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Author
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Topic: China Lake
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leslie
Member Posts: 231
From: Surrey, England
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-29-2006 09:25 AM
   
I have a couple of original NASA press passes for the "Apollo 5" and "Apollo 6" missions...can anyone enlighten me as to what these may have been? Also, I understand China Lake to have been a highly secretive site? I have a Pass to this site which I can find very little information on.Can anyone help? Thanks ------------------
Leslie |
OV-105
Member Posts: 820
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 03-29-2006 03:13 PM
China Lake is a very secretive site. Who else would put a Navy in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Some Apollo crews I know Apollo 16 Young and Duke trained here. China Lake has also done work on the shuttles crew escape system. Also Ken Bowersox was stationed here when he was chosen to be an Astronaut in 1987. |
micropooz
Member Posts: 1532
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 03-29-2006 06:01 PM
Leslie-Yup, OV105 is right. China Lake is where the Navy does their hush-hush stuff. It is about 50 miles north of Edwards AFB in the California desert. It started out as a missile testing range in WWII, then called "Inyokern" because it was on the border between Inyo and Kern counties. I'm assuming your first question is asking what the Apollo 5 and 6 missions were all about. Apollo 5 was an unmanned test of the Lunar Module, launched by a Saturn 1B booster on January 22, 1968. Apollo 6 was the second unmanned test flight of the Saturn 5 booster, launched April 4, 1968. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2043
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 03-29-2006 10:50 PM
I contacted Susan Helms at China Lake after she'd been announced as an ASCAN. |
OOTWCook
Member Posts: 18
From: Lancaster, California , USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 03-30-2006 11:45 AM
Speaking of China Lake, if any of the CS members have a chance to visit they should check out the Coso Petroglyphs that are located on the base. The petroglyphs are really impressive. Please check out the link. Enjoy... http://www.myerchinphoto.com/ChinaLakePetroglyphs.html |
Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 03-30-2006 02:53 PM
The very knowledgable Colin Burgess said..."I contacted Susan Helms at China Lake after she'd been announced as an ASCAN." Wasn't she at Cold Lake in Canada?  Michael Cassutt
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Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 03-30-2006 05:02 PM
Isn't asking where China Lake is a lot like asking who's buried in Grant's Tomb? |
OV-105
Member Posts: 820
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 03-30-2006 08:01 PM
Susan Helms Could have been at China Lake when she was announced. The Canadian Air Force did testthe CF-18 here during the late 80's and in the early 90's. After 9/11 it is harder to get out to Petroglyphs. I think they just started up the tours again last year. I know Walley Schirra did some work out here on the Sidewinder. He was here for the 50th. Anniversary for the Base. It was neat to get to met him then. A lot of people were having him autograph The Right Stuff. I had my copey of Schirra's Space and he said "So you are the one who bought the other copy!". |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2043
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 03-30-2006 09:47 PM
You're right of course, Mike. I just looked up her reply envelope and it was indeed Cold Lake where she was stationed prior to commencing her ASCAN training.Colin |
leslie
Member Posts: 231
From: Surrey, England
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-31-2006 05:02 AM
Many thanks OV-105/Micropooz re China Lake.I asked the question because I had heard secretive stuff went on there and an Apollo astronaut contact of mine emailed me recently to say "nothing much happened there!"
I do know that it was the home of the US Naval Air Warfare Centre Weapons Division, Air Development Squadron (VX5) founded in June 1951. My curiosity was centred on any NASA involvement, however, my astronaut friend was decidedly minimal in his repsonses and it got me wondering?.... ------------------
Leslie |
OV-105
Member Posts: 820
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 03-31-2006 09:49 AM
A few years back VX-5 was combine with VX-4 and now it is VX-9 out here at China Lake. Just before STS-114 the CLFD did a "table top" drill with NASA on if the Shuttle was "low on energy" and landed here. It was more for who to call and see how the lines of communication worked. No Shuttles or Astronauts were harmed during in this drill. LOL. The cancelled A-12 program was going to be tested out here they built a really nice hanger for it. Not sure what they use that one for now. We did see the F-117 out here in the 80's before it was "known". The Edwards jets also fly in the area and do T&G's once in awhile just to use a differnt strip. There are lots of ranges out here that are used for wepons tests and who knows what. One of the standing jokes is "my jobs so secret I don't even know what I do!" |
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