Aug 5 1975
From The Space Library
The Saturn IB, used to launch three U.S. Apollo-Soyuz Test Project astronauts into space [see 15-24 July], had experienced no unscheduled holds whatever during countdown, making it the most perfect launch of the Saturn series, Ellery B. May, manager of the Saturn Program Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center, said. Saturn 210, manufactured in 1967, was 10th of the IB series and had the oldest engine used. All Saturn launches had been successful and had met their objectives; although some had anomalies, such as leaks or faulty wiring, no major configuration changes were ever necessary.
The ASTP mission marked the end of the Saturn series, but its impact on technology would continue. "Space Shuttle main engines (SSME) are an outgrowth of technology from Saturn engines," May explained. The major difference between the two was that the Shuttle must have much higher pressure systems than ever before required and must be reusable. (MSFC Release 75-174)
The wingless unpowered X-24B lifting body had made its first landing on a concrete runway at Edwards, Calif, to demonstrate maneuver and safe landing of an unpowered reentry vehicle on a conventional runway. After launch from a B -52 aircraft flying at 14 000 m, test pilot John N. Manke, chief Flight Research Center pilot for the X-24B project, had ignited a small rocket engine, propelling the X-24B to a speed of 1381 km per hr and altitude of 18 300 m. Manke then shut off the engine and glided to a perfect 300-kph landing on the 4600-m runway.
The 11.3-m-long X-24B was a part of a joint NASA-Air Force program to study transonic flight characteristics and landing ability of a vehicle designed for hypersonic speeds. (FRC Release 24-75; LA Times, 6 Aug 75)
Sen. John Tunney (D-Calif.) defended the nation's space program during a tour of Space Shuttle facilities at Rockwell International Corp. in Downey, Calif. According to Sen. Tunney, the most important justification for the space program was to provide new technology in weather mapping and control, to help increase the amount of land available for food production, and to locate additional stocks of natural resources in this country. Sen. Tunney stated, "I quite frankly think without a space program... mankind is going to have a rendezvous with destiny which would be catastrophic. . . ." But with this kind of program, a world food supply and adequate resources can "keep this country going indefinitely." (Pasadena Star News, 6 Aug 75)
An Ames Research Center wind tunnel used primarily for testing the Space Shuttle had been shut down after a steel flange failed, setting off a high-powered explosion of compressed gas. The blast scattered hundreds of hot aluminum oxide pebbles over a wide area, causing several fires but no serious injuries. Space Shuttle testing had been postponed until the facility, which generated pressures up to 126 kg/cm2 (1800 psi) in testing models at 14 times the speed of sound, could be declared operational again. An investigation board was formed to determine the cause of the accident and recommend actions to prevent recurrence. (ARC Astrogram, 14 Aug 75, 1; ARC Experimental Fluid Dynamics Br, interview, 27 June 77; UPI, W Post, 7 Aug 75, A17)
Two Boeing Co. scientists had proposed construction of a 64-million-kg solar power satellite, with 57 sq km of mirrors, to collect and concentrate solar energy, together with thermal engines to convert solar power into electricity, the Christian Science Monitor reported. A microwave transmission system would convert the electricity to a form suitable for transmission to earth. CSM quoted Boeing as saying that within 2 decades "Powersat" could provide up to 10 000 mw of useful power, twice the hydroelectric capacity of Grand Coulee Dam. (AP, CSM, 6 Aug 75, 7)
Kennedy Space Center announced award of an $18 749 million contract to Blount Brothers Construction Co. for modification of Launch Complex 39 Pad A, to accommodate all early Space Shuttle missions. The complex had been the site of all but one of the historic Saturn V launches; Pad B, from which the Skylab Orbital Workshop was launched, would be modified later. The contract included conversion of the mobile launcher for Shuttle operations. (KSC Release 164-75)
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