NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Manned Orbiting Laboratory

The Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) was part of the United States Air Force's manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled X-20 Dyna-Soar project. It was announced to the public on the same day that the Dyna-Soar program was cancelled, December 10, 1963. Also codenamed Dorian and given the designation KH-10, the MOL was intended to be a space station used for reconnaissance purposes. It was derived from NASA's Gemini program. The project was cancelled on June 10, 1969 before there were any operational flights. MOL was later superseded by the KH-9 reconnaissance satellite. The contractor for the MOL was the Douglas Aircraft Company. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1080x793, 536 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Manned Orbiting Laboratory ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1080x793, 536 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Manned Orbiting Laboratory ... USAF MOL Diagram. ... USAF MOL Diagram. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. ... Human spaceflight is space exploration with a human crew, and possibly passengers (in contrast to unmanned space missions, which are remotely-controlled or robotic space probes). ... Artists conception of the X-20 during re-entry The X-20 Dyna-Soar (Dynamic Soarer) was a USAF program to develop a spaceplane that could be used for a variety of military missions, including reconnaissance, bombing, space rescue, satellite maintenance, and sabotage of enemy satellites. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... NASA Logo Listen to this article Â· (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... Codenamed Hexagon, the KH-9 was a reconnaissance satellite used by the United States from June 1971 to April 1986. ... KH-4B Corona satellite Lacrosse radar spy satellite under construction A spy satellite (officially referred to as a reconnaissance satellite or recon sat) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. ... The Douglas Aircraft Company was founded by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. ...

There was one test flight of an MOL mockup that was constructed from a Titan II propellant tank. The Gemini 2 spacecraft was re-flown on a 33-minute sub-orbital test flight. After the Gemini was separated for its sub-orbital reentry, the MOL mockup continued on into orbit and released three satellites. A hatch was installed in the Gemini 2 heat shield to provide access to the MOL and was tested in the sub-orbital reentry. The test flight was launched by the USAF on November 3, 1966 at 13:50:42 UTC on launch vehicle Titan IIIC-9 from LC-40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Gemini 2-MOL space capsule was recovered near Ascension Island in the South Atlantic by the USS La Salle. Titan is a family of U.S. expendable rockets. ... Gemini 2 was an unmanned flight in the U.S. Gemini program. ... Atmospheric entry is the transition from the vacuum of space to the atmosphere of any planet or other celestial body. ... In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity. ... A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... In aeronautics, a heat shield is a protective layer on a spacecraft or ballistic missile that is designed to protect it from high temperatures, usually those that result from aerobraking during entry into a planets atmosphere. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-BÃ©del Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... Cape Canaveral is a city located in Brevard County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,829. ... Ascension Island from space, December 1990 Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, and includes tiny satellite islands and rocks such as Boatswain Bird Island, Boatswain Bird Rock (East), White Rocks (South), and Tartar Rock (West, at the shore of Georgetown). ... USS La Salle (LPD-3/AGF-3), built as a Raleigh-class amphibious transport dock, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the town and county in Illinois that was in turn named after Rene Robert Chevalier de La Salle, one of the most...

The MOL was going to have a helium-oxygen atmosphere. It used a Gemini B spacecraft as a reentry vehicle. The crew were launched with the Gemini B and MOL and returned to earth in the Gemini B. They would conduct up to 30 days of military reconnaissance using large optics, cameras, and side-looking radar. The optical systems were further developed as the basis for the Kennan KH-11 spy satellites. General Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 4. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound recording, such as with video cameras. ... This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. ... The KH-11, also referenced by the codenames Crystal and Kennan, also commonly known as Big Bird, was a type of reconnaissance satellite launched by the American National Reconnaissance Office from December 1976 to October 2005 and used until present. ...

When the MOL program was cancelled in June 1969, there were 14 MOL astronauts in the program. NASA offered those under 35 years of age the opportunity to transfer to the NASA astronaut program. Seven of the 14 MOL astronauts were younger than 35 and took the offer. They were Richard H. Truly, Karol J. Bobko, Robert Crippen, C. Gordon Fullerton, Henry W. Hartsfield, Robert F. Overmyer and Donald Peterson. Richard H. Truly Richard Harrison Truly (born November 12, 1937) is a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, former astronaut, and was the 8th Administrator of NASA from 1989 to 1992. ... Karol J. Bobko (Colonel, USAF, Ret. ... Official STS-1 portrait of Robert L. Crippen, May 7, 1979 Robert Laurel Crippen (b. ... C. Gordon Fullerton is a research pilot at NASAs Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. ... Henry Warren (Hank) Hartsfield, Jr. ... NAME: Robert F. Overmyer (Colonel, USMC, Ret. ... Donald H. Peterson (Colonel, USAF, ret. ...

In response to the announcement of MOL the USSR commissioned development of its own military space station Almaz. The Almaz (ÐÐ»Ð¼Ð°Ð· - Diamond) program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the Salyut program. ...

In 2005, two MH-7 training space suits from the MOL program were discovered in a locked room in the Launch Complex 5/6 museum at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Nutter). 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Apollo 15 space suit A spacesuit is a complex system of garments, equipment, and environmental systems designed to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space. ... Merritt Islands two spaceports are shown side-by-side on this map. ... The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ...

Download high resolution version (237x772, 27 KB)MOL mockup launch Nov. ... Download high resolution version (237x772, 27 KB)MOL mockup launch Nov. ...

Specifications

Operational MOLs were to be launched on Titan IIIM rockets from SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB, California and LC-40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment of the reactants consumed; i. ... A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is a semiconductor device that converts photons (light) into electricity. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Nitrogen tetroxide (or dinitrogen tetroxide) (N2O4) is a hypergolic propellant often used in combination with a hydrazine-based rocket fuel. ... Monomethylhydrazine (MMH) is a volatile hydrazine with the chemical formula CH3N2H3. ... Vandenberg Air Force Base is a base with a spaceport, located in Santa Barbara County, California. ...

Proposed MOL flight schedule

December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

MOL astronauts

Michael J. Adams with X-15 #1 (NASA) Michael J. Adams (born in Sacramento, California on 5 May 1930, died 15 November 1967) was an American aviator and NASA astronaut. ... Albert Hanlin Crews, Jr is a retired astronaut and Colonel in the United States Air Force. ... Richard H. Truly Richard Harrison Truly (born November 12, 1937) is a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, former astronaut, and was the 8th Administrator of NASA from 1989 to 1992. ... Karol J. Bobko (Colonel, USAF, Ret. ... Robert L. Crippen (Captain, USN, retired) is a retired astronaut, and has piloted the space shuttle on three missions. ... C. Gordon Fullerton is a research pilot at NASAs Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. ... Henry Warren (Hank) Hartsfield, Jr. ... NAME: Robert F. Overmyer (Colonel, USMC, Ret. ... Major Robert H. Lawrence, Jr. ... Donald H. Peterson (Colonel, USAF, ret. ...

Specifications

Proposed MOL flight schedule

MOL astronauts

See also

References

Specifications GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Proposed MOL flight schedule

MOL astronauts

See also

References

Specifications