As part of an experiment to facilitate international telecommunications, the US Military deployed an artificial space ring consisting of hundreds of millions of tiny copper needles [2] which would act as antennas reflecting radio signals at the target wavelength of 8 GHz.

On Nov. 29, 1963, just five days after the assassination of the president who set the moon as NASA’s goal, the center was renamed the John F. Kennedy Space Center in his honor.

NASA Astronaut Group 3 (nicknamed "The Fourteen") was a group of fourteen astronauts selected by NASA for the Gemini and Apollo program. Their selection was announced in October 1963. Seven were from the United States Air Force, four from the United States Navy, one was from the United States Marine Corps and two were civilians. Four died in ...

Oct 17, 2023 · On Oct. 18, 1963, NASA announced the selection of its third group of astronauts. Chosen from 720 military and civilian applicants, the newest group of 14 astronauts comprised the best educated class up to that time.

During 1963, NASA's three tracking and data acquisition networks were expanded and modified to meet the increasing and changing requirements of current flight missions. Manned Space Flight Network The support of the 22-orbit MA-9 mission on May 15-16 ended one phase of the Manned Space Flight Network's operations.

Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final crewed space mission of the U.S. Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, named Faith 7, completed 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, piloted by astronaut Gordon Cooper, then a United States Air Force major.

Apr 8, 2025 · The Deep Space Network was officially founded on Dec. 24, 1963, when NASA’s early ground stations, including Goldstone, were connected to the new network control center at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Called …

Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Union.

1 day ago · Launch Date: 1963-05-15 Launch Vehicle: Atlas D Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States Mass: 1360.8 kg. Funding Agency. NASA-Office of Manned Space Flight (United States) Disciplines. Engineering; Human Crew; Earth Science; Additional Information. Launch/Orbital information for Mercury Atlas 9; Telecommunications information for Mercury Atlas 9

This is a list of spaceflights launched between October and December 1963. For an overview of the whole year, see 1963 in spaceflight. [1][2] Vela spacecraft deactivated after five years. Second stage malfunctioned 353 seconds into the launch. Maiden flight of Polyot rocket, non-intercept flight test of I-2B antisatellite weapon. Failed to orbit.