Sep 29 1966
From The Space Library
Crew for second manned Apollo mission, scheduled for 1967 as open-ended earth orbital flight up to 14 days, was announced by NASA: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., command pilot; Donn F. Eisele, senior pilot; and Walter Cunningham, pilot. Backup crew: Frank Borman, command pilot; Thomas P. Stafford, senior pilot; and Michael Collins, pilot. It would be first space mission for Eisele and Cunningham. ‘‘(NASA Release 66-260)’’
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center had awarded three new study contracts totaling $400,000 to investigate launch vehicle needs and best methods for sending manned spacecraft on planetary flyby trips : North American Aviation, Inc., received $100,000 to study feasibility of modifying Saturn V 2nd stage (S-II) for use as an orbital injection stage; Douglas Aircraft Co., $100,000 for feasibility of using Saturn V 3rd stage (S-IVB) as part of a planetary vehicle; and TRW Systems, Inc., $200,000 for alternate mission modes for manned Mars and Venus orbital and landing missions. ‘‘(MSFC Release 66-223)’’
Soviet scientists, in report distributed by Tass, said it was now possible to protect spacecraft from radiation with an electromagnetic field in place of heavy metal shielding that had begun to limit possibilities of space travel. “The proposed electrostatic protection is much lighter with its weight consisting only of the electrodes, insulators, and sources of power.” Tass also quoted Soviet scientists as saying that danger of man’s becoming overheated in space during prolonged work in an airtight suit would disappear if the suit were ventilated from within. Experiments had shown that man wearing an unventilated spacesuit might develop first symptoms of overheating on fourth day; on fifth day, body temperature might rise and heart rate increase, resulting in considerably decreased ability to work. ‘‘(Tass, 9/29/66; AP, Wash. Post, 9/29/66, A1)’’
Boeing Co. unveiled a $2-million, full-scale mockup of 1,800 mph SST-featuring variable-sweep wings, 350-passenger capacity, and a movable nose-built in Government-sponsored competition for SST production contract. Specifications were submitted to FAA Sept. 6, for evaluation. ‘‘(Boeing Photos; Clark, NYT, 9/30/66, 45; Wash. Eve. Star, 9/30/66, B9)’’
AIAA-sponsored tour of European aerospace companies began in Paris with briefing arranged by Eurospace, the Council of European Industrial Groups. AIAA President Raymond L. Bisplinghoff led the combined tour, which then broke into three groups for visits to facilities in France, U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, West Germany, and Italy. In a welcoming address in Paris, Eurospace President Jean Delorme said his group would (1) urge establishment of a “European Space Authority” modeled after ESRO, (2) encourage greater national investment in cooperative R&D progress, and (3) point out discrepancy between Europe’s high economic potential and low investment in aerospace R&D. ‘‘(Newbauer and Hersey, A&A, 1/67, 46-56)’’
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