Apr 9 1965
From The Space Library
Current revision
ComSatCorp's EARLY BIRD I communications satellite, launched April 6 by NASA, was placed into a "near letter perfect" synchronous orbit, with apogee, 36,637.1 km. ( 22.765 mi.) ; perigee, 35,041.9 km. (21,774 mi.) The five-day-early maneuver was accomplished by firing small retrorocket onboard satellite 19.7 sec. The satellite would he allowed to drift about 5°-over 300 mi.-to the exact point over the Atlantic where it would remain for its expected three to five year lifetime. (NYT, 4/10/65 )
USAF launched Blue Scout Jr. space probe from Eastern Test Range with instrumented pay load to measure space environment effects on biological samples. The probe reached altitude of about 18,000 mi., reentered over the South Atlantic Ocean. Telemetry was received for only 15 min. (U.S. Aeron. & Space Act., 1965, 140)
Dr. George E. Mueller, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, announced change of primary control of manned flight missions from Cape Kennedy to Manned Spacecraft Center Mission Control Center. Christopher Kraft, mission flight director for GT-3 flight, completed Mar, 28, would serve as mission director for GT-4 flight scheduled for later this year, MSC Mission Control Center would provide centralized control of manned spaceflight programs from launch through recovery; computer-driven time and data displays would report instantly the status of astronauts, spacecraft, and supporting operations to mission/flight director. Most information would travel over land lines. (Transcript; NASA Release 65-119 )
NASA awarded MIT separate cost reimbursement contract, with no fee, to cover further work on guidance and navigation of Apollo command and lunar excursion modules. The new contract, running from March 1 through November 4, 1965, totaled $15,529,000, including $14 million to support research activities in the guidance and navigation field. ( NASA Release 65-116)
NASA was negotiating with Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp., prime contractor to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Engineering OAO program, to convert prototype OAO into flight-ready spacecraft. The contract was expected to exceed $8 million. The converted prototype, to be designated OAO A-2, would be the third spacecraft scheduled for launch in OAO program, First planned launch in the series was scheduled for late this year or early next year at Cape Kennedy. (NASA Release 65-115)
The Christian Science Monitor asked Dr. Homer E. Newell, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, and Dr. Philip H. Abelson, Director of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and editor of Science magazine, to present elements of the debate on the question "Man in space: is it worth $40 billion?" Dr. Newell presented the case for manned space flight: "The manned space flight effort serves to round out the total program, Its primary aim is to develop a broad space capability that will secure to this nation strength, security, flexibility, and freedom of choice in space, Landing men on the moon and returning them to earth has been chosen as the means to this broader, more substantive end, and it is not to be considered as the only justification for our manned space effort," Dr. Abelson, speaking for the critics, said: "The unmanned program has been a substantial contributor to our international prestige. Moreover, prestige based on science and technology tends to be enduring... "Our Apollo program was launched for reasons of international prestige. The yield has not been very good or very lasting, How many citizens can now recall the names of the astronauts and of their capsules? We can expect much the same reaction when we finally accomplish a moon landing." (CSM, 4/9/65)
NASA announced publication of a summary of research results of the joint NASA-USAF-USN, 10-yr. X-15 flight program. (NASA Release 65-114; NASA SP-60, X-15 Research Results)
After two days of discussion with West Germany's Minister of Defense Kai Uwe von Hassel, Britain's Minister of Defence Denis Healey told a news conference in Bonn, Germany, that the two countries had agreed to develop by the 1970's a light combat Vtol fighter and possibly a heavy aircraft to succeed the F-104 Starfighter, Healey added that studies were being conducted on other weapon projects, including tanks and tank equipment. (NYT, 4/10/65, 46)
Editorial in Life put into perspective the "break-throughs" and spectacular "firsts" recently achieved in space exploration-U.S.S.R.'s VOSKHOD II, U.S.'s GEMINI III, RANGER IX, ComSatCorp's EARLY BIRD, "The first Sputnik was less than eight years ago, but already the space age has reached what President Johnson calls an 'early maturity.” Each technical advance is a planned and measured consequence of the previous one; Mercury fed Gemini and Gemini feeds Apollo; each hero stands on the shoulders of predecessors who are also his contemporaries… "Our space program is, as Johnson puts it, 'a national asset of proven worth and incalculable potential,' Its cost is leveling off at about $7 billion a year, One hopes this includes enough to land us on the moon before the Russians-and what's wrong with wanting to be first? … "Our program, which may or may not be overtaking the Russian, is well past its own first period of jumpy desperation, We can stick to it in confidence." (Life, 4/9/65)
U.S.S.R. was building a spaceship designed not for space flight, but for exhibition in a new space museum to be built at the site of Moscow's Space Monument. Inside the model cabin, which would have a seating capacity of 100, a movie showing the earth as it appeared from space would be shown to visitors. (AP, San Diego Eve. Trib., 4/9/65, 22)
Communist China's failure to conduct a scheduled second nuclear test in March was reported by an unidentified U.S. researcher in an interview with AP, He said reasons for the delay might be technical or political. (AP, NYT, 4 /11 /65, 94)
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