6. The Launch
A rather unconventional launch sequence to say the least. Webb brings up a wagon load of gear. Roger works the bicycle pump. Aehle and Logan dig in their heels to hold the satellite back from the rear while my dad pushes it back from the front. Meanwhile, Berkley stands by waiting to light the fuse.
My dad took the whole family down to Florida in 1966 to watch the launch. I don't remember it looking anything like this.
In the early to mid 1960s, one of the projects he worked on was the S-6, a satellite designed to measure gasses and pressure in space. The task of designing and building a satelite that was small and light weight enough to fit in the launch vehicle yet strong enough to survive all the forces placed upon it was bad enough, but the satelite case also had to be perfectly and hermetically sealed, the batteries powerful enough to last the duration of the mission, and the contents (batteries, scientfic instruments, radios and structural members) had to be perfectly balanced so it wouldn't wobble while spining. Thses cartoons, drawn by one of the draftsmen, poke fun at their efforts to make it all work. Not only did they succeed, but the satelite outlasted its predicted lifespan.
6. The Launch
A rather unconventional launch sequence to say the least. Webb brings up a wagon load of gear. Roger works the bicycle pump. Aehle and Logan dig in their heels to hold the satellite back from the rear while my dad pushes it back from the front. Meanwhile, Berkley stands by waiting to light the fuse.
My dad took the whole family down to Florida in 1966 to watch the launch. I don't remember it looking anything like this.
In the early to mid 1960s, one of the projects he worked on was the S-6, a satellite designed to measure gasses and pressure in space. The task of designing and building a satelite that was small and light weight enough to fit in the launch vehicle yet strong enough to survive all the forces placed upon it was bad enough, but the satelite case also had to be perfectly and hermetically sealed, the batteries powerful enough to last the duration of the mission, and the contents (batteries, scientfic instruments, radios and structural members) had to be perfectly balanced so it wouldn't wobble while spining. Thses cartoons, drawn by one of the draftsmen, poke fun at their efforts to make it all work. Not only did they succeed, but the satelite outlasted its predicted lifespan.