May 23 1974
From The Space Library
The first phase of the Pioneer direct-mode command system, which would permit Ames Research Center to control its spacecraft directly, became operational. The Pioneer command (PCOM) system would per-mit direct control without depending on Jet Propulsion Laboratory computer systems. Committed operational use of PCOM would begin on Pioneer 10 (launched 2 March 1972) on 1 Sept., followed by Pioneer 11 (launched 5 April 1973) on 15 Jan. 1975. (ARC Astrogram, 6 June 74, 1)
The European-built A-300B wide-body transport began commercial service on Air France routes between Paris and London. The airbus was the world's fourth wide-bodied aircraft-the first for use exclusively on the internal European route network and the first powered by only two engines and built outside the U.S. The current configuration of the A-300B carried 251 passengers but an alternate one would accommodate 331. The aircraft was built by Airbus Industries, a Paris-based consortium formed to build the A-300B with participation by West Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Spain, and France. Noteworthy achievements included aircraft delivery within days of the schedule originally set in May 1969 and development costs that had remained within expectations. (Av Wk, 20 May 74, 30; WSJ, 29 April 74, 6; Air France, NYC PIO, interview, 7 March 75)
A New York Times editorial commented on the Atomic Energy Commission report The Nation's Energy Future, submitted December 1973 to President Nixon: The report, which was the basis for Administration policy, would allocate more than half the proposed energy research and development budget to nuclear projects. More than 25% of nuclear funds would be spent on the fast-breeder reactor. Three critical questions were in need of answers: risk of accident, security against theft, and the relative merit of alternative forms of energy. An AEC environmental impact statement issued in response to a court order in a 1971 suit by a group of scientists failed, the Times said, to weigh objectively the possible alternatives that might be environmentally less damaging, particularly solar energy. "But in making the choice between nuclear fission and solar energy, Congress and the public have to weigh the alternatives carefully. The A.E.C. can contribute to that decision by offering the nation a more careful and disinterested impact statement." (NYT, 23 May 74, 38)
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