May 18 1964
From The Space Library
House Appropriations Committee voted to approve $5.2 billion in funds for NASA in FY 1965, $245 million less than the requested $5.445 billion ($5.304 billion for FY 1965 and $141 million FY 1964 supplemental combined by the Committee). The appropriation was contained in FY 1965 Independent Offices Appropriations Bill. (Finney, NYT, 5/19/64,1)
U.S.S.R. announced routine launching of COSMOS XXX satellite. Initial orbital data, according to Tass: 383.1-km. apogee (238 mi.), 206.6-km. perigee (128 mi.) 90.24-min. period, and 64.940 inclination to the equator. (Pravda, 5/19/64, ATSS-T Trans.)
Discovery of relatively cool region inside three-million-degree solar corona was announced at COSPAR meeting by Dr. Armin Deutsch of Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories and Dr. Guglielmo Righini, Director of Astrophysical Observatory at Arcetri, Italy. The corona clouds were believed to contain ionized calcium at relatively cool 20,000 degrees. They were discovered in analyzing spectrogram taken while the two astronomers were in DC-8 "flying observatory" during solar eclipse last July. (Reuters, Houston Post, 5/19/64)
Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey introduced in the Senate a bill to establish an Office of Solar Energy in the Dept. of Interior "to foster and coordinate the research, development, and utilization of solar energy to serve many terrestrial power needs." The bill (S. 2853) was referred to Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences. (CR, 5/18/64, 10800-02)
A. O. Tischler, Director of Propulsion in NASA Office of Advanced Research and Technology, said $4 million added by Congress for advanced propulsion work in FY 1965 would allow NASA to investigate a number of new possibilities, including all the amines and select hydro-carbons. Also there would be heavy concentration on materials technology and cooling techniques. (M&R, 5/18/64, 9)
Sen. A. S. (Mike) Monroney (D.-Okla.) wrote in Washington World: "Space research and development may be the glamour girl right now, but the lady-who can do the work for us is aviation. . . The market exists in the field of aeronautics, while it is still too soon to start printing tickets for round trip flights to the moon. "Government itself is in danger of being too yielding to the glamour girl. My principal complaint is about NASA's division of the $5.5 billion it will spend in Fiscal year 1965. Only $37 million is budgeted for aeronautical research. The percentage for aeronautics is only seven-tenths of one per cent. Space exports will develop as we excel in this field, but by products-not systems-will constitute the commodities. Aviation has immediate economic potential, and we must pursue it vigorously." (Wash. World, 5/18/64)
Noting there were 262 USAF officers assigned to NASA and that NASA had requested another 55, and pointing out areas of NASA-USAF mutual research and test support, Missiles and Rockets editorialized that U.S. military space effort was inadequate: ". . . We would like to see some-what less worry about coordination with NASA and considerably more concern with staying ahead of the Soviet Union in space technology." (M&R, 5/18/64, 46)
Aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran claimed new speed record for women-1,429 mph (mach 2.2) at 37,100-ft. altitude, flying in F-l04G at Edwards AFB, Calif. (AP, Wash. Post, 5/19/64)
GSFC announced engineers Barbara Lunde and William D. Hibbard had invented a valve with no moving parts for controlling flow of liquid propellants to satellite reaction jets. Valve freezes and thaws the propellant in the feed line. (Goddard News, 5/18/64, 2)
Seventeen of the buildings programmed for the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA, in the Merritt Island spaceport area had been completed or were about ready for occupancy, KSC announced. (KSC Release 69-64)
USAF advanced development program to investigate laser's intelligence-gathering capabilities in space was reported. Called "Lariat" (Laser Radar Intelligence Acquisition Technology), program was outgrowth of three-year effort by AFSC Aeronautical Systems Div. to develop satellite surveillance system at Cloudcroft, N. Mex. (Av. Wk., 5/18/64, 104)
Three persons were killed and eight injured when small missile exploded during preparations for test-firing from an airplane at Tyndall AFB, Fla. (AP, Wash. Post, S/19/64)
May 18-22: Review of recent accomplishments in advanced aeronautical and space research was held during Inspection Week at NASA Langley Re-search Center, with Ames Research Center and Lewis Research Center also participating. More than 2,000 guests from aerospace industry, Congress and Government agencies, and educators and civic officials attended the inspection. At the tour, Lam scientists described newly developed material for spacecraft heat shields-silicone elastomer-containing hollow glass and plastic spheres in plastic honeycomb matrix to provide structural strength. Lunar Landing Research Facility and lunar mission simulators also were among the featured attractions. In conjunction with the inspection was the LaRC Open House on May 23. (Program; NASA Release 64-99; ARC, LARC, LRC Releases; AP, 5/18/64)
NASA Administrator James E. Webb remarked on May 18: "Years ago, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, one of NASA's ancestors, annually conducted field inspection trips so that the nation's leaders in aviation could have a first hand look at the progress in research made by the scientists and engineers of NACA. "Today, we are gathered for a first-hand look at advanced research and technology not only in aeronautics, but also in the new realm of space. "It is most fitting that the revival of the annual field inspection trip takes place first at the Langley Research Center, for Langley was the first research center of the original NACA, and is today, as it was in 1917, working at the frontiers of scientific and technical knowledge.. . . "It is important to remember that NASA is not an operating agency, in the sense that the Weather Bureau and the Air Force are. Rather, NASA's role is much closer to that of the NACA, a research and development organization. . . ." (Text)
Hollywood screen writer Gene Roddenberry signs his contract with Desilu studios in Los Angeles to make the television show Star Trek.
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