Sep 28 1963
From The Space Library
First birthday of ALOUETTE I ("topside sounder") satellite, built by Canada and launched by NASA into orbit Sept. 28, 1962. ALOUETTE was still functioning well and transmitting ionospheric data to 13 telemetry stations around the world. NASA launched four-stage Javelin (Argo D-4) rocket with instrumented payload to 645-mi. altitude from Wallops Station, in experiment to compare rocket-borne measurements of ion and electron temperatures and densities with similar data obtained by ALOUETTE. Measurements were taken by the rocket payload in the ionosphere 10 min. before ALOUETTE passed through the region and made its measurements. Data were telemetered to ground receiving stations and no recover operation was involved. Flight was follow-on to similar experiment conducted July 2, results of which indicated close agreement in measurements. During the first year of operation, ALOUETTE I orbited the earth 4,981 times, executed 12,900 commands, and provided 2,060 hours of telemetry transmissions. (GSFC Historian; NASA Release 63211; Wallops Release 63-87; Goddard News, 9/23/63,1)
Aerobee 150A sounding rocket launched from NASA Wallops Station with U.S.-Japanese experiment to measure electron temperatures and densities in the ionosphere by two different methods: Langmuir probe, supplied by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and radio-frequency resonance probe, developed by Radio Research Laboratory, Tokyo. 185-lb. payload reached 141mi. altitude and transmitted approximately 8 min. of telemetry before impacting in Atlantic Ocean about 71 mi. from launch site. Data obtained from the daytime experiment were compared with data obtained from similar experiment conducted at night, three days earlier. (NASA Releases 211 and 218)
Navy SKMR-1 air-cushion Hydroskimmer, developed by Bell Aerosystems for speeds up to 80 mph, went through its paces at Lake Erie. (A&AE, Nov.,1963,11)
Unidentified USN satellite placed in orbit with Thor-Able-Star launch vehicle launched from Vandenberg AFB. Satellite was first to be completely powered by nuclear generator, a 27-lb. Snap-9A (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power)' which will produce 25 watts of power continuously for five years. Press sources unofficially identified the satellite as TRANSIT V-B. The Navy later disclosed that a second satellite weighing 120 lbs. had been launched pickaback style along with the 160-lb. nuclear-powered satellite. This sun-powered satellite carried several radiation detectors and six transistors in a test of means of protecting these devices from radiation damage. (Finney, NYT, 9/15/63, 75; Hill, NYT, 10/1/63, 1, 76; Av. Wk., 10/7/63, 37; Wash. Post, 1/10/64)
Article by commentator Stanislav Kondrashov, first published mention in U.S.S.R. of President Kennedy's proposal for U.S.-U.S.S.R. cooperation in lunar exploration, appeared in Soviet magazine Za Rubezhom. Article said "American propaganda ... is pushing to the forefront the President's idea of sending a joint Soviet-U.S. team to the moon. "In lavish headlines American newspapers describe the grandiose character of the project, although it seems it is somewhat premature .... "Leaving aside judgment of the President's lunar project, it should be noticed that the hard emphasis on it is hardly worthwhile. "It distracts attention from joint earthly exploits directed at attaining peace and reduction of world tension. . . ." (UPI, Wash. Post, 9/29/63)
Discussing President Kennedy's proposal for U.S.-U.S.S.R. lunar cooperation, James J. Haggerty, Jr., said in Army-Navy-Air Force Journal and Register article "The big question ... is how far along are the Soviets in a moon program and which mode of approach did they select? ". . . if the Soviets have adopted one of the approaches we have discarded, any cooperative arrangement would require program reorientation on the part of both nations of such magnitude that the only imaginable result is complete chaos, compounded of the basic difference in approach, the language barrier, differing technological philosophies and engineering standards. "Even if the U.S.S.R. is already proceeding on the same lines as the U.S., i.e. the lunar orbit rendezvous mode, there are different methods of attaining the same end and it is extremely unlikely that their systems development parallels our own in every detail. "It is possible of course that the cooperative program consist of joint funding, a single lunar launch base and a common pool of astronauts, with the technical differences being resolved trough the use of one spacecraft/launch vehicle combination without altering current developmental lines. But which one? Who gets the program management? One can see a political and technical argument over the `Apollostok' (or should it be `Vostapollo?') which would leave the moon safe from assault for at least a couple of decades." (A-N-AF Journal & Reg., 9/28/63, 14)
Communications Satellite Corp. set 1966 as target date to start commercial operation of global satellite communications network. (A&AE, Nov. 1963, 11)
Sermon by Dr. Duncan Howlett, Washington Unitarian minister, was quoted in Washington Post. On June 18,1961, Dr. Howlett said "Why can we not boldly propose now a cooperative moon-shot, built and manned by Russian and American scientists? Why can we not send a capsule to the moon with a Russian and an American inside it; and when they get there let them claim the moon not for Russia, not for the United States, but for humanity? ... "We can claim space for humanity or we can make it a battle ground to which to extend the ancient quarrels of earth. Which shall it be? There is but one choice before us. We can try to make the exploration of space a cooperative venture. We cannot succeed unless we try . . . ." (Glaser, Wash,. Post, 9/28/63)
The International Academy of Astronautics, at regular meeting, elected Dr. Charles Stark Draper to succeed Dr. Frank J. Malina as President of the Academy. Dr. Draper is one of the world's leading space engineers, engaged in the solution of problems of guidance and control of space vehicles. His latest and largest undertaking is the design of the guidance-navigation system to be used aboard the Apollo spacecraft, which is to carry man to a Moon landing and a safe return. He is Head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as Director of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, in which capacity he leads a team of 1,800 scientists, engineers and technicians. (IAF Release 17, 10/1/63)
Trevor Gardner, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for R&D (1955-56) and advocate of increased funding for ICBM development, died at his home in Washington. (AP, NYT, 9/30/63, 29)
The Iven C. Kincheloe Award was presented by Mrs. Dorothy Kincheloe to the seven original Mercury astronauts as the highlight of the Seventh Annual Awards Banquet of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots held at Lancaster, Calif. The award is presented annually for the recognition of outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing. (Space News Roundup, 10/16/63)
September 28-29: Open house at NASA Wallops Station, Va., in observance of NASA Fifth Anniversary (Oct. 1). Approximately 8,000 persons visited the facility. (Wallops Releases 63-84 and 63-89)
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