Jul 13 1967
From The Space Library
Short circuit of electrical connector in Atlas-Centaur's upper stage caused 24-hr postponement of SURVEYOR IV launch. (UPI, W Star, 7/13/67, B11)
Adm. David L. McDonald, Chief of Naval Operations, and Gen. John P. McConnell, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, presented Distinguished Flying Crosses to the military astronauts who had made space flights in special Pentagon ceremony. Included were posthumous awards to L/Col. Virgil I. Grissom (USAF) and L/Col Edward H. White II (USAF) , who died in Jan. 27 Apollo fire. Capt. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., speaking on behalf of his fellow astronauts, said they were "proud members of the military, but also . . . representatives of a great and significant national effort," who had grown "to enjoy the [space program's] successes and live with its failures." (DOD Release 642-67; AP, B Sun, 7/14/67, 6; SBD, 7/17/67, 68)
House Appropriations Committee reported .$l.53-billion DOT authorization bill (H.R. 11456) which included $142.3 million for development of two SST prototypes. Bill was approved by House July 18. (AP, NYT, 7/14/67,5)
Senate passed $2.6-billion AEC FY 1968 authorization bill (H.R. 10918) which included $7.3 million for a new proton accelerator in Weston, Ill. Amendment by Sen. John O. Pastore (D-R.I.) to delay approval of the Weston site until the community or the state passed open-housing laws which would enable Negro employees to find suitable housing near the plant was defeated. (CR, 7/13/67,S9484-521)
The New York Times later commented: ". . . credit goes to Senators . . . who exposed the real issues at stake, and who won a moral victory when the vote margin in Weston's favor proved much narrower than had been expected. . . . But there is an even more basic objection to any commitments or expenditures for this expensive research tool at this time. That objection is simply the irrelevance of a 200 billion electron volt accelerator to any real present national problem. . . . The budget cutters are now in full cry demanding reductions in already inadequate expenditures for human needs. It is a distortion of the national priorities to commit many millions now to this interesting but unnecessary scientific luxury." (NYT, 7/16/67,12)
NASA awarded Pratt & Whitney Div., United Aircraft Corp., a $458,000 contract to "study desirable characteristics of components for a quiet turbofan engine and define a development program" [see Feb. 1]. Contract was first awarded in NASA's Quiet Engine program to combine all known noise-control techniques to produce a 20,000-lb-thrust engine which would be 15-20 db quieter than present subsonic jet engines and could be used in current aircraft models. Program was being conducted by NASA as part of national noise abatement program. (NASA Release 67-184; Clark, NYT, 7/14/67,27)
NASA was studying feasibility of launching two navigation satellites to keep SST under constant surveillance and be alert to slightest malfunction, Mohammed Rauf, Jr., reported in the News American. NASA Chief of Navigation and Traffic Control Eugene Ehrlich, who conceived the plan, told Rauf in an interview that the system would provide maximum safety against accidents: "The program calls for the building of two tracking stations on each side of the Atlantic. The wings of the plane and all its other important parts will be fitted with small transponders, which will continually relay information about the plane's condition to the satellites . . . [which would] relay the signals to the tracking stations, where giant computers will process them within minutes for appropriate action." Eventually, Ehrlich predicted, all aircraft and ships would be equipped with transponders "because the [ proposed] navigation satellites . . . will be capable of handling the increasing amount of air and sea traffic predicted for this century. "Four satellites can have the whole world under surveillance for air and sea traffic control, and will cut down both the cost of such control as exercised by conventional methods, and also the time required for it." (Rauf, News American, 7/13/67)
Rep. Donald Rumsfeld (R-Ill.) , speaking on the floor of the House, urged House to support Rep. Charles Mathias' (R-Md.) Bill (H.R. 69) to establish a commission to review organization of Executive Branch: "Congressional review has often been piecemeal and after the fact. For example, the recent congressional hearing concerning the tragic Apollo spacecraft fire unearthed a shocking amount of information about NASA's operations which should have been reported to Congress long ago. . . . Legislation has been proposed to correct this, and hopefully, the provisions in the House version of the NASA authorization bill . . . will be accepted and thereby require NASA to keep Congress `fully and currently informed'. . . . I am convinced such language is needed with respect to NASA. I am equally convinced that, if the operations of the executive branch are studied and reviewed for organizational deficiencies and economy of operation, there would be far less need to wage battles on the floor on a piecemeal, hit-or-miss basis." (NASA LAR VI/75)
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