Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-01
DIscovERER
Rocket Was First. Step
ToPut Man Into Space
Continued From First Page


ally was scheduled for Febru-
airy rs. but was postponed un-
I'll yesterday afternoon for
reasons not made public. The
moon shot, to be known as
Pioneer ~, was reliably re-
ported to have been scheduled
for last night.
Yesterdays Discoverer
launching went OF. apparently
In perfect order. only hour
and I minutes behind sched-
ule. A Navy tracking station at
Point Mugu. Ventura, Calf.
received evidence Of second
stage firing at asa pm. and
continued to follow the missile.
for another minute.
Faint Signals Heard
A Navy ship 900 miles south
Of Vandenberg reported receiv-
ing only faint signals. Accord
ing to Admiral Clark. there
were indications that some
thing was wrong with the sa-
tellite's broadcasting equip
rnent.
The malfunctions could have
to do with the antenna system,
he indicated.
Discoverer I was designed to
enter a low orbit-100 to $50
miles, above the earth at its
lowest point-and to circle the
earth from pole to pole for seY-
eral days. Its calculated orbital
period-the time necessary for
one revolution-was 80 min
utes.
Few Tracking Stations
One Of the principal difficult
ties encountered by Discover
er's handlers was the relative
lack Of tracking stations. I'm
like Explorers and vanguards
which followed well established
paths over a tracking network
on the ground, Discoverer I
was to pass over only two or
possibly three stations on its
first orbit.
One Of these was the ship at
sea. The next was a station on
Kodiak Island. Alaska. aided
possibly by another Alaskan
station.
On the second pass. the sa-
tellite-if in orbit-would pass
over an Alaskan station and
one on the island Of Oahu.
Hawaii.
AS the satellite circled in its
93-minute orbit, the earth
would be revolving eastward
beneath 1t.
Path Displaced
This combination of move
ments would have the effect Of
displacing the satellites path
over the earth westward by
about % degrees each revolu-
ton. Since it was launched
from the 120th West meridian, :
its second orbit would begin
along the 1881. meridian, its
third along the l66th and its /.
fourth along the 17ist degree
of East longitude.
Defense Department spokes-
men SHE'D away from outright s
statements about a polar" !,
orbit. though 1t was obvious =
that they were trying for one :
that would carry the satellite '
over both poles. Only a truly :
polar path win takesa satellite 9
given sufncient time in orbit :
over every point on the face
Of the globe.
As far as is know, Discoverer
! was the first attempt to in
ject a satellite into a north
south orbit.
The first official hint of pos
sible failure came at l:29 pm.
two hours and 40 minutes after
launching. A Pentagon spokes-
man released the following
statement:
According to preliminary
''uetry Information. the con-
ditions at the time Of injection
into flight were such that the
Discoverer satellite should have
entered into orbit.
However, confirmation as
expected from our tracking
stations In Alaska has not been
received. This could be due to
q number Of things.
Wait on Next Pass
Further. verification must
await the next scheduled pass
at which time the orbit should
be within range OF the Hawai-
ian station as well as a station
in Alaska"
The prospects for success OF
the mission. while bleak, were
not impossibly so. As the Pen
tagon announcement indicated,
the number of tracking sta
tons available to keep a radio
ear on the missile was fewer
than those available on earlier
shoots.
The planned orbit would
have crossed both poles. 1t
would eventually have taken
the Discoverer over every point
on the surface Of the earth.
The orbiting section was sched-
uled to saty up for only a few
days.
TYa1iLrn Iafar ,yahinIas ~ the