Aug 4 1963
From The Space Library
First public demonstration of communications exchange via synchronous satellite, when two U.S. wire services and Nigerian newsmen exchanged news stories of about 300 words each via SYNCOM II communications satellite, hovering 22,823 mi. over Western Africa. Photographs of President Kennedy and Nigerian Governor General Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe also were ex changed. Transmissions were made from NASA station at Lakehurst, N.J., and USNS Kingsport communications ship in Lagos Harbor, Nigeria. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 8/5/63; NASA Release 63-171)
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce issued report urging selection of Edwards AFB as U.S. Space Recovery Center. Report was based on 12-month study of potential recovery sites through out U.S. for all types of space vehicles. Chamber General Manager Harold W. Wright said: "We hope that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will seriously consider the Edwards facilities for its use and not attempt to duplicate similar facilities elsewhere .... "The federal government has already poured millions and millions of dollars into the highly-instrumented Pacific Missile Range, the electronic recovery control center at Sunnyvale and the highly developed facilities in the Edwards-Wendover, Utah Holloman-White Sands, N.M., complex. "This provides the nation's space effort with the best available land recovery site." NASA Hq. spokesman, queried about report, stated Project Gemini landing operations were still under study, "with a possibility we will require no large, fixed base for recovery of the spacecraft." First series of Gemini flights would employ water landings, and there was possibility that all Gemini flights would depend on water recoveries. In any case,' NASA is well aware of Edwards," spokesman said, and the agency would give Chamber's study careful consideration. (L.A. Times, 8/5/63)
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