Dec 14 1964
From The Space Library
Dr. Donald E. Hornig, scientific adviser to President Johnson, Was quoted on the controversial MOL project and its possible merger with NASA'S Apollo: "MOL is still under discussion, and the scope of it is still in a state of flux. The Air Force certainly has a role to play in space." Sources inside the White House said Dr. Hornig was against full funding of the MOL., for which project the Air Force wanted $175 million in FY 1966. (Av. Wk., 12/14/64, 15)
NASA designer of ECHO I, William J. O'Sullivan, said he believed the satellite still had its spherical shape after over four years in orbit. An optical investigation made by the Goodyear Aerospace Corp. for NASA Langley Research Center indicated that the satellite's aluminum surface-which made the balloon highly reflective of light and radar waves, regulated its temperature, and protected the plastic film from space hazards-still reflected like a mirror. From calculations using the known reflective characteristics of ECHO I when it was launched and his interpretation of the Goodyear measurements, O'Sullivan concluded that ECHO I "is still essentially spherical and that its very thin coating of aluminum has suffered no measurable degradation in specularity or reflectivity." (LaRC Release)
Missiles and Rockets reported that NASA was reviewing the pros and cons of Project Orion (an advanced nuclear-pulse rocket propulsion concept) to determine whether the agency could justify a mission requirement for a nuclear-pulse vehicle-such as a fast manned trip to Mars. DOD was scheduled to drop its research in January 1965, because the Air Force could not establish a mission requirement. Both DOD and AEC would join in financing a joint program if NASA established the mission requirement. Project Orion would not in any case be available in the same time period as solid-core nuclear reactors, whose development Was already well underway. (Wilks, M&R, 12/14/64, 12-14)
Langley Research Center aerospace engineer Dewey L Clemmons, Jr., presented a paper at the Symposium on the Establishment of a European Geodetic Network for Artificial Satellites held in Paris, France, describing the U.S. Passive Geodetic Satellite (Pageos) planned for launch during the first half of 1966. He said: "The satellite will be an aluminum-coated sphere 100 feet (30.48 meters) in diameter, a near replica of ECHO I (1960 Iota 1) that was launched by the United States on August 12, 1960. No instrumentation will be attached to the surface of the Pageos satellite. Pageos will serve the geodesist by simply acting as a point source of light in the sky as it reflects the incident sunlight. Simultaneous photographs of this light source against the star background, taken by two or more widely separated ground. based cameras, will enable geodesists to determine the spatial coordinates of each camera position. An interconnected series of camera positions can be established that will cover the entire surface of the earth, thereby permitting geometric determination of each camera position within a single reference system. The use of this satellite for geodetic purposes will continue for at least five years during which the necessary photogrammetric observations can be made and to provide a purely geometric determination of the shape and size of the earth." (Text; AP, NYT, 12/15/64,41)
Dr. Eugene Konecci, of the NASC staff, told Missiles and Rockets that there had been no mention of airlocks in public or private discussions of the Vostok and Voskhod spacecraft, and no other indications of plans for extravehicular operations. Although the Soviets were aiming at rendezvous, this was expected to be strictly a vehicle maneuver. "Soviet interest in the use of helium-oxygen atmospheres for long term space vehicles may indicate that they do not have capability for extra-vehicular experimentation," said Dr. Konecci. (M&R, 12/14/64, 16)
Among the ten top scientific, medical, and technological advances in 1964 as selected by Dr. Watson Davis, Science Service Director, were: 1. Close-up photographs of the moon taken by RANGER VII. 2. Orbiting of the earth by three Russian cosmonauts in the VOSKHOD I spacecraft. 3. Discovery of quasars, the brightest, most violent, and heaviest sources of light and radio waves, possibly fueled by collapse of gravity waves. (Sci. Serv., Wash. Daily News, 12/14/64)
NASA announced that 142 colleges and universities would participate in NASA's graduate training program during the 1965-66 academic year. (NASA Release 64 308)
U.S. Army announced that the Lockheed-California Co.'s XH-51A compound helicopter (a helicopter having wings as well as rotor blades) had flown 242 mph-"the fastest known speed of any rotor craft in the world." The flight was made by a test pilot, Donald Segner, off the Southern California coast. (AP, NYT, 12/14/64, 32)
USAF Air Defense Command 10th Aerospace Missile Sq., a fully operational unit of ADC at Vandenberg AFB which would man an antisatellite weapon, was on 5-min. alert status. (An. Wk., 12/14/64, 13)
December 14-17: Twenty-six aviation officials from 23 countries convened in Washington for activities celebrating the 20th anniversary of the formal beginning of post-war international cooperation in civil aviation after the Chicago Conference of 1944. Dignitaries were honored guests at the Wright Memorial Dinner in Washington on Dec. 17. (FAA Release 64-109)
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