1966 in spaceflight Information & 1966 in spaceflight Links at HealthHaven.com

[edit] Launches

This is a list of spaceflights launched in 1966.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Launch Date/Time	Rocket	Launch Site	Launch Contractor	Payload	Operator	Orbit	Mission/ Function	Re-Entry/ Destruction	Outcome	Remarks
February 26 16:12 GMT	Saturn IB (C-1B)	LC-34, Cape Canaveral	NASA	Apollo Spacecraft (AS-201)	NASA	Sub-orbital	Test Apollo Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle	February 26, 1966	Successful	First flight of Apollo Spacecraft and launch vehicle
March 16 15:00 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5003	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	September 15, 1967	Successful	Used by Gemini 8 and Gemini 10
March 16 16:41 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 8, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Manned Orbital Flight	March 17, 1966	Partial Failure	First docking in space. (with GATV). OAMS malfunction caused loss of control. Spacecraft became low on fuel after recovering. Terminated early.
May 17 15:12 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5004	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	May 17, 1966	Failure	Failed to reach orbit. Intended for use by Gemini 9
June 1 15:00 GMT	Atlas SLV-3	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	ATDA 02186	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	June 11, 1966	Failure	Fairing failed to separate Intended for use by Gemini 9A
June 3 16:41 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 9A, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Manned Orbital Flight	June 6, 1966	Partial Failure	Unable to complete primary objective - Docking with ATDA - due to ATDA payload fairing malfunction
July 5 14:53 GMT	Saturn IB (C-1B)	LC-37B, Cape Canaveral	NASA	(none)	N/A	N/A	Test launch vehicle	N/A	Successful
July 18 20:39 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5005	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	December 29, 1966	Successful	Used by Gemini 10
July 18 22:20 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 10, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Manned Orbital Flight	July 21, 1966	Successful
August 25 17:15 GMT	Saturn IB (C-1B)	LC-34, Cape Canaveral	NASA	Apollo Spacecraft (AS-202)	NASA	Sub-orbital	Test Apollo Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle	August 25, 1966 18:48 GMT	Successful
September 12 13:05 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5006	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	December 30, 1966	Successful	Used by Gemini 11
September 12 14:42 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 11, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Manned Orbital Flight	September 15, 1966	Successful	Altitude record for manned Earth-Orbit flight
November 11 20:46 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5001A	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	December 23, 1966	Failure	Failed to ignite. Used by Gemini 12
November 11 20:46 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 12, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Manned Orbital Flight	15 November 1966	Successful	Final Gemini flight

[edit] Deep Space Rendez-vous in 1966

February 3 — Luna 9 landed in Oceanus Procellarum
February 27 — Venera 2 flyby of Venus, communication lost en route
March 1 — Venera 3 impacted the Venutian surface, communication lost en route
April 3 — Luna 10 entered selenocentric orbit
June 2 — Surveyor 1 landed in Oceanus Procellarum
August 14 — Lunar Orbiter 1 entered selenocentric orbit, 211 very good pictures
August 27 — Luna 11 entered selenocentric orbit
September 23 — Surveyor 2 impact at Sinus Medii
October 25 — Luna 12 entered selenocentric orbit
October 29 — Lunar Orbiter 1 deliberately impacted upon the Moon
November 10 — Lunar Orbiter 2 entered selenocentric orbit, 184 very good pictures
December 24 — Luna 13 landed in Oceanus Procellarum

[edit] References

Kyle, Ed. "Space Launch Repot". http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/.
Wade, Mark. "Encyclopedia Astronautica". http://www.astronautix.com.
Krebs, Gunter. "Chronology of Space Launches". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/index_frame.htm?http://space.skyrocket.de/chrono.htm.
"Space Information Center". JAXA. http://spaceinfo.jaxa.jp.
McDowell, Jonathan. "Jonathan's Space Report". Jonathan's Space Page. http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
"Mission Set Database". NASA GSFC. http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php.
"NASASpaceFlight.com". http://www.nasaspaceflight.com.
"Launch Logs". Orbital Report News Agency. http://www.orbireport.com/Log.html.
"Space Calendar". NASA JPL. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/.
"Southwest Space Archive". http://www.spacearchive.info/index.htm.
"Launch Forecast". SPACE.com. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/launch_schedule.html.
"Spaceflight Now". http://www.spaceflightnow.com.
Pietrobon, Steven. "Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive". http://www.sworld.com.au/steven/space/.
"U.S. Space Objects Registry". http://www.usspaceobjectsregistry.state.gov/.
"Хроника освоения космоса" (in Russian). http://www.cosmoworld.ru/spaceencyclopedia/chrono/index.shtml.

Generic references:

Spaceflight portal

Preceded by 1965	Timeline of spaceflight 1966	Succeeded by 1967