* Vandenberg Air Force Base - Revision history

MDaily at 20:51, 21 June 2026

2026-06-21T20:51:41Z

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	[[File:April 13, 1959.png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 2<br> April 13, 1959 <br>First successful Capsule Separation from Polar Orbit.</center>]]		[[[File:February 28, 1959.png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 2<br> February 28, 1959 <br>Discoverer 1. The Ghost Satellite. First satellite launched from the Pacific Coast. First Polar orbit.</center>]]

			[File:April 13, 1959.png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 2<br> April 13, 1959 <br>First successful Capsule Separation from Polar Orbit.</center>]]

	[[File:VAFB June 3, 1959 .png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 3 <br>June 3 1959<br>Agena guidance failure. Vehicle fell into the Pacific Ocean.<br>The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972. Discoverer 1 was the first of a series of 38 Discoverer satellites [1959-1962] which were part of the CORONA reconnaissance satellite program. It was launched on a Thor-Agena A rocket on 28 February 1959 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was a prototype of the KH-1 satellite, but did not contain either a camera or a film capsule. It was the first satellite launched toward the South Pole in an attempt to achieved a polar orbit, but was unsuccessful. </center>]]		[[File:VAFB June 3, 1959 .png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 3 <br>June 3 1959<br>Agena guidance failure. Vehicle fell into the Pacific Ocean.<br>The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972. Discoverer 1 was the first of a series of 38 Discoverer satellites [1959-1962] which were part of the CORONA reconnaissance satellite program. It was launched on a Thor-Agena A rocket on 28 February 1959 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was a prototype of the KH-1 satellite, but did not contain either a camera or a film capsule. It was the first satellite launched toward the South Pole in an attempt to achieved a polar orbit, but was unsuccessful. </center>]]
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	~~'''1959'''~~
	* February 28, 1959. Discoverer 1. The Ghost Satellite


	'''1960'''		'''1960'''
			* September 29, 1960 Atlas Polar Orbit
	* December 10, 1960 Hot Cargo Capsule Recovery		* December 10, 1960 Hot Cargo Capsule Recovery

MDaily at 20:38, 21 June 2026

2026-06-21T20:38:44Z

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			'''1959'''
			* February 28, 1959. Discoverer 1. The Ghost Satellite


	'''1960'''		'''1960'''
	* September 29, 1960 Atlas Polar Orbit
	* December 10, 1960 Hot Cargo Capsule Recovery		* December 10, 1960 Hot Cargo Capsule Recovery

MDaily at 16:04, 6 September 2024

2024-09-06T16:04:49Z

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	* 1984. SCHILLER, Norbert. Strange Happening at Vandenberg Surf. Santa Barbara: McVicker Sutcliffe Press, 1984. Hand-made book, blue tied boards. #8.		* 1984. SCHILLER, Norbert. Strange Happening at Vandenberg Surf. Santa Barbara: McVicker Sutcliffe Press, 1984. Hand-made book, blue tied boards. #8. Signed: Norbert Schiller; Judy Sutcliffe.
	Signed: Norbert Schiller; Judy Sutcliffe.

MDaily at 16:03, 6 September 2024

2024-09-06T16:03:51Z

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	On '''February 28, 1959''', the first two-stage Thor/Agena missile lifted the world’s first polar earth orbiting satellite, the Discoverer 1 from Space Launch Complex-1 West. Soon after, the first Atlas missile launched from Vandenberg AFB on '''September 9, 1959''' at launch facility 576 A-2.		On '''February 28, 1959''', the first two-stage Thor/Agena missile lifted the world’s first polar earth orbiting satellite, the Discoverer 1 from Space Launch Complex-1 West. Soon after, the first Atlas missile launched from Vandenberg AFB on '''September 9, 1959''' at launch facility 576 A-2.

	SPACE MAIL: On November 12, 1960 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, an Agena-B rocket was launched carrying Discoverer 17 (also known as Corona 9012), an optical reconnaissance satellite. On board Discoverer were a secret panoramic camera, a biological research payload (the satellite's official purpose), and perhaps 28 pieces of mail similar. This was, as USAF Chief of Staff White writes, "the first time that letters have been sent by a satellite ... in the tradition of airmen who less than thirty years ago pioneered in the first use of airmail." After "travelling ... at speeds greater than 18,000 miles per hour," the photographic film and the mail were returned to Earth in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle that separated off from Discoverer. The SRV, descending by parachute, was captured over the mid-Pacific by the grappling hooks of the USAF plane Pelican 2. These first pieces of orbital mail were delivered only to the elite of the political, defense, and aviation worlds. A piece traced at auction was sent to the first NASA Administrator. [A second piece sold at Bonhams for $37,500 in 2012.]		'''SPACE MAIL:''' On November 12, 1960 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, an Agena-B rocket was launched carrying Discoverer 17 (also known as Corona 9012), an optical reconnaissance satellite. On board Discoverer were a secret panoramic camera, a biological research payload (the satellite's official purpose), and perhaps 28 pieces of mail similar. This was, as USAF Chief of Staff White writes, "the first time that letters have been sent by a satellite ... in the tradition of airmen who less than thirty years ago pioneered in the first use of airmail." After "travelling ... at speeds greater than 18,000 miles per hour," the photographic film and the mail were returned to Earth in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle that separated off from Discoverer. The SRV, descending by parachute, was captured over the mid-Pacific by the grappling hooks of the USAF plane Pelican 2. These first pieces of orbital mail were delivered only to the elite of the political, defense, and aviation worlds. A piece traced at auction was sent to the first NASA Administrator. [A second piece sold at Bonhams for $37,500 in 2012.]

	The first Global Positioning Satellite launched from Space Launch Complex-3E on 22 February 1978. The world’s first commercial spaceport became operational at Vandenberg on 19 September 1996 at Space Launch Complex-8.		The first Global Positioning Satellite launched from Space Launch Complex-3E on 22 February 1978. The world’s first commercial spaceport became operational at Vandenberg on 19 September 1996 at Space Launch Complex-8.

MDaily at 16:57, 26 July 2024

2024-07-26T16:57:26Z

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		* 1984. SCHILLER, Norbert. Strange Happening at Vandenberg Surf. Santa Barbara: McVicker Sutcliffe Press, 1984. Hand-made book, blue tied boards. #8.
		Signed: Norbert Schiller; Judy Sutcliffe.

MDaily at 13:16, 14 April 2024

2024-04-14T13:16:46Z

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	October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, shocking the American public and beginning the Space Age.		October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, shocking the American public and beginning the Space Age.

			On '''December 16, 1958''' the first missile launch from Vandenberg AFB was a Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile launched from Space Launch Complex-2 East.

	On '''February 28, 1959''', the first two-stage Thor/Agena missile lifted the world’s first polar earth orbiting satellite, the Discoverer 1 from Space Launch Complex-1 West. Soon after, the first Atlas missile launched from Vandenberg AFB on '''September 9, 1959''' at launch facility 576 A-2.		On '''February 28, 1959''', the first two-stage Thor/Agena missile lifted the world’s first polar earth orbiting satellite, the Discoverer 1 from Space Launch Complex-1 West. Soon after, the first Atlas missile launched from Vandenberg AFB on '''September 9, 1959''' at launch facility 576 A-2.

MDaily at 13:13, 14 April 2024

2024-04-14T13:13:30Z

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			[[File:April 13, 1959.png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 2<br> April 13, 1959 <br>First successful Capsule Separation from Polar Orbit.</center>]]

	[[File:VAFB June 3, 1959 .png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 3 <br>June 3 1959<br>Agena guidance failure. Vehicle fell into the Pacific Ocean.<br>The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972. Discoverer 1 was the first of a series of 38 Discoverer satellites [1959-1962] which were part of the CORONA reconnaissance satellite program. It was launched on a Thor-Agena A rocket on 28 February 1959 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was a prototype of the KH-1 satellite, but did not contain either a camera or a film capsule. It was the first satellite launched toward the South Pole in an attempt to achieved a polar orbit, but was unsuccessful. </center>]]		[[File:VAFB June 3, 1959 .png\|350px\|thumbnail\|right\|<center>Discoverer 3 <br>June 3 1959<br>Agena guidance failure. Vehicle fell into the Pacific Ocean.<br>The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972. Discoverer 1 was the first of a series of 38 Discoverer satellites [1959-1962] which were part of the CORONA reconnaissance satellite program. It was launched on a Thor-Agena A rocket on 28 February 1959 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was a prototype of the KH-1 satellite, but did not contain either a camera or a film capsule. It was the first satellite launched toward the South Pole in an attempt to achieved a polar orbit, but was unsuccessful. </center>]]

MDaily at 20:59, 30 May 2023

2023-05-30T20:59:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:59, 30 May 2023
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	October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, shocking the American public and beginning the Space Age.		October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, shocking the American public and beginning the Space Age.

	On 28 ~~February~~ 1959, the first two-stage Thor/Agena missile lifted the world’s first polar earth orbiting satellite, the Discoverer 1 from Space Launch Complex-1 West. Soon after, the first Atlas missile launched from Vandenberg AFB on 9 ~~September~~ 1959 at launch facility 576 A-2.		On '''February 28, 1959''', the first two-stage Thor/Agena missile lifted the world’s first polar earth orbiting satellite, the Discoverer 1 from Space Launch Complex-1 West. Soon after, the first Atlas missile launched from Vandenberg AFB on '''September 9, 1959''' at launch facility 576 A-2.

	SPACE MAIL: On November 12, 1960 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, an Agena-B rocket was launched carrying Discoverer 17 (also known as Corona 9012), an optical reconnaissance satellite. On board Discoverer were a secret panoramic camera, a biological research payload (the satellite's official purpose), and perhaps 28 pieces of mail similar. This was, as USAF Chief of Staff White writes, "the first time that letters have been sent by a satellite ... in the tradition of airmen who less than thirty years ago pioneered in the first use of airmail." After "travelling ... at speeds greater than 18,000 miles per hour," the photographic film and the mail were returned to Earth in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle that separated off from Discoverer. The SRV, descending by parachute, was captured over the mid-Pacific by the grappling hooks of the USAF plane Pelican 2. These first pieces of orbital mail were delivered only to the elite of the political, defense, and aviation worlds. A piece traced at auction was sent to the first NASA Administrator. [A second piece sold at Bonhams for $37,500 in 2012.]		SPACE MAIL: On November 12, 1960 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, an Agena-B rocket was launched carrying Discoverer 17 (also known as Corona 9012), an optical reconnaissance satellite. On board Discoverer were a secret panoramic camera, a biological research payload (the satellite's official purpose), and perhaps 28 pieces of mail similar. This was, as USAF Chief of Staff White writes, "the first time that letters have been sent by a satellite ... in the tradition of airmen who less than thirty years ago pioneered in the first use of airmail." After "travelling ... at speeds greater than 18,000 miles per hour," the photographic film and the mail were returned to Earth in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle that separated off from Discoverer. The SRV, descending by parachute, was captured over the mid-Pacific by the grappling hooks of the USAF plane Pelican 2. These first pieces of orbital mail were delivered only to the elite of the political, defense, and aviation worlds. A piece traced at auction was sent to the first NASA Administrator. [A second piece sold at Bonhams for $37,500 in 2012.]

MDaily at 20:54, 30 May 2023

2023-05-30T20:54:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:54, 30 May 2023
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	'''1960'''		'''1960'''
	* ~~July~~ 10, ~~1961 Discoverer No. 26~~ Capsule Recovery		* September 29, 1960 Atlas Polar Orbit
			* December 10, 1960 Hot Cargo Capsule Recovery


	'''1961'''		'''1961'''
			* July 10, 1961 Discoverer No. 26 Capsule Recovery
	* September 2, 1961 Discoverer No. 29 Capsule Recovery		* September 2, 1961 Discoverer No. 29 Capsule Recovery
	* September 12, 1961 Discoverer No. 30		* September 12, 1961 Discoverer No. 30
	* September 23, 1961 Titan Down-Range Shot		* September 23, 1961 Titan Down-Range Shot
	* September 29, 1960 Atlas Polar Orbit
	* October 13, 1961 Discoverer No. 32		* October 13, 1961 Discoverer No. 32
	* October 23, 1961 Discoverer No. 33		* October 23, 1961 Discoverer No. 33

MDaily at 20:48, 30 May 2023

2023-05-30T20:48:59Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:48, 30 May 2023
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			'''1960'''
			* July 10, 1961 Discoverer No. 26 Capsule Recovery

	'''1961'''		'''1961'''
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	* September 12, 1961 Discoverer No. 30		* September 12, 1961 Discoverer No. 30
	* September 23, 1961 Titan Down-Range Shot		* September 23, 1961 Titan Down-Range Shot
			* September 29, 1960 Atlas Polar Orbit
	* October 13, 1961 Discoverer No. 32		* October 13, 1961 Discoverer No. 32
	* October 23, 1961 Discoverer No. 33		* October 23, 1961 Discoverer No. 33