1951 in spaceflight

The year 1951 saw the Soviet Union definitively advancing beyond the V-2 with the deployment of the R-2 rocket, which could carry a ton of explosives twice as far as the German rocket. The USSR also launched its first series of biomedical tests at the 100 kilometres (62 mi) boundary of space (as defined by the World Air Sports Federation).[1] While the United States did not field any new boosters during the year, both the U.S.A.F. and the U.S. Army began their own next-generation ballistic missile projects, Atlas for the former and Redstone for the latter. Meanwhile, the Navy fired its Viking rocket to a record-breaking 136 miles (219 km) in August 1951. Throughout the year, several American agencies launched more than a dozen scientific sounding rocket flights between them.

1951 in spaceflight

Viking 7 before its 7 August 1951 launch.
Rockets
Maiden flights	Aerobee XASR-SC-1b R-1B R-1V
Retirements	Viking (first model)

Space exploration

American

The Army, Air Force, and the Applied Physics Laboratory continued their use of Aerobee sounding rockets on a variety of physics, aeronomy, photography, weather, and biomedical missions. 11 total were launched during the year.[2]

The first generation of U.S. Navy built Viking sounding rockets reached its acme of performance with the flight of Viking 7, the sole Viking launch of 1951. Launched 7 August from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the rocket set a new world altitude record of 136 miles (219 km).[3]^{:167–171, 236}

Soviet

The R-1, the Soviet Union's first domestically built long range ballistic missile, was accepted into service in November 1950. In January 1951, cold weather testing of the R-1 for quality assurance purposes was conducted.[4]^:149,152 On June 1, production of the R-1 was centralized and transferred to a former automobile factory in Dnepropetrovsk, and that month,[5] a test series of R-1s was successfully launched to the edge of space, all landing within 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) of their targets. Though the R-1, a virtual copy of the now-obsolete V-2,[4]^:119 was not a particularly formidable weapon and posed virtually no threat to the West, it was invaluable in training engineers and missile crews, as well as creating a nascent rocket industry in the Soviet Union.[4]^:152–3

On 29 January 1951, dogs were carried on one of the winter test flights of the R-1.[2] This was followed in the summer by six R-1s specifically designed equipped for biomedical flights to determine if their payload dogs could survive the rigors of space travel and be recovered. Three of the missions were successful.[6]

The R-2 missile, the first Soviet design to have a separable nose cone, underwent a second test series of thirteen flights on July 1951, experiencing one failure. Accepted for operational service on 27 November 1951, [7] the design had a range of 600 kilometres (370 mi), twice that of the R-1, while maintaining a similar payload of around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb).[4]^:48–9

Rocket development

U.S. Air Force

By 1950, the ballistic war-head carrying missile, which in the United States had been eclipsed by guided missile development, came back to the fore. In January 1951, the U.S. Air Force's Air Research and Development Command awarded to Consolidated Vultee the contract for Atlas, the nation's first ICBM.[8]^:59–61 The Atlas went on to become one of the key boosters in America's crewed and robotic space programs,[9]^:32–39 first orbiting a payload (SCORE (satellite)) in 1958.[8]^:153,161–2

U.S. Army

On 15 April 1950, Wehrner von Braun and his team of German rocket engineers were transferred from Fort Bliss to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. In 1951, Redstone was tasked with the research and development (R&D) of guided missiles as well as development and testing of free rockets, solid propellants, JATOs, and related items, thus making the Army a leading player in America's missile development.[10] There work led to the production of the Redstone missile, first launched in 1953,[11] versions of which launched America's first artificial satellite, in 1958, and America's first astronaut, in 1961.

U.S. Navy

In the summer of 1950, the NRL team led by Milton Rosen began work on an improved Viking rocket able to reach higher altitudes. Increased performance would be achieved through larger fuel tanks and reduced weight elsewhere on the rocket. Originally planned for launch in 1951, development of the second generation Viking took two years, and the first of the new rockets did not launch until 6 June 1952.[3]^{:172–3, 236}

University of Iowa

In January 1951, Dr. James Van Allen, instrumental in the development of the Aerobee rocket, joined the physics department at the University of Iowa (UoI). Along with University of Chicago graduate, Melvin B. Gottlieb, and Van Allen's first UoI graduate student, Leslie H. Meredith, they began a high altitude cosmic ray research program using equipment mounted on balloons. Launched from 16 June 1965 though 26 January 1952,[12]^:7–10 this experience set the foundation for balloon-launched sounding rockets, which would first breach the boundary of space in 1954.[12]^:38

Soviet Union

From 1947, the German émigré-designed G-1 (or R-10) had competed with the Russian-designed R-2 for limited engineering and production staff, the latter winning out by the end of 1949. With the project stalled for lack of resources and government interest, all work by the German specialists was terminated on October 1950. In December 1951, the first of the specialists were repatriated to East Germany (a process that was completed November 1953)[4]^:69–70

The draft plan for the ambitious 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) range R-3 was approved on 7 December 1949,[4]^:67 but was canceled on 20 October 1951, other designs proving more useful and achievable.[4]^:275–6 One of them was the R-5 missile, able to carry the same payload as the R-1 and R-2 but over a distance of 1,200 kilometres (750 mi)[4]^:242 (the other being the R-11, a tactical missile half the size of the R-1 but with the same payload).[13] The R-5's conceptual design was completed by 30 October 1951.[14]^:97

Launches

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload (⚀ = CubeSat)	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
January
18 January 20:14	V-2			White Sands Launch Complex 33		G.E./US Army
			Naval Research Laboratory	Suborbital	Solar	18 January	Launch failure
		Apogee: 2 kilometres (1.2 mi)[2]
18 January 20:14	Aerobee RTV-N-10			White Sands Launch Complex 33		U.S. Navy
			Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Army	Suborbital	Solar ultraviolet, x-ray, chemical release	18 January	Launch failure
		Apogee: 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi)[2]
22 January 22:55	Aerobee RTV-N-10			White Sands Launch Complex 35		U.S. Navy
			Applied Physics Laboratory	Suborbital	Aeronomy	22 January	Successful
		Apogee: 88.5 kilometres (55.0 mi)[2]
25 January 22:55	Aerobee (rocket)			White Sands Launch Complex 35		U.S. Navy
			Applied Physics Laboratory	Suborbital	Ozone aeronomy	25 January	Successful
		Apogee: 90.1 kilometres (56.0 mi)[2]
29 January	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	29 January	Successful[2]
30 January	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	30 January	Successful[2]
31 January	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	31 January	Successful[2]
February
1 February	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	1 February	Successful[2]
2 February	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	2 February	Successful[2]
6 February 17:20	Aerobee RTV-N-10			White Sands Launch Complex 35		U.S. Navy
			Applied Physics Laboratory	Suborbital	Earth photography	6 February	Successful
		Apogee: 98.2 kilometres (61.0 mi)[2]
March
9 March 03:16	V-2			White Sands Launch Complex 33		G.E./US Army
		Blossom IV-E	Air Materiel Command	Suborbital	Ionospheric, Solar, Aeronomy	9 March	Launch failure
		Apogee: 3 kilometres (1.9 mi)[2]
28 March 23:14	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
			Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Aeronomy	28 March	Successful
		Apogee: 68 kilometres (42 mi)[2]
April
12 April 17:26	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
		Aeromed 1	Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Solar radiation	12 April	Partial failure
		Apogee: 20 kilometres (12 mi)[15]
18 April 18:39	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
		Aeromed 1	Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Biomedical	18 April	Successful
		First biomedical Aerobee mission, carried monkey; apogee: 61 kilometres (38 mi)[2]
May
29 May 19:46	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
			ARDC	Suborbital	Ionospheric	29 May	Launch failure
		Apogee: 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi)[15]
June
8 June 00:11	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Solar X-ray, aeronomy	8 June	Successful
		Apogee: 88.5 kilometres (55.0 mi)[15]
8 June 01:18	Aerobee XASR-SC-1			White Sands Launch Complex 35		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Aeronomy	8 June	Launch failure
		Apogee: 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi)[15]
9 June 06:11	Aerobee XASR-SC-1			White Sands Launch Complex 35		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Aeronomy	9 June	Launch failure
		Apogee: 67 kilometres (42 mi)[15]
13 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	13 June	Successful[2]
14 June 13:48	V-2			White Sands Launch Complex 33		G.E./US Army
			NRL, US Army	Suborbital	Solar	14 June	Launch failure[2]
14 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	14 June	Successful[2]
18 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	18 June	Successful[2]
19 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	19 June	Successful[2]
20 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	20 June	Successful[2]
22 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	22 June	Successful[2]
23 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	23 June	Successful[2]
24 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	24 June	Successful[2]
25 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	25 June	Successful[2]
26 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	26 June	Successful[2]
27 June	R-1			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	27 June	Successful[2]
28 June 21:43	V-2			White Sands Launch Complex 33		G.E./US Army
		Blossom IV-F	ARDC	Suborbital	Solar/aeronomy	28 June	Launch failure
		Apogee: 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi)[2]
July
2 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	2 July
		First of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Second of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Third of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Fourth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Fifth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Sixth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Seventh of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Eighth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Ninth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Tenth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Eleventh of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	Same day
		Twelfth of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
22 July	R-1V			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Biological	22 July	Successful
		Apogee: 100 kilometres (62 mi) Dogs Dezik and Zhegan were carried in space and were recovered.[2]
25 July 16:26	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		US Air Force
			ARDC	Suborbital	Airglow research	25 July	Successful
		Apogee: 88.5 kilometres (55.0 mi)[15]
27 July	R-2			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Missile test	27 July
		Last of thirteen launches, 12 of which hit the target area.[14]^:97
29 July	R-1B			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Biological	29 July	Failure
		Electrical failure, no payload recovery; carried dogs did not survive[2]
August
7 August 16:36	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
			Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Ionospheric	7 August	Successful
		Apogee: 68 kilometres (42 mi)[15]
7 August 18:00	Viking (first model)			White Sands ALA-1		Martin
		Viking 7	NRL	Suborbital	Ionospheric/Solar	7 August	Successful
		Apogee: 219 kilometres (136 mi)[16]
15 August	R-1B			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Solar/Biological	15 August	Successful
		Carried dogs, recovered[2]
19 August	R-1V			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Biological	19 August	Successful
		Carried dogs, recovered[2]
22 August 19:00	V-2			White Sands Launch Complex 33		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Test	22 August	Successful
		First all Army team after General Electric's contract concluded; apogee: 213 kilometres (132 mi)[2]
28 August	R-1B			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Biological	28 August	Successful[2]
30 August 22:40	Aerobee RTV-A-1b			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
			Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Ionospheric	30 August	Successful
		Apogee: 68 kilometres (42 mi)[15]
September
3 September	R-1B			Kapustin Yar		OKB-1
			OKB-1	Suborbital	Biological	3 September	Successful
		Carried dogs, recovered[2]
13 September 11:37	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
			Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Aeronomy	13 September	Successful
		Apogee: 75.7 kilometres (47.0 mi)[15]
20 September 16:31	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
		Aeromed 2	Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Biomedical	16:31	Successful
		Carried 11 mice, apogee: 70.8 kilometres (44.0 mi)[15]
27 September 00:06	Aerobee XASR-SC-1			White Sands Launch Complex 35		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Aeronomy	27 September	Successful
		Apogee: 68.9 kilometres (42.8 mi)[15]
October
17 October 18:17	Aerobee RTV-A-1			Holloman Launch Complex A		USAF
			Air Force Systems Command	Suborbital	Ionospheric	17 October	Successful
		Apogee: 114 kilometres (71 mi)
29 October 21:04	V-2			White Sands Launch Complex 33		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Aeronomy	29 October	Successful
		Apogee: 137 kilometres (85 mi)[2]
November
1 November 09:45	Aerobee XASR-SC-1			White Sands Launch Complex 35		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Aeronomy	1 November	Successful
		Apogee: 66 kilometres (41 mi)[15]
3 November 00:35	Aerobee XASR-SC-1			White Sands Launch Complex 35		US Army
			US Army	Suborbital	Aeronomy	3 November	Successful
		Apogee: 66 kilometres (41 mi)[15]

Suborbital launch summary

By country

Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Soviet Union	33	31	1	1
United States	25	17	1	7

By rocket

4

8

12

16

20

V-2

Viking

Aerobee

R-1

R-2

•   American V-2
•   Viking (first model)
•   Aerobee RTV-N-10
•   Aerobee XASR-SC-1
•   Aerobee RTV-A-1
•   Aerobee RTV-A-1b
•   R-1
•   R-1B
•   R-1V
•   R-2

Rocket	Country	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
V-2	United States	6	2	0	4
Viking (first model)	United States	1	1	0	0
Aerobee RTV-N-10	United States	4	3	0	1
Aerobee XASR-SC-1	United States	4	3	0	1
Aerobee RTV-A-1	United States	9	7	1	1
Aerobee RTV-A-1b	United States	1	1	0	0	Maiden flight
R-1	Soviet Union	16	16	0	0	Maiden flight, retired
R-1B	Soviet Union	2	1	0	1	Maiden flight, retired
R-1V	Soviet Union	2	2	0	0	Maiden flight, retired
R-2	Soviet Union	13	12	1	0

References

1. Voosen, Paul (24 July 2018). "Outer space may have just gotten a bit closer". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aau8822. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
2. Wade, Mark. "1951 Chronology". Retrieved 16 December 2020.
3. Milton W. Rosen (1955). The Viking Rocket Story. New York: Harper & Brothers. OCLC 317524549.
4. Boris Chertok (June 2006). Rockets and People, Volume II: Creating a Rocket Industry. Washington D.C.: NASA. OCLC 946818748.
5. Wade, Mark. "R-1". Retrieved 6 December 2020.
6. Chris Gebhardt (20 September 2016). "Aerobee-19: 65 years after animal flight that paved the way for Project Mercury". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
7. Wade, Mark. "R-2". Retrieved 7 December 2020.
8. John L. Chapman (1960). Atlas The Story of a Missile. New York: Harper & Brothers. OCLC 492591218.
9. Will Eisner (1962). America's Space Vehicles A pictorial review. London: Oak Tree Press, Ltd. OCLC 916575496.
10. "Installation History 1950 - 1952". U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command. 2017.
11. "Installation History 1953 - 1955". U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command. 2017.
12. George Ludwig (2011). Opening Space Research. Washington D.C.: geopress. OCLC 845256256.
13. Wade, Mark. "R-11". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
14. Asif A. Siddiqi. Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 (PDF). Washington D.C.: NASA. OCLC 1001823253.
15. Wade, Mark. "Aerobee". Retrieved 8 December 2020.
16. Wade, Mark. "Viking Sounding Rocket". Retrieved 7 January 2021.