MOL

The Blue Suit Space Station

Giuseppe De Chiara Foreword by Dwayne Allen Day

11 03 2009
All the drawings are copyright of the author

Foreword

(by Dwayne Allen Day)

American manned military space programs 1958-1963

1958 NASA created. President Eisenhower directed that manned space program be a civilian (NASA) project. Air Force secretly continued work on a pressurized spacecraft that could be modified to carry a man as part of the Samos E-5 reconnaissance satellite program. 1960 Air Force begins studying Military Orbital Development Station (MODS). Air Force also studying the Dyna-Soar winged spaceplane. 1961 NASA starts development of the Gemini 2-man spacecraft. Air Force work on the Samos E-5 stops. Pressurized spacecraft for carrying an astronaut is not approved. 1962 Air Force considers buying 6-7 Gemini spacecraft as part of the Blue Gemini program: First three missions would be NASA with Air Force experiments. Next 1-2 missions would be 1 NASA and 1 US Air Force astronaut. 1-2 missions would be totally USAF. Blue Gemini Canceled 1963 December, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara cancels Dyna-Soar and MODS, starts Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program.

MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Foreword

(by Dwayne Allen Day)

Manned Orbiting Laboratory program 1963-1969 (1/2)

1963-64 MOL is studied by the Air Force. The spacecraft is intended primarily to conduct experiments to determine if military astronauts can perform useful missions. No clear reconnaissance or espionage mission. No clear approval for MOL to enter full-scale development. 1965 National Reconnaissance Office apparently becomes involved in MOL. KH-10 DORIAN camera system added to MOL design. Capable of spotting objects on the ground as small as 4 inches (10 centimeters). President Lyndon Johnson formally approves MOL for development. MOL changes from an experimental spacecraft to an operational reconnaissance program 1966-67 Development of MOL continues. MOL designed to operate without crew if necessary. 1967-68 MOL schedule slips. First launch was apparently scheduled for 1969, but slips to 1970. At least one, possibly two highly secret blue-ribbon panels evaluate MOL and determine that humans are not only unnecessary, but degrade the optics performance.

MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Foreword

(by Dwayne Allen Day)

Manned Orbiting Laboratory program 1963-1969 (2/2)

1969 MOL schedule apparently slips again to 1971. At least 6-7 MOL spacecraft are planned: At least six KH-10 camera mirrors are built. President Nixon cancels MOL program. Why? MOL was an expensive program suffering constant schedule slips. MOL money was needed by other USAF research and development programs. Vietnam War was very expensive. Many people not convinced that humans were necessary for reconnaissance missions; some think they hurt camera systems. USAF also needed to pay for other space programs, including part of the KH-9 HEXAGON search reconnaissance satellite. MOL was not canceled because a new real-time reconnaissance satellite, the KH-11 KENNAN, became available. KH-11 was approved in 1971; MOL was canceled in 1969.

MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

Giuseppe De Chiara 2009

Foreword

(by Dwayne Allen Day)

Manned Orbiting Laboratory Cancellation

Launch site: Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6 or Slick-Six) at Vandenberg Air Force Base was completed, then closed. Mirrors (6 of them): In mid-1970s they were donated to the civilian Multiple-Mirror Telescope. Other hardware: Substantial parts of the first vehicle had been built. It is not known what happened to this equipment. It was probably scrapped. Launch vehicle Titan IIIM was not completed, but formed the basis for the Titan IV in the mid-1980s

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Evolution of American Reconnaissance Systems

The drawings are at same scale

KH-7/8 GAMBIT

KH-1, 2, 3 CORONA (Discoverer)

SAMOS E-5

Blue Gemini

KH-4A CORONA

KH-9 HEXAGON

KH-10/MOL DORIAN

KH-11 KENNAN

Manned

Manned

Manned

1960

1970

1980

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Evolution of American manned orbital laboratories

MORL

AAP Wet Workshop

Skylab

MOL
1960 1970 1980

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Gemini family evolution

Lunar Flyby Gemini

Mercury MK II

Gemini Rescue

Lunar Rescue Gemini

Gemini

Blue Gemini

Gemini B

Winged Gemini 1963 1964 1965

Gemini Ferry 1966 1967

Big Gemini

Advanced Big Gemini

1968

1969

1970

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Titan launcher evolution

Titan I Titan II 1963 1964

Titan IIIC Titan IIIC-MOL 1965 1966

Titan IIIM 1968 1969 1970

Titan IV 1980

1967

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McDonnell Douglas MOL (1/2)

Top view

Front view

Left view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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McDonnell Douglas MOL (2/2)

Bottom view

Back view

Right view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Two launchers for MOL

Titan IIIC (only for tests): Length: 42.0 m Diameter (max): 3.05 m Total mass: 626.190 kg Payload: 13.100 kg

Titan IIIM (operational): Length: 39.0 m Diameter (max): 3.05 m Total mass: 836.560 kg Payload: 17.000 kg

Titan IIIC

Titan IIIM

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MOL main features

Gemini B Reentry Module (RM): Crew: 2 Length: 3.4 m Diameter (max): 2.3 m Habitable volume: 2.55 m3 Total mass: 1.983 kg Propellants (RCS): N2O4/MMH Electrical system: Batteries (4.0 kWh) Escape system: Ejection Seats Adapter Module (AM): Length: 1.56 m Diameter (max): 2.32 m Total mass: 1.868 kg Propellants: Solid Laboratory Module (LM): Length: 5.80 m Diameter (max): 3.05 m Total mass: 6.000 kg Payload: 2.700 Kg Habitable volume: 11.30 m3 Propellants (RCS): N2O4/MMH Electrical system: Fuel Cells Mission Module (LM): Length: 11.24 m Diameter (max): 3.05 m Total mass: 1.925 kg

Reentry Module Adapter Module Unpressurized Section

Gemini B

Laboratory Module Pressurized Section

Forward Module Mission Modules Aft Module

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MOL cross section

Gemini B Laboratory Module Mission Modules

Forward Module

Adapter Module

Reentry Module

Top view

Unpressurized Section

Pressurized Section

Front view (w/o Gemini)

Left view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Aft Module

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MOL cutaway

Top view

Front view (w/o Unpressurized Section)

Left view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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MOL Experiment Payloads

P-1 Acquisition and Tracking of Ground Targets P-2 Acquisition and Tracking of Space Targets P-3 Direct Viewing for Ground Targets P-4 Electromagnetic Signal Detection P-5 In-Space Maintenance P-6 Extravehicular Activity P-7 Remote Maneuvering Unit P-8 Autonomous Navigation and Geodesy P-9 CANCELED experiment P-10 Multiband Spectral Observations P-11 General Human Performance in Space P-12 Biomedical and Physiological Evaluation P-13 Ocean Surveillance P-14 High Resolution Optics System (KH-10 DORIAN camera)

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MOL KH 10 Dorian Payload cutaway

1965 Configuration

Rotating Mirror

Direction of flight

Top view

KH 10 Dorian

Front view (w/o LM)

Direction of flight

Primary Mirror

Secondary Mirror

Earth

Left view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Light Entrance

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MOL KH 10 Dorian Payload cutaway

1968 Configuration

Earth

Top view

KH 10 Dorian

Front view (w/o LM)

Primary Mirror

Secondary Mirror Light Entrance

Earth

Direction of flight

Left view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Light Entrance

KH 10 Optical acquisition paths

1965 1968

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McDonnell Douglas Gemini-MOL (1/2)

Top view

Front view

Left view

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McDonnell Douglas Gemini-MOL (2/2)

Bottom view

Back view

Right view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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Gemini-MOL capsule cutaway

Top view

Front view

Left view

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Hamilton Standard MH-7 Training Pressure Suit

Front view

Left view

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Hamilton Standard MH-8 Flight Pressure Suit

Front view

Left view

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MOL Launch (Titan IIIC 3 November 1966)

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OV4-3 cross section

Gemini B Tank section Transtage

Top view

Front view (w/o Gemini)

Left view MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory

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MOL Launch (Titan IIIM)

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Gemini-MOL Atmosphere reentry

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Gemini-MOL Landing

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Aftermath (1/2)

by Dwayne Allen Day

Cancellation of MOL freed up a lot of research and development funds that were used on other projects (like laser guided bombs for Vietnam). Some members of the USAF did not want to be involved in future human spaceflight programs (the USAF had spent approximately $1.5 billion and six years and got nothing). There were some efforts to use the MOL hardware on other projects, like Skylab, but they were apparently all rejected. MOL was too specialized. By the early 1970s, NASA asked USAF to participate in the Space Shuttle program. USAF agreed to support shuttle if: a) The payload bay was enlarged to carry future large national security payloads b) Shuttle was designed to be launched from Vandenberg AFB in California.

USAF had no interest in manned spaceflight missions during 1970s. They agreed that they might eventually buy their own Space Shuttle orbiter for launching military payloads, but they did not plan for any missions that required military astronauts.

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Aftermath (2/2)

by Dwayne Allen Day

After the start of the space station program in 1983, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger insisted that the space station not prevent military use. He did not plan for a military mission on the space station, but wanted to keep the option open. This created controversy with nonAmerican space station partners. No military mission for space station ever emerged. During the 1980s, the USAF spent billions of dollars to launch military payloads aboard the Space Shuttle and to develop a shuttle launch pad using the old MOL launch facility SLC-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. After the Challenger accident, the USAF canceled plans to use the Space Shuttle. MOL demonstrated - without ever leaving the ground - that there was no clear mission for military astronauts.

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