Dec 27 1963
From The Space Library
NRL astrophysicists reported on "galactic X-ray astronomy" at American Astronomical Society meeting held at Georgetown University. By launching rocket borne "telescopes," NRL scientists have detected two x-ray sources previously unreported. One, a mysterious x-ray source near the constellation Scorpius, is so strong that its x-ray output is one billion times as bright as the earth's sun. This may be the hitherto elusive neutron star theorized by S. Bowyer, E. T. Byram, T. A. Chubb, and H. Friedman. The other x-ray source, located near Scorpius in the Crab Nebula, is the remnant of a super stellar explosion that occurred in 1054 A.D., according to NRL reports. Detectors in a rocket launched on April 29, 1963, spotted the mysterious x-ray emitter near Scorpius. "One possible hypothesis," Friedman said, "is that the x-rays come from an invisible cloud of extremely hot gas, of the order of a million degrees . . . ." Friedman concluded that the development of more sensitive detectors for use on rockets and orbiting satellite observatories would help make less mysterious the strange phenomena now being observed in space. (Simons, Wash. Post, 12/28/63, B2)
At AAS meeting in Washington, S. Karrer and C. C. Kiess reported new evidence suggesting planet Mars has toxic clouds of oxygen and nitrogen compounds, probably nitrogen dioxide gas. By spectroscopic techniques splitting the light from the planet's telescopic image, they found the pattern yielded by nitrogen dioxide gas. Kiess said that phenomena of the Martian appearance through earth telescopes can be explained by changes in the nature and color of nitrogen and oxygen compounds under changing Martian temperatures. (Barbour, Wash. Post, 12/28/63, B2)
At AAS meeting in Washington, Dr. G. E. Moreton described photographs of H-Alpha rays showing that solar flares produce shock waves which depress the sun's surface. The photographs were taken last Sept. 20 at Lockheed Solar Observatory, Burbank, Calif. (Wash. Eve. Star, 12/28/63)
Application of space research in consumer products reported by Dept. of Agriculture researchers Mary Jane Ellis and Philip B. Dwoskin. Aiding the housewife are much advanced "programmed cooking"-ovens with automatic temperature holds-and processed foods-for example, 51 varieties of processed potato products. (Slevin, HTNS, Wash. Post, 12/27/63, A20)
At American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Cleveland, Prof. Kenechi Maeda of Kyoto Univ. described proposal for Japanese space booster submitted by Japanese engineers. Headed by Prof. H. Itokawa of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science, the engineers are designing a multistage, solid-fueled booster capable of putting about 100 lbs. into low earth orbit. Development of the rocket, known by Greek letter "Mu," is not yet approved by Japanese Government. (Hines, Wash. Eve. Star, 12/27/63)
At AAAS meeting in Cleveland, Dr. Allan Brown, biology prof. at Univ. of Pennsylvania, urged that U.S. initiate a program to land a scientific probe on Mars in 1969, because the Martian "surface could be sampled during spring and summer when there would be the best chance of detecting plant life organisms." He recommended adapting Saturn IB booster to carry a several-hundred -pound instrumented payload. Dr. Brown estimated significant scientific probe of Mars could be achieved in 1969 at cost of $2.9 billion over six years. He suggested international cooperation on the project "should be more easily achieved than in any other area of space research or exploration in which both U.S. and Soviet programs are involved." (M&R, 1/6/64, 14)
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