Feb 12 1973
From The Space Library
A statement by Western Union International, Inc., Vice President Thomas S. Greenish that mainland China had no plans for establishment of a domestic satellite communications system was quoted by Aviation Week & Space Technology. Greenish had returned from two-month stay in People's Republic of China in connection with an earth terminal being built by WUI near Peking. (Av Wk, 2/12/73, 17)
Definitive agreements drawn up to establish International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT) went into effect, replacing the interim arrangements in effect since August 1964. Under the agreements, INTELSAT would operate under a four-component structure of a Board of Governors, Assembly of Parties, Meeting of Signatories, and an Executive Organ. The Board would have primary responsibility for design, development, construction, establishment, operation, and management of the comsat system. The Assembly composed of a representative of the government of each member nation-would meet every two years to consider matters of concern to the governments. The Meeting of Signatories-representatives of governments or telecommunications entities-would convene annually to consider operational and other matters of interest to investors. Each member of the Meeting would have one vote.
The Executive Organ would be headed by a Secretary General responsible to the Board of Governors for performance of financial and administrative services. Under the agreements, Communications Satellite Corp. would furnish technical and operating management services for INTELSAT for a six-year period ending Feb. 12, 1979. Services would be performed under policies set by the INTELSAT Board of Governors. At the end of the ComSatCorp contract, INTELSAT would continue to contract with "one or more competent entities" to provide technical and operational management functions "to the maximum extent practicable." Agreements called for election of a Director General by Dec. 31, 1976. The Board of Governors would hold its first meeting in Washington, D.C., March 14. (Text; ComSatCorp Release, 2/1/73)
An Aviation Week & Space Technology cover photo showed orange and black particles brought back from the moon's Shorty Crater by Apollo 17 astronauts during the Dec. 7-19, 1972, mission. Particles were described by the magazine as 20 to 45 μm in size - "about the size of terrestrial silt." They were "glass, but in a process of devitrification, that is transition from non-crystalline form to crystalline minerals." The orange soil was "rich in titanium-8°/o-and iron oxide-22%-but is also high in zinc.” (Av Wk, 2/12/73, cover, 20)
The U.S.S.R. had launched three times as many reconnaissance satellites as the U.S. during 1972 but had achieved only 25% more time in orbit because of the expanding U.S. use of long-endurance "Big Bird" spacecraft, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. The U.S.S.R. had obtained 366 days in orbit for its Cosmos satellites; the U.S. total was 295 days.
An improved design of U.S.S.R. reconnaissance satellites had been used for 80% of the launches, the magazine said. The new design provided for ejection of hardware-probably a vernier propulsion unit -one or two days before spacecraft recovery. The propulsion unit was used to change the spacecraft orbital path to bring it directly over the ground target. Spacecraft might also be equipped with high-resolution, narrow-field-of-view cameras for a close-look mission.
Three of a total eight U.S. launches had been new-generation Big Bird satellites equipped with a giant high-resolution camera, the magazine said. The remaining satellites had been launched by a Titan IIIB-Agena booster, while the number of launches using the Thorad booster had continued to decline. The mission of the Titan IIIB-launched spacecraft was probably changing from mainly close-look to both closelook and search-and-find missions and used as gap fillers for the highcost Big Birds. (Av Wk, 2/12/73, 50-51)
February 12-17: The NASA and Soviet Academy of Sciences Joint Working Group on the Natural Environment met in Moscow to review progress and plan continued cooperation in geology and geomorphology; vegetation, soils, and land use; water, snow, and glaciology; microwave techniques; and oceanology. Delegations were led by NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Applications Leonard Jaffe and Soviet Academician Yu. K. Khodarev. (NASA Release 73-106)
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