Discoverer, Card No 03 (RaceIntoSpace 1971)

The Race Into Space (Brooke Bond, 1971)

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Card No. 03: Discoverer

28th February 1959

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The US Air Force gained its "space wings" with this series of unmanned spacecraft launched into polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Discoverer 1 was launched on February 28th, 1959. The programme had the object of developing a stabilized spacecraft from the orbiting stage of the Thor-Agena launch vehicle, capable of returning a re-entry capsule from orbit.

After several failures, Discoverer capsules ejected from the spacecraft over Alaska were caught in mid-air as they parachuted down near Hawaii by the “trapeze” snares of patrolling C130 aircraft.

The same technique was later used for the U5AF's Samos reconnaissance satellites.