Oct 15 1963

From The Space Library

Seventeen of the 18-member U.N. Disarmament Com­mittee presented a resolution to the U.N. Political Committee of the General Assembly banning the orbiting of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. This was a follow-up to the Oct. 3 announcement of such an agreement among the U.S., U.S.S.R., and U.K. (Brewer, NYT, 10/16/63, 1)

NASA launched an Aerobee rocket to an altitude of 123.5 mi. over White Sands Missile Range, N.M., with a 245-lb. payload to study solar radiation. Three telescopes with automatic camera attached to each took x-ray photos of sun at exposures ranging from 3/10 sec. to 10'0 sec. Equipment was designed to obtain an optical image of the sun from its own low-energy x-rays and would be used in future scientific satellites. GSFC cooperated with American Science and Engineering Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., in the experiment. The payload was recovered 55 mi. downrange. (Wash,. Post. 10/16/63; AP, NYT, 10/16/63, 2; NASA Rpt. of S. Rkt. Launching, 11/14/63)

MIT announced that a laser had been used to observe meteoritic dust at. heights of 35 to 85 mi., with the dust seeming to concentrate at 50 to 75 mi. It was suggested that the lower layer might be re­lated to the noctilucent clouds, since last year's rocket launchings from Sweden suggested that noctilucent clouds found at that altitude could be ice-covered particles of meteoritic dust. The higher layer might be at the level where meteors break into dust on entry into the earth's atmosphere. (NYT, 10/16/63, 2)

Dr. Frederick Seitz, President of the National Academy of Science, was the opening witness in hearings on the Government's role as a patron of science and technology, conducted by the subcommittee on Science, Research and Development of the House Commit­tee on Science and Astronautics. Dr. Seitz said that the period of almost unlimited growth of Federal investment in science and technology was coming to an end, would have to level off and force some "hard decisions" on choices, and expressed the fear that basic science would suffer in competition with more glamorous hardware projects. For the most part he thought U.S. science was well ahead of Russia, but noted remarkable progress on the part of West Germany and Japan. (Finney, NYT, 10/16/63)

Second Town Meeting of the World telecast by CBS-TV Via TELSTAR II satellite. The subject was "The Christian Revolu­tion" and linked in a discussion church leaders in New York, London, and Rome. Program was only a partial technical suc­cess, since the audio signal for the speakers in Rome was miss­ing for most of the program. (CBS-TV)

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