Dec 27 1962
From The Space Library
Establishment of joint AEC-DOD-NASA program for development of space nuclear reactor was announced by the three agencies. Col. Elwood M. Douthett (USAF) would head program office, responsible. for research, technology, and component development phases of nuclear-electric power unit Snap-50/Spur A 300-1,000 kw power unit capable of 10,000-hr. unattended operation, Snap-50/Spur would be unification of two existing projects: AEC’s Snap (system for nuclear auxiliary power) and USAF’s Spur (space power unit reactor). Unit could be used as power source for "space missions, communications satellites, and other space applications."
MARINER II calculated to reach its closest point to the sun (65,505,935-mile perihelion) according to JPL scientists.
Alexander V. Topchiev, vice president. of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, died in Moscow. Winner of the 1949 Stalin Prize and twice winner of the Order of Lenin, Topchiev was believed to have played a major role in the development of new rocket fuels and had attended many important international conferences since 1960. He had recently declared that "war is no longer possible" and had advocated East-West collaboration on nuclear space propulsion.
Goddard Space Flight Center officials reported that they had received "indications the voltage had recovered somewhat" in RELAY satellite, but doubted that its communications mission would be accomplished.
December 27-29: Second Western Conference of the American Geophysical Union at Stanford, Calif. Sidney M. Serebreny of SRI reviewed TIROS I photographs on 14 orbits in May 1960, which showed a blocking pattern in east-central Pacific accompanied by an invasion of tropical air aloft into northerly latitudes and rationale for positioning of the jet stream over the northern Pacific.. Life history of tropical cyclones was analyzed from Tiros photographs by James C. Sadler of NSF. And Richard D. Tarble of U.S. Weather Bureau indicated that TIROS I photographs of ice pack and areal snow cover could be used to predict river flow and water supply from snow melt. Other space science papers on meteorology and planetary sciences were presented.
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