May 16 1969
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
U.S.S.R.'s Venus V planetary probe (also designated Venera V) entered atmosphere of planet Venus at 2:01 am EDT and ejected instrumented capsule [see June 4]. Probe decelerated from 6.9 mps to 688.8 fps, deployed parachute, and transmitted data during 53-min descent through dense clouds to night side of Venusian surface. Launched Jan. 5, Venus V had traveled 217-million-mi trajectory. Tass said: "The instrument capsule was automatically jettisoned from the station before entry into Venusian atmosphere. The aerodynamic deceleration of the apparatus in the atmosphere began . . . and was accompanied by a sharp decrease in overloads and a growth of temperature on the craft's outer surface. . . . During the 53-min parachute descent, measurements of the temperature, pressure and chemical composition of Venusian atmosphere were made. This information was uninterruptedly transmitted to earth." Venus IV (launched June 12, 1967) had reached Venus Oct. 18, 1967; Venus VI (launched Jan. 10) was scheduled to reach planet May 17. (Winters, B Sun, 5/17/69, Al; Bausman, W Post, 5/17/69, A3; SBD, 5/19/69, 77; Gwertzman, NYT, 5/17/69)
Intelsat-III F-3 comsat, launched Feb. 5 and in orbit over Pacific, had lost some of potential capacity and would be moved to 62.5° east longitude over Indian Ocean, ComSatCorp announced. In new position satellite would link directly all countries with appropriate earth stations in Western Europe, Near East, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Move would be made soon after launch of Intelsat-III F-4 May 21. Future satellites would be modified for additional redundancy. (ComSatCorp Release 69-27)
Aerobee 150 MI sounding rocket launched by NASA from WSMR carried GSFC payload to 125.5-mi (202-km) altitude to obtain solar EUV spectra from 40 to 390 A and from 10 to 390 A using BBRC-SPC 330D solar- pointing control and recovery system. Rocket and instruments performed satisfactorily. (NASA Rpt SRL)
President Nixon submitted to Senate nomination of Apollo 8 Astronaut William A. Anders as Executive Secretary of NASC to succeed Dr. Edward C. Welsh. It was highest Government post ever offered to an astronaut. (PD, 5/19/69, 705; Kirkman, W Post, 5/15/69, A25)
MSC announced revised quarantine procedures for Apollo 11 after landing. To prevent back contamination from moon, astronauts would dispose on moon under containment conditions equipment exposed there; brush, vacuum-clean, and bag other equipment and clothing for return; prevent dust from being transferred from LM to CM ; and continuously filter CM atmosphere during return trip to remove dust particles. Under original plans Apollo 11. crew would have remained in CM after splashdown while it was hoisted onto recovery ship. After reviewing loads to be lifted in transferring CM to deck, reliability of shipboard cranes, and capacity of available load-limiting elastic tackle, NASA decided to retain helicopter lift used on previous Apollo missions. Crew would emerge from CM to raft, where they would put on biological isolation garments that would cover them completely and provide high-efficiency air outlet filter. Interagency Committee on Back Contamination-NASA, Dept. of Agriculture, HEW, Dept. of Interior, and NAS-had agreed that helicopter lift, combined with other pre-landing procedures, would provide maximum achievable precautions against back contamination. (MSC Release 69-47)
In Science, Leonard D. Jaffe, Surveyor data analysis manager at JPL, cited important findings of five Surveyor spacecraft which softlanded on lunar surface: surface of both maria and highlands was covered with layer of particulate material of 10-micrometer particles scattered with rocks and clods; layer was few meters deep in maria and varied from few centimeters to tens of meters in highlands, with density and other properties varying with depth; particulate material had cohesion; fine material moved gradually downhill; freshly exposed fine material from below surface was darker than previously exposed surface material; density of surface rock was 2.8 ± 0.4 gr per cc; composition of surface material was approximately that of basalt (mare material had elemental composition like high-iron basalt; highland material, like low-iron basalt; not more than one-quarter volume percent of metallic iron was present) ; lunar surface material had experienced extensive melting and chemical differentiation. (Science, 5/16/69, 775-8)
FAA and USAF announced that M/G Jewell C. Maxwell (USAF), Director of Supersonic Transport Development for FAA, would become Commander of Armament Development and Test Center at Eglin AFB, Fla. His successor at FAA had not yet been selected. (FAA Release 69-56)
“Their Mission is the Moon” article on Apollo 10 and Apollo 11 in Life Magazine
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