HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) (01/28/89)
The Winter/December 1988 *Aerospace Historian* recently came in the
mail, and there are a couple of articles that might interest you.
Most *AH* articles deal with aviation history, leaning heavily on the
USAF and the wars, but they occasionally publish some space-related
stuff.
Page 268: "The First ICBM: Early Soviet Strategic Ballistic Missile
Development," by Steven J. Zaloga, details Soviet work on large
rockets during and after WWII, culminating in the deployment of
Mezhkontinentalnaya Ballisticheskaya Raketa R-7, alias "Semyorka,"
alias "SS-6 Sapwood," alias "the Sputnik booster." And yes, the title
is correct: its first full-range test took place on 21 August 1957, a
month before the Atlas's first flight. This vehicle is the Model T of
space flight, more than a thousand examples having been built and
flown over thirty years. The article is a good rundown.
Under Stalin the Soviets had a peculiar method of managing their
R&D. They kept their engineers and scientists in prison camps
equipped with drawing boards. There were aircraft-design prison
camps, telecommunications prison camps, and so forth. Once in
a while they'd release one of their designers and make him a major
or something; this happened to Sergei Korolev. I don't really
understand this system (though I know I should read *The Gulag
Archipelago* if I really get curious about it; I've read *The
First Circle*), but it actually seemed to produce working weapons
and other innovations at some level.
page 274: "The Diplomatic Demise of Dyna-Soar: The Impact of
International and Domestic Political Affairs on the Dyna-Soar X-20
Project, 1957-1963," by Capt. Roy F. Houchin II of the Air Force
Academy.
"Even though Kennedy officials gave excuses for Dyna-Soar's demise (it
lacked attainable objectives, it became too costly, and it duplicated
NASA efforts), in reality, international space restrictions,
Dyna-Soar's offensive nature, and the Air Force's determined support
of military objectives detrimentally influenced the program and
eventually curtailed it."
Other articles in this issue deal with torpedo development, recovering
a wrecked bomber from a New Guinea jungle, Korean Air Force history,
and various war memoirs.
The previous issue of *AH* (Fall/September 1988) had a weird and
wonderful article in it, but I see this message is getting long, so
I'll save it for a separate posting.
Membership in the Air Force Historical Foundation is $25 for two years
(for new members only), which includes a subscription to the quarterly
*Aerospace Historian* magazine. It's a bargain if you have a serious
interest in the subjects it covers. It can be a little dry if you
have a casual interest. :-)
*Aerospace Historian* has just changed its title to:
*Air Power Historian*
Maj. Gen. Ramsay D. Potts
Publisher
Air Force Historical Foundation
Building 1413, Room 120
Stop 44
Andrews AFB, MD 20331
______meson Bill Higgins
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