Fairchild C-119J Flying Boxcar recovers CORONA film capsule in 1960.
Fairchild C-119J Flying Boxcar recovers CORONA film capsule in 1960. The C-119J was specially modified for the mid-air retrieval of space capsules re-entering the atmosphere from orbit. On August 19, 1960, this aircraft made the world's first midair recovery of a capsule returning from orbit when it "snagged" the parachute lowering the Discoverer XIV satellite at 8,000 feet altitude 360 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii.
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