Issue One began the pattern of serialising groups of information with the first 8 selections of NASA astronauts, the first fifty ARIANE rocket launches, the first fifty Space Shuttle launch crew lists, and US satellite launch failures from 1957 to 1961. It also contained two Space Diaries, those for 1960 and 1961 which reflected the big increase in space and missile launches at that time. Complete annual satellite launches for the first six years of the Space Programme were covered, together with 1994 to 1997 - the most recent complete year at the time. Complete lists given included INTELSAT satellites, Indian satellite launches, THOR-ABLE and THOR-EPSILON launches, and a manned spaceflight log to complement the Shuttle manifest. Finally the history and flight programme of the NAVAHO strategic cruise missile is given.
This issue continued several of the lists begun in Issue No 1, including Satellite Launches for 1963, 1964 & 1965, the second 50 ARIANE launches, US Satellite Launch Failures from 1961 to 1970, and had two more Space Diaries - for 1959 and 1973. European national programmes covered included BLUE-STREAK/EUROPA, BLACK-KNIGHT and BLACK-ARROW for Britain, and DIAMANT launches and French sounding rocket types. German coverage was on the rocket and missile projects of the second World War, and also a list of the first 32 launches of the A-4(V-2) rocket. Continuing the V-2 theme, a list of all the US-V2 launches is given, and a separate listing of the V-2/BUMPER firings. Von Braun's follow-on projects, the JUNO-1 & 2 firings are also included. There is a complete listing of launches of the PEGASUS air-launched rocket, while another large part-listing began - that of satellite names with descriptions of the A to D of names. Finally, and possibly controversially, the Roswell Incident is unmasked!
Continuation lists in this issue include US Satellite Launch Vehicle Failures from 1971 to 1986, the Satellite Name index for E to H, three more annual satellite lists, 1966, 1967 & 1968, and two more Space Diaries for 1958 and 1962. Another listing begun was for the ATLAS missile and launcher, with the dates covered being 1957 to 1966. Complete listings given were for the VIKING sounding rocket and the SCOUT all-solid satellite launcher. The article this time was about the Soviet SCUD tactical missile, first operational in the 1950s and brought to public notice during the Gulf Wars in the 1980s and 1990s.
Issue No4 was the first to respond to contributions from the readership with an addendum section of four pages of additions and corrections to previous lists. Continued listings included US Satellite Launch Vehicle Failures for 1986 to 1997, ATLAS launches for the second and third decades, Satellite Names from I to M, Satellite launches for 1969, 1970 and 1971, and there were two more Space Diaries for 1963 and 1964. Another start to a big listing was the first five years of THOR launches (1957 to 1961). Complete lists presented were for the VANGUARD launcher, Japanese satellite names and launches, LONG-MARCH launches, Launch Vehicles of the former Soviet Union, and sounding rockets of both Argentina and Canada. The story was about the British GREAT-PANJANDRUM device.
This issue began with one of the most complicated lists yet attempted, that of the SATURN-1 launch history. Two other complete listings were for the X-15 rocket-plane of the US and the Soviet J-1 "ZENIT" launch vehicle. Continuations were for ATLAS launches of its fourth decade, Space Shuttle launches - 51st to 88th launches, Satellite Names from N to R, THOR launches from 1962 to 1964, and Annual satellite launches for 1972, 1973 and 1998. Space Diaries for both 1965 and 1980 were covered. An overdue start on Soviet Launch Failures was begun for the years 1958 to 1966.
A new feature was included in this issue - that of an illustrated Space Diary, and 1957 was selected - the first year of the Space Age. It increased the normal number of pages for a Space Diary from 12 to 24 pages. Three annual listings of Satellite Launches are included, those for 1974, 1975 and 1976, while a normal Space Diary for 1966 is given. Continuations include THOR launches from 1965 to 1968, and the completion of Satellite Names from S through to Z. Two stories are about the Meteorological Rocket Network and for the Magdeburg Startgerat.
This issue began with a list of the first launch with each of the 99 Satellite Launch Vehicles flown up to that time, and showed that 35 had failed on their maiden flight. Other lists continued in this issue were Soviet Satellite Launch Vehicle Failures for 1967 to 1978, THOR launches from 1969 to 1976, and annual Satellite launches for 1977, 1978 and 1979. Space Diaries for both 1967 and 1969 are included. Two complete lists are the LITTLE-JOE-1 escape rocket test vehicle and the GEMINI-3 photographic record, while a new listing began with TITAN-1 launches to begin a complete TITAN launch record. The story this time details the work done by Robert Goddard in the period of 1925 to 1930.
There are four complete listings is this issue - those for the first half of the TITAN-2 launch history, the Soviet B-1 Satellite Launcher, all the EXPLORER satellites, and the LITTLE-JOE-2 launch history. The listing of Soviet Satellite Launcher Failures was completed with the years 1979 to 1998 covered. Continuations included THOR launches for 1977 to 1990, and Satellite Launches with annual lists for 1980, 1981 and 1982, while Space Diaries for 1968 and 1970 are included. The rocket launches made by the American Rocket Society in the 1930s are detailed in the story this time.
A major listing for this issue is of the RANGER US lunar exploration probe series, while a list of all the ATLAS-AGENA-A & -B launches are included, which made the RANGER flights possible. Continuation lists covered are the THOR launch history for 1991 to 1997, while TITAN-2 was completed from 1964 to 1998 to include the more recent use of de-commissioned missiles. TITAN-3A launches were also covered. Annual satellite launches for 1983, 1984 and 1985 were presented, together with Space Diaries for 1956 and 1971. The first one hundred THOR-DELTA launches are listed while the complete SALT-1 Treaty is included. Finally details of the German MIRAK rockets are given.
This was the first of the Special Editions and listed all the launches of the ATLAS rocket, from the first on 11th June 1957 to the first ATLAS-3A on 24 May 2000, and was illustrated with 34 photographs.