Jul 20 1965
From The Space Library
Saturn IB booster stage (S-IB) was successfully static-fired for 145 sec, at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center-its second captive firing. In early August, the 16-million-lb.-thrust, 80-ft,;long stage would be taken by barge to New Orleans and transported from there to Kennedy Space Center, NASA, for launching. (MSFC Release 65-187; Marshall Star, 7/28/65, 1)
Pilot Maj. Robert A. Rushworth (USAF) flew X-15 No. 3 to maximum altitude of 105,400 ft. at maximum speed of 3,750 mph (mach 5.5) to obtain data with the infrared scanner. (NASA Proj, Off,)
In a triple launch, USAF launched two 524-lb. Vela Hotel (Sentry) satellites and ORS III-1 (Octahedron research satellite) with an Atlas-Agena D booster from Eastern Test Range, Orbital data: VELA 6577-11: apogee, 72,014 mi. (115,942.5 km.) ; perigee, 66,583 mi. (107,198.6 km.) ; period, 6,713 min,; inclination, 34.6°; VELA 6564-10: apogee, 75,761 mi. (121,975.2 km,) ; perigee, 63,224 mi. ( 101,790.6 km,) ; period, 6,716 min,; inclination, 34.8°; ORS 111-1: apogee, 69,640 mi. (112,120.4 km,) ; perigee, 123 mi. (198 km,) ; period, 6,715 min,; inclination, 34.3°. Expected to operate six months, the Vela Hotel satellites were part of DOD's Vela program to monitor space for violations of the nuclear test-ban treaty. ORS III-1 was monitoring natural radiation above the earth and relaying information to ground stations. (USAF Proj. Off.; UPI, NYT, 7/21/65, 43)
Management of the Voyager landing capsule system had been assigned to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA announced. Harris M. Schurmeier, former Ranger Project Manager at JPL, had been named Voyager System Manager, Currently in a design study phase, Voyager was planned for unmanned planetary explorations beginning with a Mars mission in 197I (NASA Release 65-242; JPL Release 346)
"A manned expedition to Mars within 15 years seems entirely feasible," North American Aviation, Inc., Space and Information Systems Div. President Harrison Storms told William Hines of the Washington Evening Star. In charge of building the spacecraft for the Apollo moon landings, Storms offered an approximate timetable for a Mars expedition: "Start planning for it in 1970, start cutting metal in 1975 and go in 1980," A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences had suggested 1985 as a feasible target date. (Hines, Wash. Eve. Star, 7/20/65)
Soviet astronomer Alexander Mikhailov said in Moscow that the MARINER IV photographic mission was a "magnificent feat . . . a staggering achievement." (Wash, Post, 7/25/65, A7)
Soviet astronomer Sofia Kozlovskaya reported at the All-Union Conference on Planetary Cosmogony in Moscow that the density of matter on Mars and Venus was greater than that on earth: matter of Venus had approximately two per cent more iron; Mars had approximately six to eight per cent more iron than earth. In making these calculations, Sofia Kozlovskaya used a new "more exact model of the earth" which she had built with the data from recent seismic observations. (Tass, 7/20/65)
Prof. S. N. Vernov, corresponding member of U.S.S.R, Academy of Sciences, noted in Tass interview the unusual weight of PROTON I and its special equipment for studying cosmic particles of super-high energy. He said the method for counting the particles, worked out eight years ago by Prof. N. L. Grigorov, had made it possible to determine the total energy of each particle separately. Scientists had hesitated to use the method in space because of the weight of the equipment. This problem had been solved with the creation of a more powerful booster, he said. (Bakinskoy Rabochiy, 7/20/65, 2)
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