Word: orbiter
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Once again the U.S. braced to hurl Marine Lieut. Colonel John Glenn into orbit about the earth-and once again the flight was canceled...
Ranger I and Ranger II had been flops because of bad propulsion; Ranger III's launch was apparently O.K. The Atlas fired its three motors, then plopped back into the ocean as planned. The Agena fired and soared into a "parking orbit," circling 105 miles above the earth. At the proper point on this orbit, Agena fired again to sling itself into a collision course with the moon. Ranger IIIs radio went on the air, and its reports were favorable...
...news. One of the rockets had given too much push, and Ranger III was moving too fast. Instead of streaking toward the moon at the proper speed of 24,500 m.p.h., it was moving at more than 25,000 m.p.h. It would slice through the moon's orbit in 55 hours instead of 66 as planned. And at that time, the moon would not be there; Ranger III would miss by nearly 25,000 miles (see diagram...
...week's end, Ranger III had swept far past the moon, missing its moving target by 22,862 miles. Now it is in orbit around the sun. J.P.L. scientists have two more Rangers nearly built-and they can now be sure that a good launch is all that stands between them and the moon...
...week began with an attempt to perform a prodigious trick: to spin five satellites into orbit with one rocket shot. It failed when the second stage of the Thor-Able-Star booster misfired. Two days later, there was an effort to land instruments on the moon. It went awry when its booster developed too much power; at best, scientists estimated, Ranger III might pass within 25,000 miles of the moon-close enough, perhaps, to send back some TV pictures of its surface. Then a handsome lieutenant colonel of the Marine Corps, John Glenn, 40, eased himself into his cramped...