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
Giuseppe De Chiara 2009
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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