Mar 5 1973
From The Space Library
U.S.-U.S.S.R. cochairmen of the NASA and Soviet Academy of Sciences Joint Working Group on Near-Earth Space, the Moon, and the Planets had approved a data exchange negotiated at the Jan. 29-Feb. 2 Moscow working session, NASA announced. The U.S. would provide the U.S.S.R. with maps and photos of two Mars landing regions and the available atmospheric model of Mars, Mars ephemerides from ground-based radar data for the first half of 1974, radar measurements of Mars, and results obtained during a 1974 Mariner Mercury-Venus flyby mission. The U.S.S.R. would provide the U.S. with information on Viking landing sites from Mars 2 and 3 probes (launched May 19 and 28, 1971) and future missions, data on atmospheric parameters and surface of Mars, data from Venus 8 (launched Mar. 27, 1972) on the Venus atmosphere and surface, and radar measurements of Venus. The data exchanges would take place before April 15. (NASA Release 73-38; Av Wk, 3/12/73, 17)
The discovery that Saturn's rings appeared to be made of solid chunks rather than of gas, ice crystals, or dust had been made by Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomers, NASA announced. Dr. Richard M. Goldstein and George A. Morris, Jr., had made the first successful radar probes of Saturn, using NASA's 64-m (210-ft) antenna at Goldstone Station, and had received much stronger bounce-back signals than expected. "From our radar results," Dr. Goldstein had said, "the rings cannot be made up of tiny ice crystals, dust, or gas. Our echoes indicate rough jagged surfaces, with solid material 1 meter (3.3 feet) in diameter or larger. Possibly much larger." The rings could be a great hazard to any spacecraft sent into them. (NASA Release 73-37)
Communications Satellite Corp. applied to the Federal Communications Commission for authority to construct a maritime multifrequency satellite system to provide communications to the Navy and the commercial shipping industry [see Mar. 2]. The- Navy would use ultrahigh frequencies allocated for Government use, for communications between satellites and Navy-provided ship and shore terminals. It would also make available to commercial shipping high-quality communications of greater reliability and scope than available before. (ComSatCorp Release 73-11; ComSatCorp PIO)
The U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences opened its Annual General Meeting in Moscow. Academy President Mstislav V. Keldysh reviewed the Academy's role in the second year of its five-year plan: Scientists had been given responsibility for ensuring that science achieved its greatest economic effect by accelerating technical processes. Space successes had included: Venus 8 softlanding (July 22, 1972) of a capsule on Venus that transmitted from the surface 50 min; Mars 2 and 3 orbiting of Mars (entering orbits Nov. 27 and Dec. 2, 1971) and the first softlanding of a capsule on Mars, by Mars 3 (Dec. 2, 1971) ; research of the moon with Luna 20 and the Lunokhod 2 roving vehicle, which continued to explore the lunar surface; advances in communications and earth studies by Molniya, Meteor, Cosmos, and lntercosmos satellites; and advancement of cooperative programs with socialist countries, France, and the U.S. (Pravda, FBIS-Sov, 3/15/73, LI; A&A 1971; A&A 1972)
NASA launched two sounding rockets from White Sands Missile Range. A Nike-Apache carried a Univ. of Texas payload to a 221.9-mm (137.9mi) altitude to make redundant measurements of the electron density profile and photoelectron spectrum at different altitudes. The rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. An Aerobee 170 carried a Harvard College Observatory solar physics experiment to a 241.4-km (150-mi) altitude. The rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. (NASA Rpt SRL; GSFC proj off)
The Air Force announced award of a $2056889 cost contract to Utah State Univ. to ;study disturbed and undisturbed infrared atmosphere. Rocketborne instruments would measure optical and infrared emissions, both natural and those stimulated by atmospheric dosing from a rocketborne electron source. (DOD Release 113-73)
March 5-8: NASA's Fourth Annual Lunar Science Conference, at Johnson Space Center, was attended by more than 750 scientists from the U.S. and 12 foreign countries. Visitors included scientists from the U.S.S.R. who presented papers on Apollo lunar samples received from the U.S.
At the opening session Dr. George M. Low, NASA Deputy Administrator said, "I can see at least a decade of fruitful analysis, synthesis, and integration of the information locked up in the material brought back and still coming back from the scientific stations left on the moon." in the Apollo program.
Dr. Gerald J. Wasserburg, California Institute of Technology scientist, described "lunar cataclysm." Lunar dust brought back by Apollo astronauts had been estimated to be as old as 4.5 billion yrs. But most lunar rocks were less than 4 billion yrs old and none were younger than 3 billion yrs. The best explanation was that 3.9 billion yrs ago the moon was battered and bombarded on an unprecedented scale, creating so much heat that old rocks were destroyed and a new generation of rocks was created. Since then the moon might have experienced minor volcanic eruptions but nothing like that period of cataclysm. Some scientists believed the moon had cooled and gone into a period of hibernation. Dr. Oliver A. Schaeffer of the State Univ. of New York said even the orange soil found by Apollo 17 astronauts had turned out to be 3.71 billion yrs old, an age disappointing to scientists who had believed the moon had been formed by more recent volcanic activity.
Listen to the Lunar Science press conferences on this date:
Dr David Strangway (JSC), Dr Gerald Wasserburg (Caltech), Dr Gary Latham (University of Galveston)
Dr Harold Urey (UC San Diego), Dr Thomas Gold (Cornell), Dr John A. Wood (Smithsonian)
Dr. Keith A. Howard, U.S. Geological Survey geologist, compared the lunar landslide found near the Apollo 17 landing site to a large, high-velocity avalanche on earth. Dr. Howard suggested that gas within the lunar soil had been released during the slide. Apollo 17 samples would be searched for evidence of fluids.
One Apollo 17 instrument placed on the lunar surface had made an atom-by-atom search for evidence of lunar atmosphere. Although the moon had no atmosphere, traces of argon, neon, and helium had been found. Dr. John H. Hoffman, associate professor of physics at the Univ. of Texas, said only argon appeared to have been generated from the moon's interior. Neon and helium apparently had been deposited by the solar wind.
Conference attendees unanimously voted to congratulate NASA on completion of the Apollo program by sending a letter to Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator: The conception, design, and implementation of lunar exploration represented "an extraordinary human and technological achievement." To explore another planet, it had been necessary for man "to achieve many successive levels of technological capability and to surpass formidable barriers. This was accomplished brilliantly by the dedicated engineers and astronauts of NASA in conjunction with skilled management. On this technical base a new branch of science has been built.” (Transcript; Goddard News, 3/73, 2; JSC Roundup, 3/16/73, 1; NASA Activities, 4/15/73, 67)
March 5-9: More than 1000 administrators, congressmen, and government, industry, and university scientists attended the ERTS 1 Earth Resources and Technology Satellite Symposium sponsored by Goddard Space Flight Center in New Carrollton, Md. Two hundred papers presented results from ERTS 1 (launched July 23, 1972) experiments in agriculture and forestry, mineral resources and geology, environmental surveys, land-use mapping, and marine surveys.
Dr. Marian Baumgardner, scientist at the Purdue Univ. Laboratory for the Applications of Remote Sensing, said results from ERTS 1 study of semi-arid regions suggested that the satellite could identify and 'map vegetative, species, and management differences in range lands; gross soil patterns and differences related to agricultural and land-use-management problems and practices; areas of surface water and changes related to ground water recharge; crop damage by hail and windstorms; and areas of bare soil and related problems of erosion and conservation.
Dr. William A. Fischer, U.S. Geological Survey scientist, said data from an ERTS 1 study of Alaska had 'reinforced recent plate tectonic theories of a continuing mobility in the earth's crust. The satellite had mapped fractures previously unknown or not put together as continuous structures in the earth's crust. The fractures indicated "there has been a fundamental movement, extending deep down into the crust." Dr; John Miller of the Univ. of Alaska said seismic data and ERTS 1 identification of previously unknown fractures "has been an important input to the design of a bridge structure across the Yukon River . . . and possibly the pipeline.” (Transcript)
The Communications Subcommittee of the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization-a United Nations affiliate-voted 20-to-1 in London to convene an international conference of governments in October 1974 on the establishment of a global maritime satellite communications service. The one dissenting vote was cast by the U.S., which argued that formation of a new organization was premature. The U.S. favored operation of a maritime service by the 80-nation International Telecommunications Satellite Organization. (Av Wk, 3/26/73, 59-60)
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