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As many of you know, my father co-wrote the 1955 proposal for Project Vanguard. After it won, he designed the space tracking system Minitrack and the small test vehicle satellites.
In September 1957, the head of Vanguard, Dr John Hagen, discussed the schedule of the test vehicle satellites.
Vehicle 3 was the first launch with all three stages live. It got about four feet off the pad before it blew up. It got the unfortunate nickname "Flopnik." It was also bad luck that the papers covered it on the 16th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Alton Jones, who was in the blockhouse, said that it was fortunate that the rocket fell away from them. They would have been killed if it had fallen towards them. For the next launch, they were much more prepared.
The payload survived and Dad bought a seat for it on a commercial flight back to D.C. It was in our house overnight and now resides in the National Air and Space Museum. Its sister Vanguard was the first satellite to carry solar cells and is the oldest robotic satellite still in orbit. My father was interviewed shortly afterward by a reporter for “The New Yorker” and commented that the 15-page countdown had gone smoothly which in itself was a major achievement.
I discussed this on the John Batchelor Show in 2017.
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As I recall, the account in your book was quite interesting.
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It's remarkable to see a memo typed nearly a month before Sputnik (October 4, 1957) showing that the US already had a satellite development program not just in the works, but nearly ready to launch.
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The Democrat/left media needed something to bash Eisenhower about, though, so that they could get the New Deal back in motion. By pretending the United States had been caught flat-footed they were giving themselves something to work with.
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Once again, The Reticulator's truth lands squarely in the center of the target reticle.
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link
He only had 6 watts to work with. 6 WATTS! This is including two thermistors and whatever other instruments. He basically had a club and stone for tools to make it work. Very impressive.
I can relate to the kitchen table story on your podcast link. Back in my 20's I made a machine for night vision equipment that was hard wired ladder logic, no PLC here. I spent a lot of time on it, weeks I think, and it just didn't work. I was still living at home. After supper and the kitchen table was cleared I unsoldered hundreds of wires and re-designed it from scratch over night. I was hourly and didn't get paid for it but I was finally satisfied.
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