Some rocket/space activities in the past and a visit to the Intrepid museum 2017

ROCKETS and HOW IT STARTED and WENT ON

I have always been interested in rockets. Well, more in the past than now. I participated in the experiments investigating noctilucent clouds launching Nike-Cajun and Nike-Apache sounding rockets into these clouds. Here I am, at the age of 17, checking out the second stage igniter. The second stage had a starburning composite solid propellant, while the first stage was a "surplus" military ground-to-air rocket (Nike) withe a hetrogeneous propellant.

The rockets were working fine and here is one picture of a launch taken with my brand new Pentax (analog!!) camera and a wide angle lens.THe launch pad was located close to a lake and so was the assembly buildings, etc. the old Kronogård.

I have visited Cape Canaveral Air Station (operated by the USAF) several times since I was interested in all "old" rocket systems from Jupiter C, Atlas, Titan II, etc.  Not much is left of the historical places and pads from which these rockets and missiles were launched. But there is a museum at the pad where Explorer I was launched with a Jupiter C rocket. I took a picture (with an Olympus, still analog camera) this time showing the control room from where the rockets was launched. 

Not much is left of the tower and launch pad of the Titan-Gemini either, The tower was under deconstruction but Clark and I were allowed to grab a piece of the toer (Thank you John!). This was otherwise strictly forbidden.

I was invited by Christer Fuglesang (sitting next door at AlbaNova now) to watch the launch. Unfortunately the launch was delayed and I had to go back to teach environmental physics at KTH.

My "private" interest in rockets and space was very useful when I was asked to teach Space Craft Dynamics many years later.

 

Now some memories in Swedish.

It is all about visiting museums that vhas to to with rockets and space:

 

På museet Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, i NYC ifnns bland annat rymdfärjan Enterprise (OV-101). Det är den första rymdfärjan som Nasa byggt och den konstruerades endast för att testa flygegenskaper och landning. Eftersom den inte var avsedd att föras ut i rymden i det första skedet, hade rymdfärjan ingen egen motor eller värmesköld. Det var tänkt att Enterprise skulle utrustas med all nödvändig utrustning senare och att den skulle bli den andra rymdfärjan att flygas ut i rymden, efter Columbia. Nu blev det dock ingenting av dessa planer då man fann att det skulle bli billigare att istället använda Challenger för de slutliga testerna, som skulle utförts av en ombyggd Enterprise. Istället byggde man rymdfärjan Endeavour av delar från Enterprise.

 

 

En titt in i ryska Soyuz

 

Soyuz, utlånad för en utställning ombord på hangarfartyget

 

En liten historik om Soyuz

Regulus I kan nog sägas vara den första kryssningsmissilen. Här på avfyrningsrampen strax framför tornet på U577. Längre förut fanns två förvaringscylindrar för vars sin missil.

Javisst - ja: Rymdfärjan Enterprise finns också på museet. Inte en modell utan ”the real thing”