The two prototypes competing to be the Soviet Union’s first jet aircraft are brought to Chkalovskaya flight test center outside of Moscow. The heads of the two design bureaus, “Artyom” Mikoyan and Alexander Yakovlev, meet in the center of the field for a coin toss. Mikoyan wins and test pilot Aleksey Grinchik makes the first flight of the I-300 (the prototype of the MiG-9, which will later carry the NATO reporting name “˜Fargo’). Test pilot M.I. Ivanov then flies the Yak-15 (“˜Feather’) for the first time. Both aircraft later go into production.
Small satellites meant to improve the way the U.S. measures Earth’s magnetic field—an option to expand the military’s position, navigation, and timing enterprise—launched March 30 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.
