by William W.
I worked at Lockheed Missiles and Space
Company from 1955 to 1968! My first job was the stress analysis of the X-17
ballistic three-stage rocket structure. Later, I joined the systems integration
department under Bill Abbot on the Agena space satellite program.
Finally, I ended up as the last program manager on the ASTEC satellite program. The X-17 re-entry test vehicle inadvertently became the first ICBM when all three stages fired during ascent from Cape Canaveral and impacted 1,500 miles across the Atlantic! The range safety officer almost had a heart attack and grounded us until we could convince him this would never happen again! The second- and third-stage ignition timer had malfunctioned!
When we recovered the Agena capsule and film for the first time from polar orbit, we celebrated with a big party at Rickey’s in Palo Alto. Several guys had “quite the good time” and fell in the pool! They decided that F.W. O’Green, the program manager, belonged in the pool as well, and tossed him in, $500 suit and wristwatch included!
Finally, I ended up as the last program manager on the ASTEC satellite program. The X-17 re-entry test vehicle inadvertently became the first ICBM when all three stages fired during ascent from Cape Canaveral and impacted 1,500 miles across the Atlantic! The range safety officer almost had a heart attack and grounded us until we could convince him this would never happen again! The second- and third-stage ignition timer had malfunctioned!
When we recovered the Agena capsule and film for the first time from polar orbit, we celebrated with a big party at Rickey’s in Palo Alto. Several guys had “quite the good time” and fell in the pool! They decided that F.W. O’Green, the program manager, belonged in the pool as well, and tossed him in, $500 suit and wristwatch included!
