Jun 30 1970
From The Space Library
Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, reviewed results of Apollo 13 accident investigations and announced postponement of Apollo 14 mission to Jan. 31, in testimony before Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences. LaRC Director Edgar M. Cortright, Chairman of Apollo 13 Review Board, summarized prepared statement before Committee. Recommendations of Apollo 13 Review Board [see June 15] would be implemented before Apollo 14 was approved for, launch, Dr. Paine said. CSM systems would be modified to eliminate potential combustion hazards in high-pressure oxygen. Unsealed fan motors would be removed from oxygen tanks and additional oxygen tank would be added to Apollo 14 CSM. Electrical wiring within high-pressure oxygen systems would be limited to stainless-steel-sheathed wires, and Teflon, aluminum, and other potentially reactive materials would be used as little as possible and kept away from possible ignition sources. Spacecraft and Mission Control warning systems would be modified to provide - more immediate and visible warnings of system anomalies. MSC was reviewing spacecraft emergency equipment and procedures and use of CSMs and LMs in "lifeboat" modes. OSSA, OMSF, and DART had been directed to apply Review Board recommendations throughout NASA and submit report on assessment and actions taken or proposed by Aug. 25. Lessons of Apollo 13 would be disseminated throughout industry and technical community. Dr. Paine had forwarded copy of Review Board report to Soviet Academician Mstislav V. Keldysh "so that lessons which might be learned from our accident can be applied to prevent a similar hazard to Soviet Cosmonauts." Aerospace Safety Research and Data Institute at LeRC would conduct additional research on materials compatibility, ignition, and combustion at various g levels and on characteristics of supercritical fluids, expanding its review of oxygen handling in aerospace programs. Research would "be of direct long-term benefit to NASA in future programs, and will help other sectors of the economy." Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel would review NASA management processes in implementing Review Board recommendations and Apollo 13 Review Board would reconvene later in year. Postponement of Apollo 14 mission would move Apollo 15 launch date to July or August 1971, Dr. Paine testified. It was too early to detail costs and budgetary impact of modifications and program changes necessitated by Apollo 13 accident but best current estimate would be "in the range of $10 to $15 million of increased costs; which we plan to handle within our total Apollo budget." NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight Dale D. Myers presented specific plans for reassessing all Apollo spacecraft subsystems. Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo Program Director, outlined actions planned to carry out Review Board recommendations. (Transcript)
Electronics Research Center, Cambridge, Mass., was officially closed as NASA installation. Transfer to DOT as Transportation Systems Center, announced by President Nixon March 25, would be completed July 1. Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, had announced decision Dec. 29, 1969, to close ERC because "NASA could not afford to continue to invest broadly in electronics research" in face of budget reductions. Center had opened Sept. 1; 1964. In December 1969 it had 850 employees engaged in advanced research in electronics for aeronautics and space, under Director James C. Elms. Six buildings were in final phases of construction. (NASA Steering Group, Rpt on Closing of NASA ERC, 10/1/70; PD, 3/30/70, 446; NASA Release 69-171)
Dr. Wernher von Braun, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, received 1970 "World Citizen" Award of Civitan International at organization's 50th annual convention in Atlanta, Ga. Citation was for "accomplishments as leading pioneer scientist and engineer" in space program "which has already resulted in successful flights to the moon and untold scientific advances for the benefit of mankind." Only previous recipients of award were Sir Winston Churchill and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Thompson, Atlanta Constitution, 7/1/70)
During FRC Space Shuttlecraft Symposium, Milton O. Thompson, FRC Director of Research Projects and NASA test pilot, proposed con- situation and flight-testing of subscale version of selected Space Shuttlecraft configuration before construction of actual spacecraft. Test could provide confidence in configuration to fly at low supersonic and subsonic speeds and to land successfully and could discover and solve unpredicted problems. Proposed manned tests would be similar to X-15 and lifting-body flights. They would be launched from B-52 aircraft, use propulsion system to climb to higher speeds and altitudes, and glide to landing pattern. (FRC Release 13-70)
NASA announced appointment, effective Oct. 1, of Richard C. McCurdy, consultant and member of NASA Management Advisory Panel, to post of Associate Administrator for Organization and Management. He would have responsibility for evaluation and strengthening of organization and management policies and practices. McCurdy retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of Shell Oil Co. in December 1969. (NASA Release 70-110)
NASA announced award of $856000 contract to Cutler-Hammer, Inc., for design of L-band microwave radiometer for use in Skylab program. Experiment would measure brightness temperature of terrestrial surface of Skylab ground track in L-band portion of spectrum. (MSC Release 70-86)
USAF contract awards: Aerojet-General Corp. was being issued $12 100 000 initial increment to $33 409 607 fixed-price-incentive contract for procurement of Titan IIIB, C, and D stage 1 and 2 liquid-rocket engine systems. TRW Inc. was being issued $351,000 initial increment to $4,669,800 contract for advanced development of electronic propulsion system for space satellites. General Dynamics Corp. was receiving $250,000 initial increment to $2,585,000 contract for development, assembly, test, and launch support of integrated unmanned spacecraft for space flight-testing of DOD experiments. (DOD Release 544-70)
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