Dec 7 1965
From The Space Library
Soviet spacecraft LUNA VIII impacted on the moon. Indications were that it was destroyed instead of making a soft landing. Tass reported that "the systems of the station were functioning normally at all stages of the landing except the final touchdown." Sir Bernard Lovell, director of the Jodrell Bank radiotelescope tracking station, said: "The recordings of the final stages of Luna 8 made at Jodrell Bank indicate that a minor fault probably developed approximately four minutes before touchdown. The retrorockets did not have full effect and the probe probably made a hard rather than a crash landing, but nevertheless sufficient to put the instruments out of action. It seems clear the Russians narrowly missed complete success. . . . They have probably obtained a great deal of new information which will enable them to correct the remaining minor faults. . . ." (Tass, 12/7/65; Balt, Sun, 12/8/65)
Discovery of a malfunction in the computer on GEMINI VI spacecraft might prevent a December 13 launch, NASA officials speculated. The computer, whose "memory" had been altered, was removed from the spacecraft to have new information fed into it. (Wilford, NYT, 12/8/65, 10C)
Soviet Premier Aleksey Kosygin was asked in an interview at the Kremlin by New York Times associate editor James Reston if expenditures for space exploration were questioned by Soviet government officials. He replied, "I would say that man will always go on seeking a solution to the problems of the universe. There will always be funds that will be set aside to resolve the problems relating to the world and the universe; this is all to the good, if it's purely scientific... We don't have any contradiction in the Soviet Union between appropriations for space research and for the needs of the population. The funds appropriated are relatively small compared with the funds serving the needs of the population on education and such. They are negligible on the over-all expenditure. Space expenses do not detract from the needs of the population." Asked if the U.S.S.R. wanted to go forward with peaceful space arrangements, Kosygin said: "We have expressed our view on this. We are in favor of peaceful, not military, uses of outer space, Now, to insure that peaceful research in space does not place too much of a burden on us, states might reduce military expenditures and channel the funds into peaceful space explorations." Reston queried: "You have made great progress in space with the use of the most sophisticated and complicated computers and other modern science, yet your speech on Sept. 27 was highly critical of the lag in the use of modern science in Soviet industry. Why this discrepancy?" Kosygin replied: "I don't understand your distinction between space and economic and industrial development. We judge our economy as a whole-we include all spheres. It is true that not everything is going satisfactorily in science and technology. Not everywhere are the most advanced methods being used. We are now taking all possible measures and we shall remedy this situation. For this it is necessary to utilize all the achievements of engineering thought. We are doing our utmost to insure the further rise of our economy and our technology, In four months I will make my report to the party congress on our forthcoming five-year development plan. In this plan our most advanced scientific and technical achievements will be mobilized." (Text, NYT, 12/8/65, C20)
Australian National Development Minister Allen Fairhall said that contracts were being arranged for new space tracking stations at Cooby Creek, in Queensland, and Honeysuckle Creek, near Canberra, in support of NASA's programs, Stations were expected to be operational by 1966. (NYT, 12/27/65, 23)
Designs for an aircraft with speed potential of 17,500 mph were being studied by both USAF and NASA, reported the Washington Daily News. Called the Scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) by USAF and the hypersonic Ramjet by NASA, the aircraft could reach about 180,000 ft, altitude with the Ramjet engine and then be boosted into space by a small auxiliary hydrogen rocket motor. Above 180,000 ft. there would not be enough oxygen to support the Ramjet engine's combustion. The aircraft would fire retrorockets to reenter the atmosphere and return to earth. One of three competing companies would be selected to begin work on test engine hardware by summer 1966. (Wash. Daily News, 12/7/65, 3)
Survey issued by the North American Air Defense Command revealed 879 objects orbiting in space: American, 672 (164 payloads, 508 pieces of debris) ; Soviet, 198 (53 payloads, 145 pieces of debris) ; Canadian, 4 (2 payloads, 2 debris) ; British, 3 (2 payloads, 1 debris) ; French, 2 (1 payload, 1 debris). Except for the payload and debris from France's recent launching, all the objects in space were launched on American or Soviet rockets. (Wash. Eve. Star, 12/7/65. All)
NASA Electronics Research Center had accomplished a promising advance in microwave research by generating higher frequency microwaves by interaction of hot electrons in solid-state component material. Technique applied low voltage across a bulk gallium arsenide semi-conductor crystal less than one-thousandth of an inch thick and might improve microwave signal transmission efficiency in space. (NASA Release 65-373)
Fourth Chrysler-assembled Saturn IB first stage left NASA Michoud Assembly Facility aboard the NASA barge Palaemon for static-firing tests at Marshall Space Flight Center. Trip would take about seven days. (MSFC Release 65-295)
Italy launched a French Centaure rocket in collaboration with the European Space Research Organization (ESRO), the Italian Defense Ministry announced. The rocket was launched from the Salto di Quirra range in Sardinia to gather information on atmospheric particles at between 60- and 100-mi. altitude. (Reuters, Wash. Post,12/8/65, 3)
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