Manned Orbiting Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), originally referred to as the Manned Orbital Laboratory, was part of the United States Air Force
's manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar military reconnaissance space plane project. The project was developed from several early Air Force and NASA
concepts of manned space station
s to be used for reconnaissance
purposes. MOL evolved into a single-use laboratory, with which crews would be launched on 40-day missions and return to Earth using a Gemini B spacecraft, derived from NASA
's Gemini program.
The MOL program was announced to the public on December 10, 1963, as a manned platform to prove the utility of man in space for military missions. Astronauts selected for the program were later told of the reconnaissance mission for the program. The contractor for the MOL was the Douglas Aircraft Company
. The Gemini B was externally similar to NASA's Gemini spacecraft, although it underwent several modifications, including the addition of a circular hatch through the heat shield, which allowed passage between the spacecraft and the laboratory.
MOL was cancelled in 1969, during the height of the Apollo program, when it was shown that unmanned reconnaissance satellites could achieve the same objectives much more cost-effectively. U.S. space station development was instead pursued with the civillian NASA Skylab
(Apollo Applications Program) which flew in the mid-1970s.
In the 1970s, the Soviet Union
launched several Almaz
military space stations, very similar to the MOL in intent, but cancelled the military program in 1977.
that was built from a Titan II
propellant tank. The Gemini 2
spacecraft was re-flown on a 33-minute sub-orbital test flight. After the Gemini was separated for its sub-orbital reentry
, the MOL mockup continued on into orbit
and released three satellite
s. A hatch was installed in the Gemini 2 heat shield
to provide access to the MOL and was tested in the sub-orbital reentry. The test flight was launched by the USAF on November 3, 1966 at 13:50:42 UTC
on launch vehicle Titan III
C-9 from LC-40
at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
. The Gemini 2-MOL space capsule was recovered near Ascension Island
in the South Atlantic by the USS La Salle
.
The MOL was planned to use a helium
-oxygen
atmosphere. It used a Gemini B spacecraft as a reentry vehicle. The crew were to be launched with the Gemini B and MOL, and returned to Earth in the Gemini B. They would conduct up to 40 days of military reconnaissance using large optics, camera
s, and side-looking radar
.
In response to the announcement of the MOL, the USSR commissioned the development of its own military space station, Almaz
. Three Almaz
space stations flew as Salyut
space stations.
In 2005, two MH-7 training space suit
s from the MOL program were discovered in a locked room in the Launch Complex 5/6
museum on Cape Canaveral.
Operational MOLs were to be launched on Titan IIIM rockets from SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB, California and LC-40 at Cape Canaveral
, Florida
.
. The project was canceled on June 10, 1969 before any operational flights occurred.
The KH-10 intended for the MOL program was succeeded by the unmanned KH-11 Kennan
, which launched in 1976 as the Soviet Union was winding down its manned space reconnaissance program
. The KH-11 achieved the goal of 3-inch (76 mm) imaging resolution
and introduced video transmission of images back to Earth.
in 1969 after the estimated cost of the program had risen in excess of 1 billion dollars, and had already spent $300 million. It was determined the capabilities of unmanned spy satellites met or exceeded the capabilities of manned MOL missions. There were 14 MOL astronauts in the program when it was canceled, and NASA offered those under 35 years of age the opportunity to transfer to the NASA astronaut program. Seven of the 14 MOL astronauts were younger than 35 and took the offer: Richard H. Truly
who later became the NASA Administrator, Karol J. Bobko
, Robert Crippen
, C. Gordon Fullerton
, Henry W. Hartsfield, Robert F. Overmyer
, and Donald Peterson. All eventually flew on the Space Shuttle
.
The Gemini 2
capsule used in the only flight of the MOL program is on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum
on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
. A test article at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
, at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
is the Gemini B spacecraft (sometimes confused with Blue Gemini
). It is recognized by its distinctive "US Air Force" written on the side, and the circular hatch cut through the heat shield.
Image:Proposed USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory - GPN-2003-00094.jpg|Manned Orbiting Laboratory early 1960 conceptual drawing that did not use the Gemini spacecraft
Image:Gemini2x.jpg|Gemini 2 spacecraft used on only MOL test, on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum
, Cape Canaveral
, Florida
Image: Gemini-B 1.jpg|Gemini-B capsule intended for the MOL program
Image: Gemini-B.jpg|Gemini B capsule re-entry module (NMUSAF)
Image:MOL spacesuit.jpg|MOL spacesuit
Image: Blue Gemini Heat Shield.jpg|Heat Shield with Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Display Panel.jpg|Display Panel
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Hatch 1.jpg|Gemini B Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Hatch 2.jpg|Gemini B Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Hatch 3.jpg|Gemini B Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Nose.jpg|Gemini B Nose
Image: Blue Gemini USAF.jpg|US Air Force stenciling
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar military reconnaissance space plane project. The project was developed from several early Air Force and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
concepts of manned space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
s to be used for reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
purposes. MOL evolved into a single-use laboratory, with which crews would be launched on 40-day missions and return to Earth using a Gemini B spacecraft, derived from NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Gemini program.
The MOL program was announced to the public on December 10, 1963, as a manned platform to prove the utility of man in space for military missions. Astronauts selected for the program were later told of the reconnaissance mission for the program. The contractor for the MOL was the Douglas Aircraft Company
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
. The Gemini B was externally similar to NASA's Gemini spacecraft, although it underwent several modifications, including the addition of a circular hatch through the heat shield, which allowed passage between the spacecraft and the laboratory.
MOL was cancelled in 1969, during the height of the Apollo program, when it was shown that unmanned reconnaissance satellites could achieve the same objectives much more cost-effectively. U.S. space station development was instead pursued with the civillian NASA Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...
(Apollo Applications Program) which flew in the mid-1970s.
In the 1970s, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
launched several Almaz
Almaz
The Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
military space stations, very similar to the MOL in intent, but cancelled the military program in 1977.
History
There was one test flight of an MOL mockupMockup
In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes...
that was built from a Titan II
Titan (rocket family)
Titan was a family of U.S. expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. A total of 368 rockets of this family were launched, including all the Project Gemini manned flights of the mid-1960s...
propellant tank. The Gemini 2
Gemini 2
Gemini 2 was the second spaceflight of the American human spaceflight program Project Gemini. Gemini 2, like Gemini 1, was an unmanned mission intended as a test flight of the Gemini spacecraft. Unlike Gemini 1, which was placed into orbit, Gemini 2 made a suborbital flight, primarily intended to...
spacecraft was re-flown on a 33-minute sub-orbital test flight. After the Gemini was separated for its sub-orbital reentry
Atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
, the MOL mockup continued on into orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
and released three satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
s. A hatch was installed in the Gemini 2 heat shield
Heat shield
A heat shield is designed to shield a substance from absorbing excessive heat from an outside source by either dissipating, reflecting or simply absorbing the heat...
to provide access to the MOL and was tested in the sub-orbital reentry. The test flight was launched by the USAF on November 3, 1966 at 13:50:42 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on launch vehicle Titan III
Titan III
The Titan IIIC was a space booster used by the United States Air Force. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. It was planned to be used as a launch vehicle in the cancelled Dyna-Soar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs...
C-9 from LC-40
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 , previously Launch Complex 40 is a launch pad at the north end of Cape Canaveral, Florida...
at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
. The Gemini 2-MOL space capsule was recovered near Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
in the South Atlantic by the USS La Salle
USS La Salle (AGF-3)
The second USS La Salle was built as a and later served as a command ship in the United States Navy.La Salle was named for the town and county in Illinois that was in turn named after René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle....
.
The MOL was planned to use a helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
-oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
atmosphere. It used a Gemini B spacecraft as a reentry vehicle. The crew were to be launched with the Gemini B and MOL, and returned to Earth in the Gemini B. They would conduct up to 40 days of military reconnaissance using large optics, camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s, and side-looking radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
.
In response to the announcement of the MOL, the USSR commissioned the development of its own military space station, Almaz
Almaz
The Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
. Three Almaz
Almaz
The Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
space stations flew as Salyut
Salyut
The Salyut program was the first space station program undertaken by the Soviet Union, which consisted of a series of nine space stations launched over a period of eleven years from 1971 to 1982...
space stations.
In 2005, two MH-7 training space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
s from the MOL program were discovered in a locked room in the Launch Complex 5/6
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5
Launch Complex 5 was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used for various Redstone and Jupiter launches.It is most well known as the launch site for NASA's 1961 suborbital Mercury-Redstone 3 flight, which made Alan Shepard the first American in space. It was also the launch...
museum on Cape Canaveral.
MOL astronauts
- MOL Group 1 - November 1965
- Michael J. Adams (Air Force) (killed on X-15 flight, November 15, 1967)
- Albert H. CrewsAlbert H. CrewsAlbert Hanlin Crews, Jr. is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. He was born on in El Dorado, Arkansas and is married with three children....
Jr. (Air Force) - John L. FinleyJohn L. FinleyJohn "Jack" Lawrence Finley was a United States Navy aviator and was selected as an astronaut.He joined the US Navy and underwent flight training at the Pensacola Naval base , which he completed in August 1958...
(Navy) - Richard E. LawyerRichard E. LawyerRichard Earl Lawyer was a USAF astronaut, test pilot, and combat veteran. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory , the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space....
(Air Force) - Lachlan MacleayLachlan MacleayLachlan "Mac" Macleay is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory , the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space....
(Air Force) - Francis G. NeubeckFrancis G. NeubeckFrancis Gregory Neubeck is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory , the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space....
(Air Force) - James M. TaylorJames M. TaylorJames Martin Taylor was a United States Air Force astronaut and test pilot. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory , the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space....
(Air Force) - Richard H. TrulyRichard H. TrulyRichard Harrison Truly is a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, Naval Aviator, former astronaut, and was the eighth Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1989 to 1992...
(Navy) (pilot: Space Shuttle Enterprise ALT #2, STS-2; commander: STS-8) (Administrator: NASA)
- MOL Group 2 - June 1966
- Karol J. BobkoKarol J. BobkoKarol Joseph "Bo" Bobko is an engineer, retired United States Air Force officer and a former USAF and NASA astronaut.-Personal:Bobko was born in New York City, New York to a Lithuanian-American family...
(Air Force) (pilot: STS-6; commander: STS-51-D. STS-51-J) - Robert L. Crippen (Navy) (pilot:STS-1; commander: STS-7, STS-41C, STS-41G) (Director: Kennedy Space Center)
- Charles G. Fullerton (Air Force) (pilot: Space Shuttle Enterprise ALT #1, STS-3; commander: STS-51-F)
- Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. (Air Force) (pilot: STS-4; commander: STS-41-D, STS-61-A) (Director: Human Exploration and Development of Space Independent Assurance)
- Robert F. OvermyerRobert F. OvermyerRobert Franklyn Overmyer, Colonel, United States Marine Corps, Ret. was an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. He was born in Lorain, Ohio, but considered Westlake, Ohio his hometown.-Early life:...
(Marine Corps) (pilot: STS-5; commander: STS-51-B)
- Karol J. Bobko
- MOL Group 3 - June 1967
- James A. Abrahamson (Air Force) (Director: Strategic Defense Initiative)
- Robert T. HerresRobert T. HerresRobert Tralles Herres was the first Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.-Early life and education:Herres was born in 1932, in Denver, where he attended East High School. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1954...
(Air Force) (Vice Chairman: Joint Chiefs of Staff) - Robert H. LawrenceRobert Henry Lawrence, Jr.Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. was a United States Air Force officer and the first African-American astronaut.-Early years:...
, Jr. (Air Force) (killed in training accident, December 1967) - Donald H. PetersonDonald H. PetersonDonald Herod Peterson is a retired United States Air Force officer and a former USAF and NASA astronaut. He was born in Winona, Mississippi, on October 22, 1933...
(Air Force) (mission specialist: STS-6)
Completed
- 1966 November 3 - MOL mockup - refurbished Gemini 2Gemini 2Gemini 2 was the second spaceflight of the American human spaceflight program Project Gemini. Gemini 2, like Gemini 1, was an unmanned mission intended as a test flight of the Gemini spacecraft. Unlike Gemini 1, which was placed into orbit, Gemini 2 made a suborbital flight, primarily intended to...
capsule launched unmanned
Proposed
- 1970 December 1 - MOL 1 - First unmanned Gemini-B/Titan 3M qualification flight (Gemini-B flown alone, without an active MOL).
- 1971 June 1 - MOL 2 - Second unmanned Gemini-B/Titan 3M qualification flight (Gemini-B flown alone, without an active MOL).
- 1972 February 1 - MOL 3 - A crew of two (James M. TaylorJames M. TaylorJames Martin Taylor was a United States Air Force astronaut and test pilot. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory , the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space....
, Albert H. CrewsAlbert H. CrewsAlbert Hanlin Crews, Jr. is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. He was born on in El Dorado, Arkansas and is married with three children....
) would have spent thirty days in orbit. - 1972 November 1 - MOL 4 - Second manned mission.
- 1973 August 1 - MOL 5 - Third manned mission.
- 1974 May 1 - MOL 6 - Fourth manned MOL mission. All NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
crew composed of Richard H. TrulyRichard H. TrulyRichard Harrison Truly is a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, Naval Aviator, former astronaut, and was the eighth Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1989 to 1992...
and Robert CrippenRobert CrippenRobert Laurel Crippen is an engineer, retired United States Navy Captain and a former NASA astronaut. He flew on four Space Shuttle missions, including three as commander...
. - 1975 February 1 - MOL 7 - Fifth manned MOL.
Operational MOLs were to be launched on Titan IIIM rockets from SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB, California and LC-40 at Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
KH-10
Starting in 1965 a large optical system was added to the spacecraft for military reconnaissance. This camera system was codenamed "Dorian" and given the designation KH-10Key Hole
Key Hole is the designation for a series of American optical reconnaissance satellites:* KH-1 Corona* KH-2 Corona* KH-3 Corona* KH-4 Corona* KH-5 Argon* KH-6 Lanyard* KH-7 Gambit* KH-8 Gambit 3* KH-9 Hexagon/Big Bird...
. The project was canceled on June 10, 1969 before any operational flights occurred.
The KH-10 intended for the MOL program was succeeded by the unmanned KH-11 Kennan
KH-11 Kennan
The KH-11 KENNAN, renamed CRYSTAL in 1982 and also referenced by the codenames 1010, and "Key Hole", is a type of reconnaissance satellite launched by the American National Reconnaissance Office since December 1976...
, which launched in 1976 as the Soviet Union was winding down its manned space reconnaissance program
Almaz
The Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
. The KH-11 achieved the goal of 3-inch (76 mm) imaging resolution
Optical resolution
Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail in the object that is being imaged.An imaging system may have many individual components including a lens and recording and display components...
and introduced video transmission of images back to Earth.
Cancellation
The first launch of the MOL was scheduled for December 15, 1969, but was pushed back to the fall of 1971. The program was canceled by Defense Secretary Melvin R. LairdMelvin R. Laird
Melvin Robert Laird is an American politician and writer. Laird was a Republican congressman who also served as Richard Nixon's Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973. Laird urged Nixon to maintain a policy of withdrawing US soldiers from Vietnam...
in 1969 after the estimated cost of the program had risen in excess of 1 billion dollars, and had already spent $300 million. It was determined the capabilities of unmanned spy satellites met or exceeded the capabilities of manned MOL missions. There were 14 MOL astronauts in the program when it was canceled, and NASA offered those under 35 years of age the opportunity to transfer to the NASA astronaut program. Seven of the 14 MOL astronauts were younger than 35 and took the offer: Richard H. Truly
Richard H. Truly
Richard Harrison Truly is a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, Naval Aviator, former astronaut, and was the eighth Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1989 to 1992...
who later became the NASA Administrator, Karol J. Bobko
Karol J. Bobko
Karol Joseph "Bo" Bobko is an engineer, retired United States Air Force officer and a former USAF and NASA astronaut.-Personal:Bobko was born in New York City, New York to a Lithuanian-American family...
, Robert Crippen
Robert Crippen
Robert Laurel Crippen is an engineer, retired United States Navy Captain and a former NASA astronaut. He flew on four Space Shuttle missions, including three as commander...
, C. Gordon Fullerton
C. Gordon Fullerton
Charles Gordon Fullerton is a retired United States Air Force officer, a former USAF and NASA astronaut and retired research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California...
, Henry W. Hartsfield, Robert F. Overmyer
Robert F. Overmyer
Robert Franklyn Overmyer, Colonel, United States Marine Corps, Ret. was an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. He was born in Lorain, Ohio, but considered Westlake, Ohio his hometown.-Early life:...
, and Donald Peterson. All eventually flew on the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
.
The Gemini 2
Gemini 2
Gemini 2 was the second spaceflight of the American human spaceflight program Project Gemini. Gemini 2, like Gemini 1, was an unmanned mission intended as a test flight of the Gemini spacecraft. Unlike Gemini 1, which was placed into orbit, Gemini 2 made a suborbital flight, primarily intended to...
capsule used in the only flight of the MOL program is on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum
Air Force Space & Missile Museum
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum is located at Launch Complex 26 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It includes artifacts from the early American space program and includes an outdoor rocket garden displaying rockets, missiles and space-related equipment chronicling the US Air...
on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
. A test article at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
, at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
is the Gemini B spacecraft (sometimes confused with Blue Gemini
Blue Gemini
Blue Gemini was a United States Air Force project first proposed in August 1962 for a series of seven flights of Gemini spacecraft to enable the Air Force to gain manned spaceflight experience prior to the launch of the Manned Orbital Development System, or MODS...
). It is recognized by its distinctive "US Air Force" written on the side, and the circular hatch cut through the heat shield.
Specifications
- Crew: 2
- Maximum duration: 40 days
- Orbit: Sun synchronous or polar
- Length: 21.92 m
- Diameter: 3.05 m
- Cabin Volume: 11.3 m³
- Mass: 14476 kilograms (31,914.1 lb)
- Payload: 2700 kilograms (5,952.5 lb)
- Power: fuel cellFuel cellA fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
s or solar cellSolar cellA solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
s - RCSReaction control systemA reaction control system is a subsystem of a spacecraft whose purpose is attitude control and steering by the use of thrusters. An RCS system is capable of providing small amounts of thrust in any desired direction or combination of directions. An RCS is also capable of providing torque to allow...
system: N2O4Dinitrogen tetroxideDinitrogen tetroxide is the chemical compound N2O4. It is a useful reagent in chemical synthesis. It forms an equilibrium mixture with nitrogen dioxide; some call this mixture dinitrogen tetroxide, while some call it nitrogen dioxide.Dinitrogen tetroxide is a powerful oxidizer, making it highly...
/MMHMonomethylhydrazineMonomethylhydrazine is a volatile hydrazine chemical with the chemical formula CH3 NH2. It is used as a rocket propellant in bipropellant rocket engines because it is hypergolic with various oxidizers such as nitrogen tetroxide and nitric acid...
Gallery
Image:Proposed USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory - GPN-2003-00094.jpg|Manned Orbiting Laboratory early 1960 conceptual drawing that did not use the Gemini spacecraft
Image:Gemini2x.jpg|Gemini 2 spacecraft used on only MOL test, on display at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum
Air Force Space & Missile Museum
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum is located at Launch Complex 26 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It includes artifacts from the early American space program and includes an outdoor rocket garden displaying rockets, missiles and space-related equipment chronicling the US Air...
, Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Image: Gemini-B 1.jpg|Gemini-B capsule intended for the MOL program
Image: Gemini-B.jpg|Gemini B capsule re-entry module (NMUSAF)
Image:MOL spacesuit.jpg|MOL spacesuit
Image: Blue Gemini Heat Shield.jpg|Heat Shield with Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Display Panel.jpg|Display Panel
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Hatch 1.jpg|Gemini B Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Hatch 2.jpg|Gemini B Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Inside Hatch 3.jpg|Gemini B Hatch
Image: Blue Gemini Nose.jpg|Gemini B Nose
Image: Blue Gemini USAF.jpg|US Air Force stenciling
See also
- AlmazAlmazThe Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
- SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
equivalent to MOL; launched under "Salyut" name - Big GeminiBig GeminiBig Gemini was proposed to NASA by McDonnell Douglas in August, 1969, as an advanced version of the Gemini spacecraft system...
- Manned Orbital Development SystemManned Orbital Development SystemManned Orbital Development System was created by the US Air Force Space System Division in June 1962. It was to begin working on plans to use Gemini hardware as the first step in a new US Air Force man-in-space program called MODS , a type of military space station that used Gemini spacecraft as...
- OPS 0855OPS 0855OPS 0855, also designated OV4-3, was a boilerplate Manned Orbital Laboratory spacecraft launched in 1966. It was flown to demonstrate the launch configuration for future MOL missions. A number of research payloads, designated Manifold were carried aboard it, which were intended to operate for 75...
- Polyus - SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
orbiting battle station - SplashdownSplashdown (spacecraft landing)Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...
- Tiangong 1Tiangong 1Tiangong-1 is a Chinese space laboratory module, and is an experimental testbed to demonstrate the rendezvous and docking capabilities needed to support a space station complex. Launched unmanned aboard a Long March 2F/G rocket on 29 September 2011, it is part of the Tiangong program, which aims...
- Titan IIITitan IIIThe Titan IIIC was a space booster used by the United States Air Force. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. It was planned to be used as a launch vehicle in the cancelled Dyna-Soar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs...
- TKS SpacecraftTKS spacecraftTKS spacecraft was a Soviet spacecraft design in the late 1960s intended to supply the military Almaz space station. The spacecraft was designed for manned or autonomous cargo resupply use...
- Soviet equivalent to MOL and Big Gemini spacecraft
External links
- NASA Archives on MOL Retrieved October 13, 2011.
- Wade, Mark (April 18, 2004). MOL. Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved April 23, 2004.
- presentation on the Gemini 2 and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory spacecraft on display at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum
- Gemini B - MOL Mockup - Titan III Test Flight 11-03-1966 Mission Report
- PBS Nova - Astrospies television media