Pioneering Space, Pioneer 0-2, Part I (original) (raw)

Intercept 1961: The Birth of Soviet Missile Defense

Intercept 1961: The Birth of Soviet Missile Defense, 2015

330 pages with 120+ figures and 200+ references Index: 950+ entries, including 150+individuals More than 50 years ago, pioneering scientists and engineers in the Soviet Union and the United States searched for a technical means of defense against ballistic missiles. This book tells the little-known story of the earliest breakthroughs which paved the way for the emergence of a powerful missile defense complex in the Soviet Union, a major factor in the Cold War.

The Early History of the United States Space Program

North Alabama Historical Review, 2014

The United States space program began as a response to Russia during the Cold War, but soon became an important part of American history. Advances in technology, medicine, and many other areas gave the program the validity the validity needed to continue to sustain itself. At the same time, Lyndon B. Johnson was a democratic senator who chaired the Senate Preparedness Investigation Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Concerned that the United States was falling behind the Soviets when it came to missile technology, Johnson called on Dr. Eilene Galloway, recent author of a paper published by the House of Representatives titled "Guided Missiles in Foreign Countries." Johnson used Dr. Galloway's assistance as he conducted meetings and investigations on how the United States could catch and surpass the Soviets in missile technology. 2 Many engineers and scientists testified, convincing Johnson and the committee that space should before advancing mankind in peaceful exploration, not as a place to conduct war. On July 28, 1958 President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA. 3 It was determined that engineers, not military generals, would lead this particular government entity. Galloway also assisted in drafting the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, presented to the United Nations in November of 1958. This committee promoted the peaceful exploration and research of outer space in hopes that countries would collaborate instead of compete. On May 2, 1944, a German rocket scientist named Magnus Von Braun approached an Army private on a motorcycle telling him, "My name is Magnus von Braun. My brother invented the V-2. We wish to surrender". 4 His brother, Wernher von Braun, was on the top of

Cold War Nuclear-Powered Hypersonic Missiles: A Successful Failed Innovation

The Central Blue, 2020

Russia's testing of an SSC-X-9 Skyfall hypersonic weapon has rekindled interest in a largely forgotten Cold War technology: nuclear-powered air power. In this article, Peter Layton looks at the history of US development of nuclear-powered weapons in the 1950s and 1960s. In doing so, he highlights that successful innovation does not necessarily require a system to be operationally fielded.

Lunar and Planetary Robotic Exploration Missions in the 20th Century

Space Science Reviews - SPACE SCI REV, 2003

The prospect of traveling to the planets was science fiction at the beginning of the 20th Century and science fact at its end. The space age was born of the Cold War in the 1950s and throughout most of the remainder of the century it provided not just an adventure in the exploration of space but a suspenseful drama as the US and USSR competed to be first and best. It is a tale of patience to overcome obstacles, courage to try the previously impossible and persistence to overcome failure, a tale of both fantastic accomplishment and debilitating loss. We briefly describe the history of robotic lunar and planetary exploration in the 20th Century, the missions attempted, their goals and their fate. We describe how this enterprise developed and evolved step by step from a politically driven competition to intense scientific investigations and international cooperation.