Milestones of Flight by Tim Grove

Author:Tim Grove
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2016-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

A 1966 CORONA IMAGE OF THE DOLON AIRFIELD IN THE SOVIET UNION, MAGNIFIED MORE THAN 20 TIMES.

ILLUSTRATION DEPICTING THE RECOVERY OF A DISCOVERER SATELLITE PAYLOAD, CIRCA 1960. A NAVY SHIP AND HELICOPTER ARE MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE EJECTED PAYLOAD.

The gold-plated reentry capsule and parachute were the only items recovered from the satellite. The rest of it quickly reentered the atmosphere and burned up. The upper stage, which maneuvered the capsule, was released in space. The capsule’s heat shield was released when the parachute deployed.

One of the biggest challenges was cloudy weather in the target areas. The cameras could not see through cloud cover, so early efforts sometimes resulted in photos of clouds. Timely and accurate weather data was required. As a result, the government developed its classified weather satellite system, which solved the problem.

Discoverer XIII began an era of satellite observation of Earth from space for national security. Now we rely on satellite images not only for national security but also for weather prediction, climate monitoring, practical navigation, agricultural planning, and many other functions.

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