Jan 18 1970
From The Space Library
Lockheed-Georgia Co. said 8 of 10 C-5As grounded by USAF Jan. 16 because of wing crack had been cleared to fly again. (AP, NYT, 1/20/70,33)
Mt. Palomar Observatory and Mt. Wilson Observatory were collectively renamed Hale Observatories, in honor of founder George E. Hale. As California facilities operated jointly by Cal Tech and Carnegie Institution of Washington, Mt. Palomar housed 5080-mm (200in) Hale telescope, world's largest optical telescope, and Mt. Wilson, 1524-mm (60-in) reflection telescope. (UPI, W News, 1/19/70, 14)
In Washington Sunday Star William Hines advocated abandonment of SST program "and substitution of a longer range objective: a hypersonic transport airplane (HST) to become operational around 1990." R&D for 500-passenger, 8000-km-per-hr (5000-mph) global-range HST was "going to be bought and paid for anyway" as part of NASA's Space Shuttle program. This would be a classic case of 'spinoff'-a byproduct of the space program useful to the civilian economy." There seemed little doubt "that an aerospace-plane capable of shuttling Earth-to-orbit could be adapted to serve long-range world markets as a pure airplane if travel demands could be shown to justify its construction." SST was "not a spinoff but a drainoff." Its "most dubious aspect" was "direct federal subsidy of R&D, which in effect amounts to a $1.5 billion loan to private enterprise at zero interest," Hines said. (W Star, 1/18/70, C4)
During Week of January 18: India successfully test-fired four Rohini rockets at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station. Additional launches would be conducted following week. (AP, W Post, 1123/ 70, A21)
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