Jan 28 1963
From The Space Library
Ground-breaking ceremonies for eight-story NASA structure to be used for pre-flight testing of Gemini and Apollo craft were held near Cape Canaveral. $7.69-million building would be first of 40 buildings in industrial complex located in the 87,000-acre Merritt Island area NASA had acquired for its space projects. (AP, Balt. Sun, 1/29/63)
President Kennedy transmitted to Congress the 1962 report on U.S. Aeronautics and Space Activities, stating in Preface: :The year 1962 was a period of acceleration, accomplishment, and relative progress for the United States in its space leadership drive. In both numbers and complexity of space projects, the past year was the most successful in our brief but active space history. In accompanying message, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson told Congress that, during 1962, U.S. generated a greater rate of progress in space than did the U.S.S.R. [However] . . . the records of the two countries were closely similar in regard to the ratio of space successes to space failures” (Annual Report for 1962; L.A. Times, Wash. Post, 1/29/63, A2)
Reorganization at NASA Ames Research Center was put into effect by Director Smith J. France, designed to accommodate new Pioneer spacecraft program assigned to Ames. In addition to other changes, two new Assistant Directors were appointed: Assistant Director for Development, Mr. Robert M. Crane; and Assistant Director for Research and Development Analysis and Planning, Dr. Alfred J. Eggers. (Ames Memo For Staff, 1/31/63)
NASA announced selection of Philco Corp. for negotiation of contract to develop and equip Manned Flight Mission Control Center (MFMCC) at NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston. To be operational in mid-1964, MFMCC would direct Gemini rendezvous and Apollo flights just as Mercury Control Center at Cape Canaveral directed Project Mercury manned space flights. (NASA Release - 63-14)
Installation of new tracking system, Mistram (Missile Trajectory Measurement), on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, was announced. Mistram would provide more precise missile guidance and nose-cone impact data than presently possible on rockets fired from Cape Canaveral; it would provide accuracy required for controlling space rendezvous maneuvers in Project Gemini and for tracking return of Apollo lunar spacecraft. (AP, Balt. Sun, 1/29/63)
Jean Felix Piccard, pioneer Swiss balloonist, died in Minneapolis on his 79th birthday. Twin brother of Auguste Piccard, Jean Piccard made his first flight in 1913, and on August 18, 1934, flew a Century of Progress balloon from Dearborn, Michigan, to an altitude of 57,579 ft. During summer of 1936, Jean Piccard developed and flew first constant-level plastic (cellophane) balloons from the University of Minnesota, and was generally credited with the development of polyethylene balloons for ONR’S Project Helios which led to widespread use of plastic balloons as research tools in Skyhook, James A. Van Allen’s Rockoons (balloon-launched sounding rockets), Strato-Lab, and Man-High balloon research projects. (AP, Wash. Post, 1/29/63; Aeronautics and Astronautics, Appendix C.)
Mstislav V. Keldysh, President of U.S.S.R. Academy of Science, was made member of Academy of Sciences of the Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic, sixth Soviet scientist to have been so honored in recent years. (Tass, Pravda, 1/29/63,6)
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