Apr 21 1965
From The Space Library
Pegasus B second of the "winged" micrometeoroid detection satellites, arrived at Cape Kennedy to he readied for launch during the next two months. Similar to PEGASUS I, Pegasus B would occupy a simulated Apollo service module aboard the SA-8 vehicle. A boilerplate model of the Apollo command module would be placed above the Pegasus; in orbit, the Apollo modules would be jettisoned and the satellite exposed. Preliminary data from PEGASUS I indicated it was confirming current theory on micrometeoroid density. (MSFC Release 65-85; Marshall Star, 4/21/65, 1, 2)
NASA absolved Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom (Maj. USAF) of any blame in the 58-mi,-off-target landing of the GEMINI III spacecraft following the three-orbit flight Mar, 23, according to MSC spokesman. The mishap was attributed to the fact that the spacecraft did not develop as much lift as expected. The possibility that Major Grissom might have banked GEMINI III improperly as a result of misunderstanding instructions from ground stations had been investigated. (UPI, NYT, 4/21/65, 11, MSC GEMINI III Fact Sheet)
EARLY BIRD communications satellite would relay a sampling of scientific, cultural, and entertainment events televised live at 35 sites in North America and Europe during an hour-long inaugural program, "This is Early Bird," scheduled for 1 p.m. EST, May 2, ComSatCorp announced. (ComSatCorp Release; Adams, NYT, 4/21/65, 91 )
Thomas W. Thompson of Cornell Univ. said in a paper presented at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union that half the moon's surface had been mapped in a lunar mapping program using the radio- radar telescope at Cornell's Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, From the radar signal returns, the hardest areas of the moon were the rim and floor of the relatively new craters. The floors of the older craters and the surface of the maria were covered by a three-to-four-meter-thick layer of highly porous material often referred to as "lunar dust." (Simons, Wash, Post, 4/22/65; NYT, 4/22/65)
Dr. Gordon H. Pettingill, Dr. Rolf H. Dyce, and Dr. Thomas Gold of Cornell Univ. reported to the meeting of the American Geophysical Union that through radar studies with Cornell's 1,000-ft,-diameter radiotelescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, they had found an apparent "flat spot" on the planet Mars that seemed to correspond to markings seen there through telescopes. They also reported that radar observations indicated the planet Mercury rotated on its own axis once each 54 to 64 days, exposing all sides to the sun in a year, Its full day, corresponding to a 24-hr, earth cycle, would be about 180 earth days long. It was inconclusive whether Mercury rotated in the opposite direction from its orbit-a retrograde rotation-or in the same direction as its orbit-a direct rotation, Dr. Gold also speculated that Mercury could not have been in its present orbit for much longer than 400 million years, Otherwise, he postulated, the sun would have held the planet over a long enough period of time to force it into a synchronous or 88-day rotation. This suggested to Gold that Mercury might once have been a moon of Venus but broke away or was tugged away to establish its own orbit around the sun. (Hines, Wash. Eve, Star, 4/21/65; Clark, NYT, 4/21/65, 17; Simons, Wash. Post, 4/21/65)
In a statement of FAA policy outlined by FAA Administrator Najeeb E. Halaby, FAA's obligation was affirmed to regulate private conduct of pilots but only to the extent required in the public interest; to recognize the right of the general public to be informed and to be heard; to apply the regulatory hand evenly in similar situations, while also recognizing the different rights, duties, and operational requirements of the various segments of the aviation community; and to manage the airspace as a national resource in a manner best serving the requirements of all users while also recognizing the interests of people on the ground. (Text)
Dr. Homer E. Newell, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, was among the ten outstanding Federal Government employees chosen by the National Civil Service League to receive Career Service Awards May 19. (Wash, Post, 4/22/65)
April 21-23: A Technology Status and Trends Symposium was held at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for industry and university officials and invited guests, Purpose of the conference was to make available for general use in everyday life the results of research and engineering carried out in connection with the U.S. space program. (Marshall Star, 4/21/65, 1, 5; NASA SP-5030)
At AIAA/AFLC /ASD Support for Manned Flight Conference in Dayton, Ohio, Temple W. Neumann of Philco Corp. reviewed studies of manned Mars missions and discussed the importance of "early biological precursor missions" to Mars. He concluded: "It has been shown that the lack of biological, as well as critical environmental, data about Mars can have important ramifications in not only the cost, but possibly even in the feasibility of performing early manned missions to Mars. The importance of preliminary knowledge about the interaction of possible Martian organisms with man and his equipment has been shown to significantly affect surface operations, decontamination requirements, and equipment reliability, Further, the need for some preliminary data about the nature of Martian organisms is necessary in order to intelligently design an experimental program for use by the first manned landing expedition. The conclusion can therefore be supported that a precursor biological mission, such as that represented by the current ABL studies, is mandatory in the early 1970 time period if manned missions are to make effective use of the mid-1980 launch opportunities." (Text, AIAA Paper 65-249)
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