Apr 4 1966
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R.'s LUNA X unmanned spacecraft had achieved lunar orbit (1,000-km. [621-mi.] apolune, 350-km. [217-mi.] perilune, 3-hr. period) at 1:44 p.m. EST April 3 to become world's first artificial moon satellite, U.S.S.R. announced at 23rd Communist Party Congress meeting in the Kremlin. Accomplishment was dramatized by direct broadcast from LUNA X of the Communist anthem, "Internationale." Tass released details of LUNA X's structure and flight. 3,530-lb. spacecraft consisted of two main parts: moon satellite section and engine facilities section. 540-lb. satellite was an airtight package containing radio equipment, telemetry system, equipment for studying the moon and near-lunar space, heat-regulation and power supply systems, and small jet engines to stabilize the flight. Approximately 8,000 km. (4,969 mi.) from the lunar surface, spacecraft was oriented so that jet of the engine was directed against direction of its movement. At approximately 1:44 p.m. EST retrorockets fired automatically, slowing spacecraft to 1.3 km. (.8 mi.) per second and putting it in lunar orbit. Twenty minutes after switching off retrorockets, earth command was sent to separate instrumented lunar satellite from engine facilities section, and first radio communications session was held. Equipment was functioning normally and radio communications were stable. There was no suggestion that photos of the lunar surface were being transmitted to earth, or that LUNA X was "tumbling" [see April 3]. (Tass, 4/4/66; AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 4/4/66, A6; AP, Wash. Post, 4/5/66, A12)
House Committee on Science and Astronautics voted to report $4,986,864,150 NASA authorization bill-$25,135,580 less than $5,012, 000,000 NASA had requested for FY 1967. (NASA LAR V/57-58)
Nike-Apache launched from NASA Wallops Station carried 59-lb. instrumented payload to 108-mi. (174-km.) altitude and impacted 67 mi. downrange in the Atlantic. Conducted for ESSA and Graduate Research Center of the Southwest, Dallas, the experiment sought to obtain ionospheric electron density profile measurements using a plasma resonance probe and to obtain data concerning sporadic E phenomenon in the valley region between the E-and F-layers of the ionosphere. Data were telemetered to ground stations during flight. Experiment was first of three to compare techniques for measuring characteristics of upper atmosphere and ionosphere. (Wallops Release 66-16; NASA Rpt. SRL)
NASA announced a change in sequence of two Apollo/Saturn I-B launches scheduled for late 1966: AS-202 mission was rescheduled to follow AS-203 mission to "provide additional time for checkout of the Apollo spacecraft to be flown in . . . AS-202." AS-203 would test Saturn V 3rd stage (S-IVB) and verify that orbital operations features of the liquid hydrogen propulsion system were satisfactory. (NASA Release 66-78)
NASA announced selection of 19 pilots, to join 31-member NASA astronaut team in early May: Vance D. Brand, civilian; Lt. John S. Bull (USN); Maj. Gerald P. Carr (USMC); Capt. Charles M. Duke, Jr. (USAF); Capt. Joe H. Engle (USAF); LCdr. Ronald E. Evans (USN); Maj. Edward G. Givens, Jr. (USAF); Fred W. Haise, Jr., civilian; Maj. James B. Irwin (USAF); Dr. Don L. Lind, civilian; Capt. Jack R. Lousma (USMC); Lt. Thomas K. Mattingly (USN); Lt. Bruce McCandless II (USN); LCdr. Edgar D. Mitchell (USN); Maj. William R. Pogue (USAF); Capt. Stuart A. Roosa (USAF); John L. Swigert, Jr., civilian; LCdr. Paul J. Weitz (USN); and Capt. Alfred M. Worden (USAF). During recruitment, which began Sept. 10, 1965, NASA received 351 applications of which 159 met basic requirements. (NASA Release 66-67)
Defense Electronics, Inc., received a $2,380,000 contract from USAF for telemetry equipment for Apollo airborne tracking aircraft. Firm would supply C-135 trackers with prediction playback monitors and other equipment to provide communications link to Apollo spacecraft prior to insertion into lunar trajectory. (Wash. Post, 4/5/66, C7)
FAA Administrator William F. McKee announced that Dr. Raymond L. Bisplinghoff would serve as a consultant on FAA research and development efforts-particularly in supersonic transport (SST) program while continuing to serve as Special Assistant to NASA Administrator. (FAA Release 66-30)
Extent of the impact of Bureau of the Budget's new directive (A-76), stating that "in some instances . . . it is in the national interest for the government to provide directly for products and services it uses . . ." would be realized this month, reported George C. Wilson in Aviation Week. BOB official George C. Mullins told Wilson that the definitive standards in A-76 would facilitate a more consistent Federal contracting policy: "The high sounding but unspecific language in 60-2 [previous directive] was subject to different interpretations by various federal agencies." Mullins added: "We agree that the private enterprise system should be preserved. But there is such a thing as a national objective. By acknowledging this in the new directive, we feel we are basing our policy on a much stronger foundation. Preserving the free enterprise system is one good reason" for contracting with private industry, "but it is not the only reason." (Wilson, Av. Wk., 4/4/66, 26)
UCLA dedicated new center for space sciences, Schlichter Hall, made possible by $2-million NASA grant. Six-story building, named for Dr. Louis Byrne Schlichter, Prof. Emeritus of Geophysics and Director of UCLA Institute of Geophysics from 1947 to 1962, would contain 30 large laboratories and 50 research and administrative offices. Dr. T. L. K. Smull, Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator, said in a dedication speech: "NASA thinks that this is a singularly important type of activity as many of the problems confronting NASA in the space program reach across disciplinary lines and require the combined efforts of chemists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, biologists, psychologists and even, on occasion, political scientists, social scientists and economists. Other speakers were Dr. Thomas Gold, director of Cornell Univ. Center for Radiophysics and Space Research; Rep. Alphonzo Bell (R-Calif.) of House Committee on Science and Astronautics; UCLA Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy; Dr. Schlichter; Prof. Gordon J. F. MacDonald; and Nobel Laureate Willard F. Libby, director of UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. (UCLA Release, 4/3/66; Text)
First direct measurement of minimum amount of energy required to initiate simple chemical reaction was announced by Cal Tech, where graduate student John Michael White had shown that one third of an electron volt of energy was necessary to split a hydrogen molecule and link a deuterium atom with one of the hydrogens. AEC-supported study had been suggested to White by Dr. Aron Kuppermann, prof. of chemical physics, who said measurement would make it possible to learn "whether bimolecular chemical reactions can be described by the laws of classical mechanics or whether it is necessary to use quantum mechanics." (Cal Tech Release, 4/4/66)
USAF and NASA signed agreement to establish procedures for joint space program accident investigation. Ad hoc joint boards, consisting of at least three voting members appointed by USAF Director of Aerospace Safety and three by NASA Safety Director, would study particular launch vehicle accidents. Chairman would be from agency with "primary responsibility at time of accident," determined by circumstances of each case. (Text, NASA NMI 1052.74, 4/27/66)
April 4-6: The importance of imagination in shaping the future was emphasized by AFSC Commander Gen. Bernard A. Schriever in a speech before Arnold Air Society's 18th National Conclave, Dallas: "Back in the 1930s we had what we thought were pretty fantastic ideas for the future. We thought that it might be possible to fly a plane up to the sound barrier. There were even people who thought it might be possible to break through it somehow-at least for short periods. A few people had heard about Dr. Robert Goddard and his work with rockets. They knew that he had already launched a rocket several hundred feet into the air. Science writers were speculating that we might be able to get something out into space by the beginning of the next century. "As it turns out, even the most fantastic thinking 30 years ago has proved to be very conservative. We have already flown planes like the SR-71 at speeds greater than mach 3 for extended periods. The experimental X-15 has flown at mach 6 and reached altitudes of over 50 miles. Our long-range ballistic missiles have ranges of from 5,000 to 9,000 miles. And our Mercury and Gemini astronauts have sped through space for extended periods at speeds better than 17,000 miles per hour. With the Apollo program we are not too many years away from landing a man on the moon." (Text)
Entertainer Bob Hope presented General Schriever the inaugural award of Arnold Air Society's Eugene M. Zuckert Trophy "to recognize and stimulate the growth of professionalism in the United States Air Force." General Schriever was cited for his "outstanding dedication to the task of insuring the development of vitally needed modern weaponry for national defense" and the gathering of "highly qualified technological management teams required to perform this task." (AFSC Release 74.66)
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