Apr 23 1970
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos CCCXXXIV into orbit with 482km (299.5-mi) apogee, 271-km (168.4-mi) perigee, 92-min period, and 70.9° inclination. Satellite reentered Aug. 9. (GSFC-SSR, 4/30/70; 8131170)
House passed by 229 votes to 105 H.R. 16516, FY 1971 NASA authorization, after agreeing to recommit bill to House Committee on Science and Astronautics with instructions to reduce Apollo program funding by $14.5 million and space flight operations funding by $15.5 million. Action brought authorization total to $3.601 billion, $30 million below $3.631 billion reported by House Committee on Science and Astronautics on March 12, but $268 million more than $3.333 billion requested by Administration. (CR, 4/23/70, H3377-23)
Dr. Wernher von Braun, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, addressed American Newspaper Publishers Assn. in New York: "Our mental concepts and life habits are Earth-oriented. The ability to go the Moon or Mars is regarded as something, less than important, and this is only natural. But I am firmly convinced that the space program will prove to be one of the most important, creative, and beneficial to mankind ever undertaken by the United States.... I think we must clearly establish in this new. decade our goals and objectives as an agency first, and then define the hardware needed only after we know exactly where we are headed." Hardware "on hand or that would be fine to develop" should not "tell us where we're going." (Text)
U.S. detection in 1950s of Soviet radar three times size of football field was described before Association by Dr. John S. Foster, Jr., DOD Director of Defense Research and Engineering: "It was so big that when we first found out about it we were hesitant even to identify it as a radar. Much later we learned that it was far too powerful for most of the applications we could imagine. Assuming it was a radar, many argued that it made sense only as part of a detection, tracking and control network for satellites. The non-radar proponents even tried to make it into such things as a space communications system. The location of the first such radar argued that... this equipment probably would form part of an ABM system." (Text)
Earth resources data on selected areas of Texas, gathered for MSC data bank, were presented to representatives of Texas Committee for the Study of Land Use and Environmental Control during MSC briefing on NASA earth resources aircraft program. Committee also received pertinent earth resources data collected by NASA while developing remote sensing techniques for spacecraft applications. (MSC Release 70-42a)
Rep. J. Glenn Beall, Jr. (R-Md.), on House floor called for Government investigation of a selection by NASA of General Electric Co. for negotiation of ATS-F and ATS-G contract announced April 8. He claimed that technical innovations developed by Fairchild Hiller Corp. "eventually became a part of the competitor's proposal." (CR, 4/23/70, H3435-6)
USAF resumed testing at WSMR after seven-month pause for remodeling with launch of 15-m (50-ft) Athena test missile from Utah Launch Complex at Green River. Remodeling permitted facility to accept Athena H-longer, heavier, improved Athena-scheduled for launch in late 1970. Athena was used in SAMSO's Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems (ABRES) program to test reentry concepts and phenomena with subscale models of ballistic reentry vehicles. (AFSC Release 105.70)
Scientists at Smithsonian Institution's Astrophysical Laboratory said studies of 10-kg (22-lb) meteorite that fell near Lost City, Okla., Jan. 9 had provided firmest evidence to date of intensity of cosmic rays beyond sun. Data obtained had raised possibility that manned spacecraft venturing to planets beyond Mars might have to be armored against swarms of high-energy "space bullets." Meteorite was estimated to have weighed 227 kg (500 lbs) originally and was assumed to be fragment of explosive collision between two huge objects 6 million yrs ago. (AP, B Sun, 4/24/70, A3; Smithsonian PAO)
MSC announced award of $3 000 000 NASA contract to Garrett Corp. AiResearch Manufacturing Co. Div. for portable astronaut life support assembly (ALSA) to support extravehicular and intravehicular activity in Skylab program. (MSC Release 70-43)
Former Presidential science advisers testified on NAS funding before Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare's NSF Subcommittee. Dr. James R. Killian, Jr., MIT Board Chairman, said he could recall "no time when financial outlook was so bleak" in 30 yrs of college administration work. Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner, MIT Provost, said cutbacks in scientific research might cost U.S. world leadership in science and technology and economic well-being in future. Dr. George B. Kistiakowsky, Harvard Univ. chemist, said budget stringency and "selective and uncoordinated pruning" by Government agencies had damaged U.S. scientific effort. Dr. Donald F. Hornig, President-elect of Brown Univ., concurred with colleagues. (Schmeck, NYT, 4/24/70, 9)
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