|
Author
|
Topic: Did The Russians Jam?
|
Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
|
posted 01-21-2006 07:47 AM
   
Did the Soviets actually jam NASA communications during manned Lunar launches? I can't believe they'd do something as gratuitously malicious as that.[This message has been edited by Duke Of URL (edited January 21, 2006).] |
randyc
Member Posts: 779
From: Chandler, AZ USA
Registered: May 2003
|
posted 01-21-2006 10:33 AM
I think that it was actually Dr. No who tried to jam the communications with the Apollo launches (and making it look like the Russians were to blame) but thankfully James Bond stopped him! |
albatron@aol.com
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
|
posted 01-21-2006 10:37 AM
Actually Randy - I just watched Dr. No again for the umpteeth time, love it. I believe it was actually a Gemini.Nonetheless, yes they did try. Growing up in Florida it was gradn fun watching the Russian "fishing trawlers" not far offshore, with more antennas than any AWACs bird in use today. It was great news of the day, and poorly held secret. Not just Apollo, but all missions. When I learned to fly out of the Melbourne airport (just a few miles south of KSC) we'd go offshore and see them all the time. Or even further south where I grew up (Ft. Pierce) when we'd be offshore diving or surfing they'd be not far out. |
Danno
Member Posts: 572
From: Ridgecrest, CA - USA
Registered: Jun 2000
|
posted 01-21-2006 02:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Duke Of URL:
Did the Soviets actually jam NASA communications during manned Lunar launches?
From what I remember the Soviets had a Luna vehicle landing at about the same time as the Apollo 11 landing and they actually contacted the US govt to verify that their frequencies would not interfere. The AP11 landing crew were asleep in the LM after the first EVA when the Luna lander crashed onto the Moon. [This message has been edited by Danno (edited January 21, 2006).] |
Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
|
posted 01-21-2006 03:41 PM
If it was "Dr. No" (1962) he was jamming Mercury.Seriously, the "trawlers" were for listening as I recall, not jamming. I would think a thing like interfering with manned spacecraft communications would be verboten on any number of levels, including the one where the other guy jams yours. But...anybody in the NASA community have the Poop? [This message has been edited by Duke Of URL (edited January 21, 2006).] |
Danno
Member Posts: 572
From: Ridgecrest, CA - USA
Registered: Jun 2000
|
posted 01-21-2006 09:31 PM
OK, I found what you were looking for. What happened was that broadcast NEWS of the Apollo 11 lunar landing in Russian...Less than three minutes after the Voice of America started broadcasting news of the Apollo-11 mission to the Soviet Union in Russian last night the frequencies were jammed. The Age: History, then home Enjoy - Danno [This message has been edited by collectSPACE Admin (edited January 21, 2006).] |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 01-21-2006 09:50 PM
I think Duke's post was inspired by the brief description of Hugh Brown, who is profiled in the new book Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes quote:
Hugh Brown, one of the few African Americans who worked on the Apollo program, helped monitor for Russian submarines trying to jam NASA communication during launches, and later went on to become head of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta.
As such, I think a source for Duke's answer is in clear sight, namely Watkin's book. I don't have it in hand yet, but as soon as I do, I will be happy to share (in summary) what Brown describes the Soviets tried or did in relation to Apollo communications. |
dss65
Member Posts: 1171
From: Sandpoint, ID, USA
Registered: Mar 2003
|
posted 01-21-2006 10:20 PM
"Did the Russians jam?" Hmmmmmm....under the totalitarian regime of the time, I'm pretty sure we could say that they didn't jam--that was the province of the undisciplined and energetic Americans, like, say, James Brown. And that's about as Duke-esque of a reply that this boy can come up with.  (Guess my wife hasn't hit me in the head quite hard enough yet.) On the other hand, I'll bet they do a lot of jamming now.------------------
Don |
albatron@aol.com
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
|
posted 01-21-2006 10:51 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Duke Of URL:
If it was "Dr. No" (1962) he was jamming Mercury.Seriously, the "trawlers" were for listening as I recall, not jamming. I would think a thing like interfering with manned spacecraft communications would be verboten on any number of levels, including the one where the other guy jams yours. But...anybody in the NASA community have the Poop? [This message has been edited by Duke Of URL (edited January 21, 2006).]
Verbotten? It was the cold war Duke, lots of verbotten things happening. Not the least of was all kinds of shenanigans be it from a sub or the trawlers. As they never were able to board any of the trawlers, to suggest it was only listening is not necessarily realistic. Besides, that would still be classified - what they DO know. I did ask some folks in that specific (not NASA) community. |
Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
|
posted 01-21-2006 11:10 PM
Yikes!I'd hate to think any civilized country - and say what you will, the Soviets were civilized - would try to jam communications with a manned craft. Not only would it be a terrible blow to international prestige if discovered - particularly in a disaster situation - but it would open their own program up to the same. It would have been almost like shooting at them. At some point the Soviets must have become aware of the limited use our pre-shuttle spacecraft could be for spying. And Apollo was so public and well defined that the only two missions (7 & 9) with any ability to zootz around taking photos. (I know, Skylab, but that was flown during the ASTP era) And spy sattelites are much better at that sort of thing I bet. So jamming manned launches just doesn't make much sense. |
ejectr
Member Posts: 1758
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
|
posted 01-22-2006 07:39 AM
You're right...how could any civilized nation think of blinding a space shuttle crew with a laser???? |
Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
|
posted 01-22-2006 09:38 AM
Who did that? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 01-22-2006 09:45 AM
See: http://collectspace.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000704.html
http://collectspace.com/ubb/Forum23/HTML/000751.html
http://collectspace.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001363.html
http://collectspace.com/ubb/Forum23/HTML/001747.html [This message has been edited by Robert Pearlman (edited January 22, 2006).] |
Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
|
posted 01-22-2006 10:31 AM
I never knew that!I can't believe the Russians did that! It sounds more like something the Soviets might have tried. You'd have to be a regular Communist Bast*rd to pull a stunt like that. Are people sure they weren't range-finding or something? |
kyra
Member Posts: 583
From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003
|
posted 01-22-2006 11:16 AM
Seems conflicting reports are here: One says "blinded" and "malfunctioning equipment" the other has Crippen "We didn't know about it at the time". I tend to side more with Crip on this one. Seems to be more of a tracking experiment/taunt. An indirect way of saying if we can direct a low wattage beam at you we can also send a 10 megawatt beam.Also, check out records on STS-3, they heard squeals on the voice frequencies over high latitudes such as the SU/China. |
Duke Of URL
Member Posts: 1316
From: Syracuse, NY
Registered: Jan 2005
|
posted 01-22-2006 01:39 PM
The squeals heard over SU were probably just the unique form of echolocation residents use to navigate during blizzards.I don't have any idea what the Chinese were complaining about. [This message has been edited by Duke Of URL (edited January 22, 2006).] |
advertisement