Jan 28 1971
From The Space Library
NASA launched two Nike-Apache sounding rockets from TERLS carrying Indian experiments to study ionosphere. Rockets and instruments functioned satisfactorily. (SR list)
NASA announced award to Lockheed Electronics Co. of $800 000, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for scientific and technical support services for MTF Earth Resources Laboratory. Contract covered one year with provision for two one-year extensions. Company would support laboratory in research on application of remote-sensing data to Mississippi-Louisiana-Gulf area. Data would be obtained from aircraft, ERTS, Skylab, Gemini, and Apollo experiments. (NASA Release 71-13)
ESRO awarded six-month study contracts for European regional comsat to three European consortiums-MESX (S.A. Engins M.A.T.R.A. of France, ERNo-Raumfahrttechnik GmbH of West Germany, SAAB Aktiebolag of Sweden, and Hawker Siddeley Dynamics Ltd. of U.K.), STAR (Satellites for Telecommunications, Applications, and Research), and cosmos, led by Marconi Space and Defence Systems in U.K. (SF, 4/71, 121)
Senate adopted S.R. 15, modifying Senate rules on total number of Senators assigned to certain standing committees. Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences was set at 11 members. Senate also adopted S.R. 16, electing majority members of Senate Committees. Members elected to Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences were Sen. Clinton P. Anderson (D-N. Mex.), Chairman; Sen. Warren G. Magnuson (D-Wash.); Sen. Stuart Symington (D-Mo.) ; Sen. John C. Stennis (D-Miss.) ; and Sen. Howard W. Cannon (D-Nev.). (CR, 1/28/71, S406)
President Nixon submitted to Senate nominations of Robert M. White as Administrator of NOAA, Howard W. Pollock as Deputy Administrator, and John W. Townsend, Jr., as Associate Administrator. White had served as Acting Administrator of NOAA since his appointment as Acting Deputy Administrator Oct. 9, 1970. Before establishment of NOAA, he was Administrator of ESSA. (PD, 2/1/71, 127, 141)
Award of $23 800 contract to American Airlines to determine feasibility of using STOL aircraft for short-haul runs was announced by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe. Six-month study would cover certification and safety, avionics, STOL service categories, system development requirements, user and community acceptance criteria, metro-flight feasibility demonstration, New York area STOL port sites, and STOL port acceptance. (DOT Release 1771)
European Organization for Nuclear Research announced in Geneva that it had effected first head-on collision between intense beams of high-energy protons. Beams of protons were injected into intersecting storage rings by 28-bev particle accelerator at nearly speed of light. Collisions occurred at intersection points of two rings in which very high vacuum was maintained. Experiment would enable scientists to study fundamental reactions that took place in interior of stars or in upper atmosphere. (NYT, 1/29/71, 7)
New York Times editorial commented: "The important steps recently taken toward great Soviet-American space cooperation are still small, but they provide a beginning for a much wider and mutually advantageous effort. This recent progress also suggests that there is now a political interest in cooperation in Moscow as well as in Washington, a welcome change from the situation in earlier years." (NYT, 1/28/71)
Christian Science Monitor editorial praised Soviet Venus 7 softlanding on Venus, "another major first in the conquest of space." Apollo 14 would be "bigger attention-getter" because there was "more glamour and excitement in manned space flight." But U.S.S.R. had achieved "remarkable technological performances." U.S.S.R. could point "with justifiable pride" to fact that, while Venus 7 was transmitting signals from Venus to earth, moonrover Lunokhod 1 was also sending information from moon. (GSM, 1/28/71)
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