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kevinforsyth.net
To Reach the High Frontier: A History of U.S. Launch Vehicles
"A valuable contribution to the field of aerospace literature," this book includes an extensive overview of Delta history and development along with chapters on Atlas, Titan, Scout, Space Shuttle, and much more.
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Many other excellent books about spaceflight are recommended here.
14-Dec-98 | NEAR on approach
Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) will be the first spacecraft to orbit a near-Earth asteroid when it arrives at 433 Eros on approximately 10 January. NEAR snapped its first picture of Eros last month (a single pixel in the frame), is currently in nominal health following a safe mode event on 4 December, and has 3 burns scheduled before the new year to adjust its rendezvous approach. It was launched by Delta 232 in February 1996.
14-Dec-98 | Disturbing evidence from Polar spacecraft
“Researchers using NASA’s Polar spacecraft [Delta 233] have found the first direct evidence that bursts of energy from the Sun can cause oxygen and other gases to gush from Earth’s upper atmosphere into space.” (08-Dec-98 NASA Press Release).
11-Dec-98 | Delta flight 264 – Mars Climate Obriter
Mars Climate Orbiter launched from Cape Canaveral at 13:45 EST on 11 December. It was successfully placed into solar orbit and will reach Mars on approximately 23 September to begin a full Martian year of observations to better understand the seasonal changes on that planet. The Delta 7425 carried an aft-looking video camera aboard its interstage, providing exciting views as the vehicle passed through a cloud deck and jettisoned its booster motors.
29-Nov-98 | Next launch
Next launch from Vandenberg will be Argos P-91, an Air Force experimental satellite that has had more than its share of problems on the way to launch. It is currently scheduled to fly on 8 January.
23-Nov-98 | Nestle Crunch
Nestle has created a series of commemorative Crunch candy bars to celebrate great moments in space history. Two of the nine scenes to be depicted in rich milk chocolate (and crispies) were and will be made possible by the Delta II: last year’s Mars Pathfinder and next year’s Stardust!
23-Nov-98 | Delta flight 263 – BONUM-1
Fourth time is the charm for Delta flight 263. Its minor technical problems of the previous few days cleared up, and the clouds parted on Sunday evening, 22 November, just long enough for the Delta 7925 to sail smoothly into the Florida sky. It placed BONUM-1 into geostationary transfer orbit for the Russian conglomerate Media Most. BONUM-1 is a Hughes HS-376HP communications satellite, the 55th launch of a 376 model and the 19th aboard a Delta. It is also the first Russian-owned satellite to be flown on an American launcher, and the first privately-owned Russian satellite in history.
18-Nov-98 | Stardust arrives at KSC
Stardust will fly close to comet Wild-2 and will be the first spacecraft to return cometary material to Earth for analysis. It arrived at KSC to begin pre-launch processing (live video) on 12 November, and will launch aboard a Delta 7426 on 6 February.
18-Nov-98 | ROSAT mission ends
The German X-ray observatory satellite ROSAT, launched in 1990 aboard the first Delta II to use a 10-foot-diameter fairing, was permanently shut down on Tuesday, 3 November. Officials determined that the last functional main focal plane instrument, a high-resolution camera, had been irreversibly damaged in September when it was pointed too close to the sun.
During its lifetime ROSAT made the first all-sky survey at X-ray wavelengths, charting more than 60,000 sources, nearly 100 times more than any previous survey. It was also used for study of specific X-ray sources such as quasars and neutron stars, and provided a wealth of data over the last 8 years; according to Spaceviews, “papers using ROSAT data are being published in scientific journals at a rate of more than one a day.”
09-Nov-98 | Hiatus
Delta News will be on hiatus until Tuesday, 17 November.
06-Nov-98 | Delta flight 262 – Iridium-11
A Delta 7920 successfully launched from Vandenberg AFB on the morning of Friday, 6 November, carrying five replacement satellites for the Iridium system. Delta II rockets have now launched a total of 55 Iridium satellites. Iridium began customer service on 1 November.
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