Aug 21 1963
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (2MB PDF)
USAF fired Titan II ICBM in 5,800-mi. flight down the Atlantic Missile Range, the missile carrying malfunction-detection system similar to the one to be incorporated in Titan II Gemini booster. The Titan II also carried scientific pod containing instruments to study radiation in the missile's exhaust plume. (NYT, 8/22/63, 22; M&R, 8/26/63, 14)
S-I stage for Saturn SA-5 launch vehicle arrived at Cape Canaveral, having left NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., by barge Aug. 10. (Av. Wk., 8/26/63, 33)
Gordon M. Bain, FAA Deputy Administrator for Supersonic Transport Development, told representatives of 11 foreign airlines that U.S. could build a safe, commercially profitable supersonic transport airliner. He stressed that "we don't think we are lagging far behind" British-French development of Concorde. (NYT, 8/22/63)
NASA announced it would negotiate contract with Pratt and Whitney Div. of United Aircraft Corp. for continuation of RL-10 rocket engine development. Contract would complete the RL-10 qualification program; it would specify improvements to be incorporated in the liquid-hydrogen engine as well as certain support services to be provided to Centaur and Saturn vehicle systems. RL-10 engines were being used to propel the Centaur upper-stage launch vehicle and the S-IV stage of Saturn I launch vehicle. (NASA Release 63-189)
NASA Selected General Electric's Missile and Space Div. to develop recoverable biosatellite (Bios) system. Based on study contracts awarded to GE, Lockheed Missile and Space Co., and Northrop Corp. in April, new contract called for development, assembly, and testing of six 1,000-lb. flight spacecraft plus ground test vehicles. Biological experiments for the flights had not yet been defined. (NASA Release 63-190)
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