Dec 11 1964
From The Space Library
Atlas-Centaur 4 (AC-4) hurled its Centaur second stage into orbit around the earth with a mass model of the Surveyor lunar spacecraft in its nose. The first-burn performance of the Centaur rocket sent the stage into a nearly circular parking orbit of 100 mi. perigee and 106 mi. apogee. The second burn should have put the rocket into an oval path taking it out as much as 5,000 mi. from earth; however, the attempt to restart the RL-10 engines failed and the stage began to tumble and roll. After about 15 hr. in orbit, the Centaur stage and its Surveyor dummy payload re-entered the atmosphere over the South Pacific east of Australia and disintegrated. NASA said all prime mission objectives had been met, including the demonstration of the structural integrity of the Atlas-Centaur during powered flight, testing of the guidance system which was flying closed loop for the first time, verification of the structural and thermal integrity of the Centaur nose fairing and insulation panels, and verification of the performance of the jettison systems for the nose fairing and insulation panels. Project officials were investigating what caused the stage to tumble, preventing propellants from reaching the pumps. (NASA Release 64-289; Lewis News, 12/24/64, 1; Av. Wk., 12/21/64, 24; Wash. Eve. Star, 12/11/64)
First launch of NASA Aerobee 350 sounding rocket was conducted at Wallops Island, Va., the rocket reaching 6,000-ft. altitude in successful test. For this first test upper stage was inert, the main objectives being to demonstrate compatibility of Aerobee 350 with Aerobee launch-tower rail system and evaluate performance of Aerobee 350 during first-stage (Nike) boost. Preliminary evaluation of test indicated NASA Goddard Space Flight Center could proceed with plans to launch complete live Aerobee 350 without redesign of the rocket or the launcher rail system. (NASA Rpt. um)
Developmental spacecraft landing rockets Were tested using a Gemini boilerplate. Spacecraft was dropped from a C-119 aircraft at 7,000- ft. altitude. Two 12,000-lb.-thrust rockets were fired simultaneously when the spacecraft was ten ft. above the water with burn time one and one half sec. Landing speed of the craft was slowed from 27 fps to about nine to 10 fps; normal g-force of seven to eight g's was reduced to approximately two and one half g's on impact. A controllable parachute steered by radio commands from a NASA ship lowered the spacecraft into the waters of Trinity Bay, Tex. The landing rockets were not a definite part of either the Gemini or Apollo programs. (MSC Roundup, 12/23/64, 7)
NASA announced that a 10-month study contract for $191,835 to assess the technological problems of designing, building, and operating a manned orbiting astronomical observatory had been awarded to the Boeing Co. Boeing would study possible ways in which such an observatory might be operated, with particular emphasis on the role of man in its scientific program. A requirement of the study was that the orbiting telescope be sufficiently adaptable to support a broad astronomical program. The study would assume that the telescope would be operated in conjunction with a proposed Manned Orbital Research Laboratory (MORL) under study by NASA Langley Research Center for NASA Office of Manned Space Flight. (LaRC Release)
In a Gemini suit comfort test, Hoyt Maples successfully completed a 96-hr. stay in a 8-ft.-dia. chamber in the Crew Systems Laboratory at NASA Manned Spacecraft Center. The suit was not pressurized during the test, but the test chamber was a pure oxygen environment with 5 lbs. of pressure, the same environment that the Gemini spacecraft would use at orbital altitudes. During the test, Maples followed a four-hour-work, four-hour-rest cycle. He used a task board which tested his mental alertness by mathematical calculations he made on a series of lights on the panel board. Maples' food Was a Gemini flight diet consisting of freeze-dehydrated, dehydrated, and bite-size food. Other tasks Maples performed during his stay in the chamber included checks of the environ-mental control system and exercise with a bungee cord. Although he did not take off his helmet during the test, he was able to open the face-plate and take off his gloves. With this test, the Gemini suit passed another phase of its qualification for use in the manned Gemini flights. (MSC Roundup, 12/23/64)
Formation of a National Academy of Engineering under the charter of the NAS was announced by Dr. Frederick Seitz, President of the National Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Augustus B. Kinzel, President-elect of the National Academy of Engineering. Among the founding members were Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, NASA Deputy Administrator, and Dr. William H. Pickering, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ( NAS-NRC Release; Wash. Past, 12/12/64, 20)
The hydrogen-fueled J-2 engine that would power the upper stages of the Saturn V launch vehicle successfully demonstrated its ability to stop and restart in a ground test carried out at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory of Rocketdyne Div. The 200,000-lb.-thrust engine would operate in a cluster of five to provide one million lbs. of thrust for the S-II second stage of the Apollo moon launch vehicle, as well as operating singly in the S-IVB stage of the Saturn IB. The test engine was operated initially for 165 sec. and shut down. Following a 75-min. "coast" period, the engine was restarted. After seven seconds, it was shut down for six minutes, then restarted and operated for the full duration of 310 seconds. Among specific objectives demonstrated by the test were automatic repressurizing of the start tank during engine operation, sustained tank pressure during the orbital coast period, and reliable operation of the electrical and pneumatic systems used for restart. (Marshall Star, 12/16/64, 1, 12; AP, Balt. Sun, 12/12/64)
A ten-second firing of the "battleship" stage of the Saturn S-II, second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket, was conducted by North American Aviation, Inc." at their Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The test demonstrated the ability of the battleship stage and accompanying facilities to operate the J-2 engine at full thrust. The S-II would be powered by a cluster of five J-2 liquid hydrogen engines, developing a total thrust of a million pounds. (NAA S&ID Skywriter, 12/31/64, 2; Marshall Star, 12/16/64, 1, 12)
December 11-12: MARINER IV passed unscathed through the Geminid stream, the first of three meteor streams it had to cross on its 71/2-mo. journey to take television pictures of Mars. (NASA Release 64-323)
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