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Credit & Copyright: Courtesy 30th Space Wing,
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Explanation:
On
October 19th, a rocket blasted off from
Vandengberg Air Force Base - the
last Titan rocket.
Carrying a payload for the US
National Reconnaissance Office, the successful
Titan IV B launch brings to a close the Titan program
whose first launch was in 1959.
Originally designed as an intercontinental ballistic missle,
the
Titan rocket ultimately evolved into a heavy lift workhorse,
launching defense, commercial, and scientific payloads to
Earth orbit and beyond.
In fact, many historic space explorations
began with Titan launches, including manned
Gemini missions, the
Viking
missions to Mars, the
Voyager tours of the
outer solar system, and the
Cassini
spacecraft now orbiting Saturn.
Cassini's probe Huygens accomplished
the most distant landing
on another world, while
Voyager 1 is now humanity's most
distant
spacecraft.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: rocket - spacecraft
Publications with words: rocket - spacecraft
See also: