Oct 5 1967
From The Space Library
NASA Aerobe 150 sounding rocket launched from WSMR carried NRL payload to 107-mi (173-km) altitude on flight to measure, with FLJV heliograph and coronagraph, micrometeoritic particles close to rocket and to take pictures of solar disc. Excellent results were obtained; coronagraph package yielded more than 50 photographs of white-light solar corona from three to 10 solar radii. (NASA Rpt SRL)
Astronaut Clifton C. Williams, Jr. (Maj., USMC) , was killed during routine flight when his T-38 jet aircraft crashed and disintegrated near Tallahassee, Fla., apparently after he had blacked out from an oxygen deficiency. A Lunar Module specialist and Gemini X backup pilot, Williams was eighth astronaut to be killed in an accident and third to die in a T-38 crash: one other astronaut had died in an air crash; three in Jan. 27 Apollo fire; and one in an automobile accident. He would be buried in Arlington National Cemetery Oct. 9 with full military honors. (W Post, 10/6/67, A1; 10/10/67, B3)
Senate, approving (71-1) DOT's FY 1968 appropriations bill (H.R. 11456) , accepted figures of its Appropriations Committee, where special attention had been given to air and highway safety programs [see Sept. 28]. Despite persistent efforts of Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wisc.) , who would have allowed only $1 million for SST development, amount was fixed at $142 million. Senate-approved bill was sent to conference committee. (CR, 10/5/67,514299-333)
Displeasure with NASA's administrative officials was voiced by Rep. William F. Ryan (D-N.Y.) , member, House Committee on Science and Astronautics, on floor of the House. "NASA continues to evade the serious responsibility of candor," said Rep. Ryan while inserting a series of documents in Congressional Record, including Feb. 15 letter from MSFC Director Wernher von Braun to S. K. Hoffman, NAA Rocketdyne Div. president, on ". . . hardware failure, most . . . traceable to human error, inadequate manufacturing, quality control, or test procedures." NASA Hq. news conference, called at 5:00 pm same day by NASA Administrator James E. Webb, accompanied by key NASA and industry officials, responded to Rep. Ryan's charges and explained that letter to Hoffman had been a case of normal Government-contractor business. Webb pointed out that subcommittees of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics were kept informed each month so that emergency matters could be brought to their attention. Dr. von Braun explained how inspection and quality control procedures were continued as rocket engines were processed at contractor's plant and at Government test sites. He stated that NASA-Rocketdyne coordination on inspection continuity and quality control were applied to both the rocket engine as an entity and the rocket engine/launch-vehicle-stage complex. As trend of news conference discussion turned from quality control to Saturn/Apollo weight problems, M/G Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director, said the heavier Lunar Module resulted from fire-hazard-type design changes. He stated that LM was now 31,500 lb against a 32,000-lb control weight. Referring to weight-lifting capability of Saturn V, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, Dr. George E. Mueller, said lunar payload had increased from 90,000 to 100,000 lb by increasing engine efficiency. Similar improvement was expected in LM's propulsion, which would ease the weight problem. (CR, 10/5/67, Ip13046-8; Transcript)
Boeing Co. won seven USAF Industrial Zero Defects Program awards, including one for the largest value engineering change submitted to and approved by USAF-an improved cable connection for Minuteman missile launch facilities which saved USAF $7,749,258. Other awards: Award of Achievement to Boeing's Aerospace Group; two additional awards for value engineering to Boeing's Minuteman organization; and three awards to individual Boeing employees for cost-reduction ideas. (Boeing Releases S-9429,5-9434)
Brian Todd O'Leary, one of NASA's 12 new scientist-astronauts, was appointed assistant professor of Astronomy Dept., Univ. of Texas. Although flight training portion of astronaut's program would continue for next two years, 30% of O'Leary's time would be available for scientific activities. (AP, B Sun, 10/6/67)
F-111 aircraft, under development by USAF and USN, was defended by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Harold Brown in letter to Sen. Stuart Symington (D-Mo.) , ranking member of Senate Armed Services Committee's Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee: "There has never been and will never be a major development program that does not provide grist for the critic's mill, and I say this without questioning either the sincerity of the critics or the utility of the function they perform." He professed confidence in "comprehensive testimony" before congressional committees and asserted "the F-111 is the aircraft we want and need." (CR, 10/9/67, S14445)
According to National Aeronautic Assn., Soviet authorities had filed with Federation Astronautique International two new world speed records and one new world altitude record for their Mikoyan E-266 twin-tailed fighter aircraft. Pilot Peter Ostapenko had completed 1,000-km (621-mi) closed course with 4,410-lb load at average speed of 2,910 km/hr (1,808 mph) . With same load, pilot Mikhail Komarov had completed 500-km (311-mi) closed course at 2,928 km/hr (1,820 mph) . Alexandr Fedotov reached an altitude of 98,462 ft. (Av Wk 12/18/67, 54-5; NAA/PIO)
October 5-6: JPL engineers conducted series of exercises with NASA's MARINER IV spacecraft (launched Nov. 28, 1964) to demonstrate techniques for controlling Mariner V (launched June 14, 1967) if its star tracker were to fail during Venus flyby Oct. 19. MARINER IV after traveling more than 1.3-billion mi in solar orbit, successfully responded to commands by breaking lock on its unidentified guide star and locking instead on Canopus; breaking lock on Canopus; maintaining stability by turning on inertial control gyros for first time since December 1964; and pointing high-gain antenna toward earth and using it-with a 20-db signal strength increase at DSN ground stations-for first time since October 1965. Practice of procedures gave JPL engineers confidence in ability to stabilize MARINER V by gyros and to keep it oriented by ground command. Spacecraft would remain on inertial control with high-gain antenna oriented toward earth until completion of planned second mid-course maneuver motor firing and other engineering tests. (NASA Proj Off; NASA Release 67-264)
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