Apr 8 1974
From The Space Library
President Nixon transmitted to Congress the Aeronautics and Space Report of the President: 1973 Activities. In his transmission message the President said: "This year has been particularly significant in that many past efforts to apply the benefits of space technology . . . to problems on Earth are now coming to fruition." Data from Skylab and Earth Resources Technology Satellite ERTS 1 were being used for applications including resource discovery and management, environmental information, and land use planning. Communications satellites had be-come a principal method of international communication and important in meeting national defense needs. Skylab had provided new information on the energy characteristics of the sun that could aid understanding of thermonuclear processes and contribute to development of new energy sources. Skylab had proved that man could effectively live and work in space for extended periods of time. Advances in aeronautics had contributed to defense of the Nation and helped reduce aircraft congestion and provide quieter, safer, more economical and efficient aircraft.
The report said that in previous years NASA's emphasis in space had been to expand human knowledge of phenomena, develop and operate space vehicles, and preserve U.S. leadership in aeronautics and space technology. But 1973 had been the year of "cashing in" on the technology development and knowledge obtained from lunar and space exploration programs. (CR, 8 April 74, H2677; Text)
NASA announced selection of McDonnell Douglas Corp. to negotiate a two-year, $13.2-million, cost-plus-award fee contract to support the space shuttle program in system analysis; avionics system engineering; mission planning, analysis, and software formulation; computer systems and software; and crew procedures and flight planning. (NASA Release 74-83)
The U.S.S.R. was continuing plans to build an earth station in the Ukraine to operate with the International Telecommunications Satellite Organza- ion's comsat system. The project-the second planned Soviet INTELSAT link-had been unofficially reported by Russians in discussions with U.S. Government and private representatives over the past few months. (The first station, near Moscow, had been initiated to provide a bilateral communications capability for the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Hot Line, via a Molniya and an Intelsat satellite) . U.S.S.R. participation in the INTELSAT system as a commercial user would fill in a major link in the U.S. goal of a single global comsat system, as stated in the 1962 Communications Satellite Act, Aviation Week & Space Technology- commented. (Off US Rep to INTELSAT, ComSatCorp, interview, 23 Jan 75; Johnsen, Av Wk, 8 April 74, 24)
An omnidirectional wheel that could change a vehicle's direction of movement without changing the direction it was facing had been developed by Marshall Space Flight Center engineer Josef F. Blumrich, MSFC announced. The rim of the wheel consisted of several barrel-shaped segments that rotated independently when in contact with the ground. The wheel, which would be strong enough to negotiate rough terrain, could be used on a planetary explorer vehicle or on wheelchairs. (MSFC Release 74-53)
The French aerospace industry was reported as recording $1.07 billion worth of exports delivered in 1973. About 15%-$170 million-was in cooperative European aircraft programs. Missiles and space deliveries amounted to $79 million. New missile and space orders totaled $169 million.
British aerospace exports were later reported at almost $1.3 billion for 1973, a 25% increase over 1972 and nearly twice 1970 exports. The leading British market was the U.S., with $360 million worth of deliveries. (Av Wk, 8 April 74, 23; Interavia, April 74, 275)
The Navy had selected International Business Machines Corp. Electronic Systems Center as prime contractor for the light airborne multipurpose system (LAMPS) helicopter, Aviation Week & Space Technology re-ported. Under a $13.8-million contract, IBM would develop and test a prototype antisubmarine warfare and avionics and weapon control sys-tem for installation and integration in a helicopter furnished by the Navy. (Av Wk, 8 April 74, 24)
April-3 May: Some 75 Soviet aerospace specialists-including U.S.S.R. Apollo Soyuz Test Project Technical Director Konstantin D. Bushuyev, prime crewmen Aleksey A. Leonov and Valery N. Kubasov, Flight Director Aleksey S. Yeliseyev, and training officer for ASTP crews Valery F. Bykovsky-joined U.S. ASTP astronauts and specialists at Johnson Space Center to continue technical discussions and planning for the July 1975 joint ASTP mission. Agreement was reached that specialists and flight crews would visit the U.S. launch site in February 1975 and the U.S.S.R. launch site in May 1975, for familiarization with the spacecraft and to test compatible equipment. NASA had defined no technical need for U.S. representatives at the Soviet launch site during actual liftoff, U.S. specialists would be in the control center.
Apollo docking module and Soyuz life-support-system tests were reviewed, in addition to safety assessment reports on control systems and spacecraft manufacturing test and checkout. Schedules for each of the five joint experiments-ultraviolet absorption, biological interaction, microbial exchange, multipurpose furnace, and artificial solar eclipse-were approved. Agreement was also reached on the basic approach and content of the joint flight readiness review, to be held in May 1975. The U.S.S.R. crew and U.S. ASTP Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand, and Donald K. Slayton walked through hundreds of procedures for the first time as crews, to verify the integrity of the docking module that would connect the Soyuz and Apollo command and service modules.
At a 26 April press conference Stafford demonstrated his proficiency in the Russian language by answering newsmen's questions in Russian. Cosmonauts and astronauts agreed that "we've no problem in language." One cosmonaut said, "Our work is considerably better when the American crew speaks Russian and our crew speaks English."
Glynn S. Lunney, ASTP Technical Director for the U.S., said during a 3 May press briefing that the work in the U.S. and jointly was on schedule. The progress "has been good and . . . gratifying." Prof. Bushuyev said that "there can be no longer any doubt that we will be successful in preparing for and achieving our joint flight in July 1975." (JSC Roundup, 12 April 74, 1; ASTP Communique; Press briefing transcripts, 26 April 74, 3 May 74)
8-12 April: Mariner 10 closeup photos of Mercury taken 23 March-5 April showed that many large basinlike features on the planet appeared to be flooded by lava, Dr. Bruce C. Murray-California Institute of Technology scientist and head of the Mariner 10 photo interpretation team-reported to the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The apparent volcanic outpourings indicated that Mercury like the earth had a massive iron-rich core, hidden beneath a battered, heavily cratered, moonlike crust, making Mercury "a unique planet in the solar system" and serving as important evidence in deciphering the primordial history of the solar system. The latest results from Mariner 10's encounter with the planet showed the outer portions of Mercury to be made of silicate-rich rocks, suggesting the planet had undergone considerable melting in its history, with heavier materials sinking to the center of the planet and lighter silicates rising to the surface. Analysis also showed that craters might have existed from the time the planet was formed by a great influx of cosmic debris 4 billion to 4.5 billion years ago, with no great internal surface-shaping processes since then. (UPI, NYT, 13 April 74, 9; AP, W Star-News, 12 April 74, A5; NASA MOR, 24 April 74)
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