Aug 20 1962
From The Space Library
Senator Howard W. Cannon spoke on the Senate floor on the need for an enlarged military space program. ". . . the major emphasis being placed by present U.S. space efforts has been on the purely scientific exploration of space and on its civilian applications, in priority above and indeed to the detriment of development of vitally needed military capabilities in space. If continued, this could prove to be a fatal mistake . . . . Unfortunately the present direction of our national efforts in space gives little or no assurance that attention is truly directed to the development of our military capabilities . . . . Clearly, we ought to have an energetic development program underway, adequately supported with funds, to find means to defend ourselves against attacks that could come from hostile orbiting space vehicles." Senator Cannon listed several "minimum essential required space capabilities:" (1) near-space operations using manned maneuverable vehicles "capable of self-defense and having the capability of conducting offensive, defensive, and passive support missions;" (2) a standard military-civilian space launch system; (3) unmanned satellites for military communications missions; (4) improved tracking, control, and detection facilities (5) space-located facilities for R&D; (6) space-located bioastronautics research by means of a manned orbiting satellite.
X-15 No. 2 flown to 3,433 mph speed (mach 5.22) and 87,000-ft. altitude by Maj. Robert A. Rushworth (USAF), the roll damper failing three times and forcing pilot Rushworth to rely on the backup system. Electronic malfunction did not interfere with flight's primary mission: to chart aerodynamic heating rates at relatively high airspeeds and moderate angles of attack.
DOD-AEC jointly announced they were making a detailed study with NASA to determine possible effects of new radiation belt created by U.S. high-altitude nuclear blast on July 8, 1962, on manned orbital space flights. Preliminary study showed new belt was 400 mi. wide and 4,000 mi. deep, stretching around the earth above the geomagnetic equator. Government scientists stated the belt had lost half its radioactivity over a 2-3 week period and predicted the decay would be more rapid at lower altitudes than at higher ones.
D. Brainerd Holmes, NASA Director of Manned Space Flight, stated in press interview that the recently-created radiation belt had not altered plans for Project Mercury manned flight MA-8. "We don't have enough data on this. We are looking at this thing, but until we have looked at it a lot more completely, I would not like to see us change our plans."
DOD announced plans to develop Titan III launch vehicle powered by both solid and liquid rocket fuels and capable of thrust greater than 2.5 million pounds. To become operational by 1965, Titan III would be used primarily to launch X-20 (Dyna-Soar) manned spacecraft as well as heavy military satellites. Martin-Marietta Corp. was selected as prime contractor for Titan III, to cost between $500 million and $1 billion.
Soviet scientist A. Mikhailov, writing in Pravda, reported twin space flights of Maj. Andrian Nikolayev and Lt. Col. Pavel Popovich apparently proved that "normal and corpuscular radiation" presented no danger to space travelers unless it was "catastrophically intensified" and that the chances of harm from large meteorites were "rather slight."
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