They had something on the A model. That's what fired during the Discoverer Zero failure in early 1959.By the way, I've got a couple of Agena videos. Unfortunately, they are way too big to post here. Dunno if Chris has a way of allowing for big posts. (One is 20+ megs and the other is around 50.)
Quote from: Blackstar on 07/18/2011 11:11 pmBy the way, I've got a couple of Agena videos. Unfortunately, they are way too big to post here. Dunno if Chris has a way of allowing for big posts. (One is 20+ megs and the other is around 50.)Upload to YouTube and post links?
By the way, I've got a couple of Agena videos. Unfortunately, they are way too big to post here. Dunno if Chris has a way of allowing for big posts. (One is 20+ megs and the other is around 50.)
...R.C. Hall's "Disapproved for public release" history paper on "The Agena Satellite" : http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/WS117L_Records/115.PDF
They had something on the A model. That's what fired during the Discoverer Zero failure in early 1959....
This is pretty obscure.I just scanned this small collection of some documents on probably the most unusual launch during the CORONA program. This was CORONA 99 (mission number 99) which was not a reconnaissance mission and not even a classified mission. It was a collection of various scientific instruments for the Air Force. Apparently because they needed a Thor Agena going to polar orbit, they simply had the CORONA program office handle this one for them. It never made it to orbit. This would have been a footnote in military space history if it had flown, but it never even made it that far.One of the documents features an image of the final spacecraft and you can see that they jammed all kinds of stuff on the front end of the Agena. It was a real Frankensat. Not pretty.
Is this the Corona you had hinted about in past threads?
Wayne Eleazer included Corona 99 in his Space Review article 1-31-2011 about the "Oops" factor in missile failures.
This is pretty obscure.
I don't suppose you've found any similar detail on CORONA 54, which was a similar scientific payload?
Quote from: gwiz on 11/29/2011 09:35 amI don't suppose you've found any similar detail on CORONA 54, which was a similar scientific payload?Remind me what that one was again? I have forgotten (and no, I don't have any info about it).
Quote from: Blackstar on 11/29/2011 02:54 pmQuote from: gwiz on 11/29/2011 09:35 amI don't suppose you've found any similar detail on CORONA 54, which was a similar scientific payload?Remind me what that one was again? I have forgotten (and no, I don't have any info about it).It was instrumented to measure the artificial radiation belt produced by the Starfish high-altitude nuclear test. Must have had a smaller payload than C-99 as it was intended for a higher orbit. All I've seen is a photo of the Agena aft rack with an array of instruments.
While we are talking Agena, here's a nice Lockheed ad from 63. I assume this is the "Advent" fat shroud, are there other possibilities ?