Feb 9 1965
From The Space Library
Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Committee, in hearing on AEC's FY 1966 authorization, asked NASA Administrator James E. Webb why NASA was dropping funds for the Snap-8 spacecraft nuclear auxiliary power project. In the joint NASA-AEC project, AEC was working on the reactor and NASA was working on the power conversion machinery. Snap-8 was one of three projects that had been deleted from the NASA FY 1966 budget request. Mr. Webb said: " . . . in the over-all budgeting . . . the President has a hard problem of adjusting resources to the needs of the Government. In this case, it was decided that these systems, these three systems, could not be financed within the resources available for allocation to NASA and therefore they were eliminated in the final decision relating to the President's budget, but not on our recommendation. .. . "Because we are on the verge of significant technical milestones with our power conversion equipment, we believe we should phase out the program in an orderly way and provide the maximum amount of experience and data for future use. "Therefore, we plan to continue current testing of components combined in the test loop to achieve at least 1,000 hours of operating time on each of the major components, by reprogramming our remaining fiscal year 1965 funds into these specific task areas." . . we expect to present to you and the committees, if you will permit us to do so, an orderly plan for using the resources we now have. This gives the Congressional Committees an opportunity to look at and plan and decide whether it does really fit what they believe is in the national interest rather than to take a sudden action... ." Sen, Clinton P. Anderson (D-N.Mex,), Chairman of the Senate Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, expressed his belief "that it is too bad that the Bureau of the Budget trimmed you down on this work. I wish you had gone ahead with it through the test period, we would have learned some very significant things. I disassociate it from the other two [canceled projects] but Snap-8 should have gone on priority." (Transcript)
Six of eight OSO II experiments had been turned on and gave "excellent" data, NASA reported. The two experiments not yet operating were the ultraviolet scanning spectrometer provided by Harvard Univ. and the ultraviolet spectrophotometer provided by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Both had been turned on but were turned off to prevent damage to themselves or to the satellite when irregularities in the data received were noted. All other functions of the satellite-such as solar power supply, telemetry system, tape recorder, temperature control, and command system-were normal. ( NASA Release 65-37)
At a press conference during the Symposium on Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System, presented in Denver, Colo., by the American Astronautical Society, Univ. of California chemist Harold C. Urey said that he hoped the moon was "interesting enough to make the $20 billion exploration program 'worthwhile.' " He added, "If it turns out that the moon escaped from the earth, it will be just another incident and I will be disappointed. If, however, it was captured by the earth it will be an outstanding link in history," Urey backed the U.S. program designed to land men on the moon by 1970 and said he did not consider the cost excessive. (Denver Post, 2/10/65)
During a luncheon speech at the Symposium on Unmanned Exploration of the Solar System, presented in Denver, Colo, by the American Astronautical Society, Maj. Gen. Don R. Ostrander, Commander of USAF Office of Aerospace Research, formerly NASA Director of Launch Vehicle Programs, said it was now generally agreed that the near-earth space area "looks more promising from the standpoint of potential military applications" than lunar bases, Mars flights, and other projects suggested earlier. USAF was seeking refinement of its knowledge in astronomy, geophysics, geodesy, and other areas. More pressing, he said, was to study the space environment as related to weapon systems and orbiting satellites. (Partner, Denver Post, 2/29/65)
In a report presented at the 55th national meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in Houston, NASA Lewis Research Center engineer E. W. Ott said that moisture in an astronaut's breath could escape into his space capsule, accumulate and float at zero gravity, and short out electrical systems it might come into contact with. He said something like this was believed to have happened when Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper had had to bring his space capsule in under manual control in May 1963. "There is good evidence that water found its way into automatic control equipment and caused malfunctioning." (Justice, Houston Post, 2/10/65)
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center engineer John H. Kimzey told a meeting of American Institute of Chemical Engineers that fires during simulated spaceflight had the puzzling habit of burning fiercely initially, dying out so the flame disappeared, but flaring to life when force of gravity took over. Kimzey speculated that in weightless conditions, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water vapor created by the fire might surround the flame and cut off both oxygen and fuel. Motion pictures of the "dead" fires had shown no indication of either light or infrared heat energy coming from fire locations. (Burkett, Houston Chron., 2/10/65)
DOD announced that U.S. would sell United Kingdom: (1) F-4 (Phantom II) fighter/close-support aircraft and (2) C-130E combat assault transport aircraft. It had also been agreed that the two countries would expand existing program of cooperation in defense research and development. Serious consideration would be given to joint development of advanced life engine for vertical- and short-takeoff aircraft. ( DOD Release 80-65)
Douglas Aircraft Co. Missile and Space Systems Div. reported that tests conducted for USAF had indicated that a spin in a centrifuge might recondition astronauts living for weeks or months in a state of weightlessness. Previous research had indicated that long stays in the weightless state could have a debilitating effect on the body and cause the heart and circulatory system to lose their tone. (NYT News Service, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2/9/65)
A USAF Strategic Air Command crew successfully launched a Minuteman ICBM from Vandenberg AFB. (M&R, 2/15/65, 12)
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