Dec 27 1968
From The Space Library
Apollo 8 splashdown.
Apollo 8 Onboard flight recorder transcript
Apollo 8 Commentary flight transcript
Apollo 8 Composite flight transcript
At White House press conference President Johnson discussed Apollo 8's effect on U.S. position in space race: "We are very pleased with the progress we have made. . . Each side has different examples of its achievements. But in the 10 to 11 years since Sputnik I . . when we didn't even have a space committee in the Congress, when we were talking about the basketball up there in the air, when we have weathered the storms that have brewed-everyone who wanted to cut anything, the first thing they wanted to cut was the space program -when we have seen the editorial professors inform us that there was really no value in doing all of this anyway, it gives me great pleasure now to see the thrill that even they are getting out of it." President described anxiety about complex mission and said he had repeatedly asked himself whether U.S. was ready, whether date selected was best one, whether every possible precaution had been taken, and whether every man had performed his requirements. "About all you can do . . . is to pick men that you have confidence in, that you trust, give them the support they need, and then hold on." Remembering he had "recommended this goal for this decade" to President Kennedy, he said: "There have been many pitfalls every step of the way. I don't know how many folks have just wanted to abandon it, clip it, cut it, take the money for the cities or the war or just anything else. Space has been a whipping boy. "So when you see the day approaching when visions, and dreams, and what we said to the Congress when we created the Space Administration back in 1958 are becoming reality, you naturally are hopeful." Later, in telephone message to Apollo 8 astronauts, President congratulated crew and said: "You have made us very proud to be alive at this particular moment in history. You have made us feel akin to those Europeans nearly five centuries ago who heard stories of the New World for the first time. . . . My thoughts this morning went back to more than 10 years ago . . . when we saw Sputnik racing through the skies, and we realized that America had a big job ahead of it. "It gave me so much pleasure to know that you men have done a large part of that job." (PD, 12/30/68, 1744-50)
International comment on Apollo 8 mission: In statement distributed by Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., Boris Petrov, Chairman of Council for International Cooperation in Investigation and Utilization of Outer Space, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, hailed "hardware" and "courage" of Apollo 8 astronauts but called attention to "considerable accent" placed on "automatic devices" in Soviet space program. He said, "The Soviet Union is engaged in a large-scale program of planned studies and exploration of outer space, which provides for the investigation of the earth's upper atmosphere and of near-earth outer space and studies of sun-earth relationships and of our closest space neighbors-the moon, venus and mars, and later, on more remote planets." Cuban National Radio called mission "a total success." Tass: "Due tribute should be paid to the courage and mastery of Frank Borman, William Anders and James Lovell who have accomplished this outstanding scientific and technical experiment. The successful flight of Apollo 8 ushers in a new stage in the history of space exploration." Ten Soviet cosmonauts telegraphed Apollo crew congratulations for "another milestone in scientific and technical progress." Pope Paul VI, in message to President Johnson: "Giving thanks to God for the successful completion of the magnificent enterprise of the Apollo 8 mission, we congratulate you and the people of the United States of America and particularly the intrepid space travelers, and invoke divine blessing upon all contributing to this noble achievement." U.N. Secretary General U Thant: "The powerful thrust of the rocket engines, the awesome speeds attained in flight, the vast distances traveled, the precision of navigation and the fidelity of communications, aural and visual, all stagger the imagination and defy the comprehension of man." Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia: "a great milestone in man's continued search of the unknown." Gov. Gen. Roland Michener of Canada, in message to President Johnson: Canadians had followed astronauts' flight with "admiration for their courage and the technical skill of all who have a part in the enterprise." Prime Minister Eisaku Sato of Japan to President Johnson: feat showed America's "courage and the high level of scientific technology." In Kaduna, Nigeria, New Nigerian said Apollo 8, "Apart from being the supreme technological achievement . . . of all time," was "another exciting chapter in man's eternal quest to triumph over his own natural environment." Same skills and resources which were helping to conquer space "could easily be diverted to giving man a better life on earth itself-if only all of us would allow the good that is inherent in all mankind to assert itself." (AP, B Sun, 12/28/68, 1; New Nigerian, 12/27/68, 1)
San Francisco Chronicle said: "In their meteoric flitting about the skies the crew of the Apollo 8 did more than thrill their fellow Americans and pump up the national ego. They drew commendations from directors of the Soviet space project whose considerable achievement they had outstripped." They made believers of "informed skeptics such as Sir Bernard Lovell, director of Britain's Jodrell Bank Observatory, who had more than ever scoffed at the value of the moon venture. (They also drove the stubborn adherents of the flat-earth theory into confusion.) All this they accomplished in faultless style." (SF Chornicle, 12/27/68, 30)
Associated Press quoted Mrs. Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who was instrumental in having prayer removed from U.S. public schools, as saying she would register complaints with NASA against reading by Apollo 8 astronauts of portions of Genesis during lunar orbit and would organize mail campaign to bar prayer from space. (AP, W Post, 12/28/68, A9)
Washington Post said Harvard Univ. scientist Dr. George B. Kistiakowsky, who in 1959 was chief science adviser to President Eisenhower, had said in taped interview for broadcast on CBS radio network Dec. 29 that putting man on moon would not compare to great scientific achievements such as breaking genetic code. "This [moon flight] is an adventure. . . . it's different from Darwin's travels," which led to his discovery of genetic evolution. (Aarons, W Post, 12/28/68, A8)
Apollo 7 mission (Oct. 11-22) was adjudged successful by NASA. All launch vehicle systems had performed satisfactorily throughout expected lifetime and spacecraft systems functioned with few minor anomalies, which were countered, preventing loss of systems support. Splashdown occurred within one mile of guidance system target point and recovery of flight crew and Cm was successful. All test objectives had been successfully accomplished. (NASA Proj Off)
Apollo 6 (launched April 4) was adjudged unsuccessful by NASA. Although three of five primary mission objectives had been fully accomplished and two partially accomplished, overall mission was not a success. Apollo 6 had entered elliptical parking orbit instead of planned circular orbit when 2nd stage engines shut down prematurely and 3rd stage failed to reignite on command. (NASA Proj Off)
NASA announced it would convert to civil service operation during next 18 mo work performed in 810 contractor positions at GSFC, to bring Center's operations into accord with Civil Service Commission guidelines prohibiting Government supervision of contractor employees. Many incumbent contractor employees would be offered Government positions and only small portion of contractors' activities would be affected in many cases. Conversion would be completed by June 1970 and NASA would continue to rely on industry to considerable extent for support services. (NASA Release 68-223)
MSFC announced it had issued Boeing Co. $8,429,047 supplemental agreement extending from October 1968 to March 1970 maintenance and operation of Saturn V development facility at MSFC and providing for mechanical ground support equipment and logistics work. (MSFC Release 68-283)
NASA announced award by LeRC of $3,448,762 cost-plus-award-fee contract to Honeywell, Inc., for Centaur launch vehicle guidance system including management, engineering, repair, and modification support during 1969. (NASA Release 68-222)
In Science Dr. J. C. G. Walker, Yale Univ. geologist and geophysicist, and N. W. Spencer, Chief of GSFC's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Biological Sciences, said thermosphere probe experiments had provided largest body of rocket mass-spectrometer data obtained. Tests had been conducted jointly by scientists at GSFC and Space Physics Research Lab. at Univ. of Michigan to determine temperatures of earth's upper atmosphere. Since 1962, concentration and temperature of molecular nitrogen in upper atmosphere had been measured in 22 successful flights under varying conditions of solar activity, from launch sites at Fort Churchill, Manitoba, Wallops Island, Va., and Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Scientists had concluded that upper atmosphere consisted of mixture of gases-electrons, ions, and neutral particles-each of which had distinct temperature. Multiplicity of temperatures could be expected in upper atmosphere of planets, though differences between planetary atmospheres must be more striking than similarities because of differences in atmospheric composition and in distance from sun. It was likely that absence of permanent magnetic field on either Mars or Venus caused further substantial differences between upper atmospheres of these planets and upper atmosphere of earth. (Science, 12/27/68, 1437-41)
National Science Foundation announced median annual salary of U.S. scientists in 1968 was $13,000, up $1,200 (10%) from 1966. Self-employed scientists earned highest median, $18,000, in 1968, with those employed by industry, business, and nonprofit organizations second at $14,700. Federal Government scientists reported same median salary-$13,500-as those employed on yearly basis by educational institutions. Single largest users of scientific talent were educational institutions (40/0), Industry and business employed 32%, and 10% were civilians in Federal Government. Information was based on responses by 298,000 U.S. scientists to NSF's biennial National Register survey. (NSF Release 68-181)
New York Times said article in December issue of Australian Quarterly by Australian National Univ. lecturer Robert Cooksey had suggested U.S. "space research facility" at Pine Gap near geographical center of Australia might be station designed to guide orbital missiles fired from U.S. to targets in Communist China. Article had caused flurry of questions about base in Australian press. Later New York Times story said U.S. officials in Washington had denied suggestion and said Pine Gap installation was joint U.S.-Australian space research facility established by agreement in 1966. (Trumbull, NYT, 12/29/68, 30)
DOD announced appointment to Defense Science Board of Dr. Arthur T. Biehl, Associate Director for Advanced Study, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory; Dr. Lewis M. Branscomb, Chairman of Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, Univ. of Colorado; Daniel J. Fink, General Manager for Space Systems, General Electric Corp.; and Dr. Charles M. Herzfeld, Technical Director of Defense Space Group (R&D) , International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. (DOD Release 1139-68)
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