Aug 7 1973
From The Space Library
The earth had passed between NASA'S Pioneer 10 (launched to-ward Jupiter March 2, 1972) and the sun for the second time during its 1-billion-km (620-million-mi) journey, Ames Research Center announced. Pioneer 10 was 850 million km (530 million mi) from the earth and was scheduled to make history's first visit to Jupiter in December. When the spacecraft, the earth, and the sun were aligned in inferior conjunction, Pioneer 10's sun sensor would look almost directly at the sun, interfering with the sensor's count of the spacecraft rotation rate. To avoid the problem, ARC flight directors were keeping the pointing direction of the spacecraft's radio beam and sun sensor 1.5° from the sun and 1° from the earth. Pioneer 11 (launched toward Jupiter April 5, 1973) was 150 million km (93 million mi) from the earth. Both spacecraft were functioning well. (ARC Release 73-84)
Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Laboratory held the first public demonstration of its new heart pacemaker that used electric and electronic components designed by NASA for spacecraft use. The new pace-maker, smaller and longer lasting than conventional models, could be implanted more quickly and easily. It had no life-limiting components or radioactive emissions, was immune from outside interference sources, and could be recharged by patients at home. It incorporated modified space satellite power cells. (NASA Release 73-150; Cohn, W Post, 8/8/73)
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