Essentially a large reflector telescope that was aimed down at the earth rather than out into space, the kh10 could detect objects the size of a softball. It came along when the united states was just finding its way in a perceived space race with the soviet union, and offered the prospect of a military presence in orbit and a new surveillance capability. Manned orbiting laboratory wikipedia republished wiki 2. Nov 03, 2016 but in the wake of the cancellation of the x20 dyna soar project came a new usaf project known as the manned orbiting laboratory or simply mol. Manned orbiting laboratory crew members to speak oct. The program, known as the manned orbiting laboratory mol, provided a platform for a highly secret program to gain cold war intelligence on the soviet union and other adversaries. May 22, 2015 when the dynasoar program was cancelled in december 1963, the air force continued its efforts to develop a capability for manned space operations. A newly released treasure trove of historical data reveals intriguing details about a secret cold war project known as the manned orbiting laboratory mol. Although its been two years since the first large drop of documents about the manned orbiting laboratory mol and its kh10 dorian camera, surprising revelations about the system keep on appearing. An outgrowth of the x20 dynasoar program, the manned orbiting laboratory mol was a united states air force project designed to establish a semipermanent military presence in low orbit. At the peak of the space race when the soviet union was considered a threat, and the beatles were a hot new band invading american music the. Announced to the pubic in august 1965, the manned orbiting laboratory mol was described as a technologydevelopment platform that would aid manned and unmanned space efforts. Air forces secret cold war project known as the manned orbiting laboratory. Nas7518, sponsored by the office of advanced research and technology of the national aeronautics and space administration.
The manned orbiting laboratory mol, originally referred to as the manned orbital laboratory, was a neverflown part of the united states air force s human spaceflight program, a successor to the canceled boeing x20 dynasoar military reconnaissance space plane project. Newly declassified photos show the crewed usaf spy. At first the goal of the manned orbiting laboratory was purely research. Mol emerged in the early 1960s when nasa began developing an adavanced, 2seat mercury capsulethe spacraft that became gemini. Manned orbiting laboratory mol by fantastic plastic. Secretary of the air force proposed a redefined manned orbiting laboratory mol program aimed principally at achieving very high resolution photography of significant targets. Thus was born the manned orbiting laboratory, or mol. Jul 15, 2012 at first the goal of the manned orbiting laboratory was purely research. The project was developed from several early air force and nasa concepts of manned space stations to be used for reconnaissance purposes.
Air forces most ambitious spaceflight program in the mid to late 1960s. The manned orbiting laboratory program had a short but influential life. The manned orbiting laboratory mol also known as kh10 dorian was a neverflown part of the united states air forces human spaceflight program, a successor to the canceled boeing x20 dynasoar military reconnaissance space plane project. The usaf manned orbiting laboratory test flight drew ex machina. Manned orbiting laboratory wikipedia open wikipedia design. The manned orbiting laboratory would have used the gemini spacecraft as a means of getting astronauts to and from the station. The project was developed from several early air force and nasa. The mols principal mission classified at the time was to establish a manned surveillance platform in orbit, built around the. Manned orbiting laboratory was the air forces attempt to carve out its place in space with a space station. Newly declassified photos show the crewed usaf spy spacecraft. The mol program was officially announced by the usaf on december 10, 1963 the same day that the cancellation of the x20 dyna soar was made public.
The usaf manned orbiting laboratory mol was intended to be a twoman military space station. Dec 30, 2015 a newly released treasure trove of historical data reveals intriguing details about a secret cold war project known as the manned orbiting laboratory mol. Air force initiated a program to carry out experiments in space by a twoman crew in a laboratory orbiting the earth for up to 60 days. Todays mail brought the 148 scale manned orbiting laboratory mol by fantastic plastic built for me by master model maker steve nichols. The contract to date has called for a study of the requirements of a manned orbital animal research facility. They would then return to earth in the capsule, while the mol remained in orbit. Dec 04, 2015 the molmen come into the light a reunionand newly declassified picturesprovide more detail on the militarys secretive space station project of the 1960s.
The purpose of the laboratory test model is to prove under laboratory con ditions the design adequacy of the life support equipment proposed for use in the orbiting primate spacecraft. The manned orbiting laboratory the air force failed to. In this silent films from the records of the united states air force, parts of the manned orbiting laboratory mol spacecraft are showcased by. In the spring of 1964, the usaf began work on the manned orbiting laboratory mol, an evolution of the. The first print portrays technical details of the geminii interceptor featured throughout the trilogy and the second print depicts the us navy ocean surveillance mol manned orbiting laboratory described in blue darker than black. The manned orbiting laboratory the air force failed to launch the vintage space. Kh10 dorian manned orbiting laboratory the black vault. It was requested that the general electric company furnish a complete gemini fuel cell battery with canister and all associated auxiliary equipment and all personnel and facilities required to accomplish a hour operational test under conditions which simulate the mission power requirements of the air forces manned orbiting laboratory mol. Manned orbiting laboratory national museum of the united. A compendium of the nros manned orbiting laboratory nro documents, photoreconnaissance, spy in the sky, blue gemini, air force space station, dynasoar, apollo study.
Manned orbiting laboratory mol ipms seattle chapter newsletter page 2 scheme for as good a reason as any it looks cool. Jan 05, 2016 the real purpose of the manned orbiting laboratory molpronounced mole was to spy on the russians. Specifically, in that memorandum, the saf requested early approval to enter into a mol program contract definition phase. The manned orbiting laboratory mol, originally referred to as the manned orbital laboratory, was part of the united states air forces manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled boeing x20 dynasoar military reconnaissance space plane project. The manned orbiting laboratory mol, originally referred to as the manned orbital laboratory, was a neverflown part of the united states air forces human spaceflight program, a successor to the canceled boeing x20 dynasoar military reconnaissance space plane project. The laboratory test model will also provide accurate scaling factor data for oxygen, food and water usage and will provide. This article or section is in the process of an expansion or major restructuring. The crew of two astronauts would be launched in a gemini capsule to the mol and serve aboard it for two to four weeks. Media in category manned orbiting laboratory the following 46 files are in this category, out of 46 total. Nov 03, 2015 the manned orbiting laboratory the air force failed to launch the vintage space. Nov, 2015 declassified manned orbiting laboratorydorian illustrations. The manned orbiting laboratory mol was a 1960s air force program with the ostensible mission to place military personnel in orbit to conduct scientific experiments to determine the military usefulness of placing man into space and the techniques and procedures for doing so if the need ever arose. Manned orbiting laboratory wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
The manned orbiting laboratory the air force failed to launch. The core of the satellite was the supersecret keyhole kh10 dorian camera. Air force spacebased reconnaissance platform that never became operational. While space hardware such as the pictured hardware from the manned orbiting laboratory never made it into orbit, the nro noted in a pdf document that mol did have a lasting legacy on space. Both were cancelled, largely due to skepticism on the part of the department of defense dod or nss leadership that the programs contributions were worth the expense as well as the unwanted attention that the presence of astronauts would bring to these highly classified missions. Announced in 1963, the program was designed to put twoman crews in orbit in 40day shifts using modified gemini b spacecraft.
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