had envisioned in the 1950's and 1960's, the
endeavors. shuttle would make possible not only permanent or-
While large-scale manned programs failed to ma- biting space stations but a return to the Moon. Now,
terialize during the decade, many important and ex- the same shuttle critics are beginning to show grudg-
citing space events passed into history. In the un- ing admiration for Spacelab and other missions, Solar
manned arena, the Americans and Soviets continued Max retrieval and repair, the retrieval of Palapa and
to explore the worlds of the Solar System. Both probed Westar satellites, and subsequent successes.
cloud-covered Venus, unravelling with each flight more As the era of the shuttle matured in the mid-1980's,
and more of her carefully guarded secrets. The twin a subtle change began to be noticed. Space achieve-
United States Viking orbiters and landers added much ments were attracting diminished attention; the aston-
to our knowledge of Mars, while Pioneers 10 and 11 ishing was becoming routine.
and Voyagers 1 and 2 provided stunning views of, and At the same time, a new generation of individuals
a rich harvest of scientific information on, Jupiter, Sat- was evolving who had not known a time when there
urn, and their moons. At the same time, the Europe- was no space flight. Babies born the year of Sputnik 1
ans and Japanese intensified their research on solar- will celebrate their 30th birthdays in 1987. Soon
terrestrial relationships and other space phenomena. thereafter, the destiny of the world will pass to the
The launching of scientific and applications satel- hands of a generation whose knowledge of pre—Space
lites became so widespread during the decade as to Age society will come largely from books. Such a gen-
barely warrant mention in the press. As launch vehi- eration is unlikely to turn its back on the stars.
cle technology increased in reliability, so did compe-
tition, as many nations and organizations vied for a share
DAVE DOOLING FREDERICK I. ORDWAY III
of the rapidly expanding launch services market.
Huntsville, Alabama Washington, D.C., and
Except for the short-lived United States—Soviet
Huntsville, Alabama
cooperative Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, carried out in
mid-1975, the American presence in space evaporated
until the advent of the space shuttle in the spring of
viii