Dec 27 1971
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R.. launched two satellites from Plesetsk. Cosmos 470 entered orbit with 257=km (159.7-mi) apogee, 190-km (118.1- mi) perigee, 88.9-min period, and 65.4° inclination. It reentered Jan. 6, 1972. Oreol, joint Soviet-French experiment in Arcade program to study upper atmosphere at high latitudes and determine nature of polar lights, entered orbit with 2477-km (1539.2-mi) apogee, 400-km (248.6-mi) perigee, 114.6-min period, and 73.9° inclination. Satellite carried instruments to study spectrum of protrons and electrons, to measure integral intensity of protons, and to determine ionic composition of atmosphere. (GSFC SSR, 12/31/71; 1/31/72; Tess, FBIS-Sov-71- 249, 12/28/71, Li; Sov Aero, 1/17/72, 15)
U.S.S.R.'s Mars 2 and Mars 3 had discovered presence of oxygen and atomic hydrogen in Mars' upper atmosphere, Tass announced. Hydrogen corona was located at altitude of 10 000-20 000 km (6200-12 400 mi) above surface, and oxygen at 700-1000 km (435- 620 mi). Spacecraft also measured temperature changes on Martian surface. Individual areas on diurnal side did not exceed 258 K (-15°C, or 5°F). On nocturnal side, temperature in some regions exceeded that of environment by 20-25 K (20-25°C, or 68- 77°F). (FSIS-Sov-71-249, 12/28/71, L2)
NASA and Soviet Academy of Sciences had agreed on substance and mechanics of future exchanges of medical and biological data on their experience in manned space flight, NASA announced. Agreement's details were contained in recommendations of joint working group on space biology and medicine which met in Moscow Oct. 9-13. Group-cochaired by Dr. Charles A. Berry, NASA Director for Life Sciences, and Dr. N. N. Gurovsky of U.S.S.R. Ministry of Health and Academy of Sciences- recommended that meetings be held at least once annually, with next meeting held in U.S. during May 1972; working sessions be held to consider ways to predict state of human organism during and after space flights, response of certain body systems to space environment, techniques of dysbarism prevention, methods of preflight and postflight medical observations, and methods and results of biological experiments; and cochairmen explore possibility of an exchange of one or two specialists to work in laboratories doing similar biomedical research in space programs of U.S. and U.S.S.R. (NASA Release 71-251)
NSF interdisciplinary conference at Franklin Institute in Philadelphia celebrated 400th anniversary of birth of Johannes Kepler. Kepler- astronomer, mathematician, and physicist-had devised laws of planetary motions in early 17th century. Laws were "just as valid today as at the time of their announcement," Science said. (Science, 10/ 15/71, 325; NSF PM)
Rising volume in aerospace industry production was predicted by David A. Loehwing in Barrons magazine: "NASA is readying some new pro-grams, notably the space shuttle. . . . Airline revenues are climbing, and some pick-up in orders for transports is anticipated." non procurement policies "which nearly threw a few companies into bankruptcy" had been revised. "Most important there is a growing awareness that the Soviet arms buildup poses a real threat to U.S. security, which new weapons must be developed to counter." Persuasive but "cynical" argument for lift in aerospace business in 1972 was political expediency. "Over half-a-million people have been laid off in the industry since 1968, some 200,000 in California," state with largest number of electoral votes. Barrons quoted political observer as saying, "Starting pretty early next spring, you're going to see a massive injection of funds into aerospace." (Barrons, 12/27/71)
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