Word: orbit
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Saturn 5 rocket lifted from tis pad a negligible 65 milliseconds after its scheduled 7:51 am launch time Propelled by an awesome 7,500,000 lbs. of thrust, it soared into the clear Florida sky over Cape Kennedy Two hours and 20 minutes later, as Apollo whirled in orbit around the earth, came the anxiously awaited word to make the translunar insertion-the ma neuver that would send the vehicle to ward the moon...
...ground controller was unmistakably clear to the astronauts "You are go for TLI ' All of the systems aboard their spacecraft and the attached S-4B rocket were operating perfectly, and nothing stood in the way of making the final thrust. As Apollo passed over Hawaii on its second orbit of the earth, the astronauts fired the S-4B engine It was a perfect burn The spacecraft increased its velocity from 17,400 to 24,200 m p h. The speed was enough to enable the spacecraft to escape from the earth's gravitation pull. At long last...
There was good reason for both exhilaration and apprehension. As they began their pioneering journey, Astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders were pushed into space by a rocket that had never before been used in manned flight. Only minutes after they were propelled out of earth orbit toward the moon, they were farther than man has ever been from his home planet (the previous record of 850 miles was set by the US. Gemini 11 mission...
...Target. The fresh view of the universe was made possible by the successful launching of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, which began probing the heavens with eleven telescopes while circling the earth in a 480-mile-high orbit-well above the confining atmosphere. Unfolding its solar panels, the OAO obediently performed operations that assured ground controllers that it was in good working order. Then the 4,400-lb. spacecraft turned to its first assignment. Rolling slowly in space, it sought out two reference stars and unerringly swung its telescopes toward a bright Southern Hemisphere star named Miaplacidus...
...stellar performance should ensure continuation of the $321 million OAO program, which in the next three years is scheduled to launch three more observatories. Since April 1966, when a $69 million OAO went dead in orbit be fore it could return any useful information, NASA scientists have been aware that another failure might well spur Congress into cutting off the program's remaining funds...