DISCOVERER CAPSULE MISSES RETURN; REMAINS IN ORBIT AFTER EJECTION
Air Force Calls Mission “Most Successful” Despite Recovery Failure
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., April 16 — Hopes for the first successful recovery of an object returning from orbit were dashed today when the 300‑pound capsule ejected from the Discoverer XI satellite failed to reenter the atmosphere and instead continued circling the earth.
Air Force officials announced tonight that although the capsule separated from the 17‑foot satellite at the correct time and position—over the North Pole on the craft’s 17th revolution—it did not descend toward the Pacific recovery zone as planned. Instead, it remained in orbit, still transmitting signals.
Signals Heard, But No Descent
Nine C‑119 Flying Boxcars, equipped with trapeze‑like catching gear and stationed southwest of Hawaii, picked up radio signals from the capsule shortly after separation. Two Navy vessels were also in the area, prepared to retrieve the payload if it reached the water.
But with no sign of atmospheric reentry, the aircraft and ships were ordered back to base.
“Discoverer XI was exceptional in its performance,” the Air Force said in a formal statement. “From launch through the time of ejection, the instrumented second stage performed all of its functions on command.” The capsule’s failure to fall back, officials added, was due to “some unknown malfunction” occurring moments after separation.
Launch Termed Best Yet
The satellite was launched yesterday atop a two‑stage Thor‑Agena rocket, which roared skyward through clear coastal skies. The second stage, an Agena, formed the satellite itself. Tracking stations in Hawaii and Alaska monitored the mission from launch through the attempted recovery.
Despite today’s setback, Air Force spokesmen called Discoverer XI “the most successful Discoverer to date,” noting that the satellite achieved a stable polar orbit and responded flawlessly to commands.
A Major First Still Elusive
The attempted recovery was to have been a milestone: although the United States has retrieved nose cones and animal capsules from ballistic flights, no nation has yet recovered an object returning from orbit. Mastering this technique is considered vital to Project Mercury, the nation’s man‑in‑space program.
The bell‑shaped capsule, about the size of an orange crate, was designed to plunge into the atmosphere, deploy a parachute, and be snatched mid‑air by the waiting C‑119s. Each aircraft would have had up to ten chances to hook the chute at about 40,000 feet.
Unknown Glitch at Critical Moment
Officials emphasized that the capsule did separate cleanly and began transmitting immediately afterward. But instead of slowing and dropping toward the Pacific, it continued circling the globe.
The cause of the malfunction remains under investigation.
Even so, scientists expressed satisfaction with the satellite’s performance and the wealth of data it continues to transmit. Discoverer XI remains in orbit tonight, still racing from pole to pole as the Air Force studies the unexpected turn of events.
Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times April 17, 1960 via Newspapers.com