Feb 13 1973
From The Space Library
Pioneer-G, the second Jupiter-mission spacecraft, arrived at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the opening of the launch window on April 5. If successfully launched with an accurate trajectory in the first few days of window, the spacecraft, designated Pioneer 11, might be programmed to acquire sufficient speed from the Jupiter flyby to continue to Saturn. When the spacecraft reached the Jupiter vicinity in January 1975, Jupiter and Saturn would be nearly aligned. The spacecraft could, under favorable conditions, acquire part of Jupiter's orbital velocity during the flyby to speed it to Saturn. The predecessor Pioneer 10 (launched March 2, 1972) had been the first spacecraft to undertake an outer planetary, mission. It was due to arrive at Jupiter in December 1974. (KSC Release 27-73)
NASA turned off OAO 2 Orbiting Astronomical Observatory at 10:40 pm EST during the 22 000th earth orbit by the spacecraft launched Dec. 7, 1968. OAO 2, designed to operate for one' year, had "far exceeded the fondest hopes" of NASA officials by operating more than four years. (NASA prog off; AP, SD Union, 2/14/73)
Establishment of task team to focus on space tug activities was announced by Marshall Space Flight Center. The team, under Manager William Teir and Deputy Manager William G. Huber, would direct early planning and design of the tug -a vehicle to supplement the space shuttle's capabilities. The tug was to be shuttle payload and would become the shuttle 3rd stage after being deployed in earth orbit by the shuttle. Its rocket engine would propel payloads to different earth orbits or send payloads on planetary missions. (MSFC Release 73-19)
The mission of ERTS 1 Earth Resources Technology Satellite--launched July 23, 1972, to determine feasibility of exploring earth from spacehad exceeded all expectations, John N. Wilford said in a New York Times article. During seven months since the satellite had been put into a polar, sun-synchronous orbit, it had produced 125 000 photos, surveyed earth resources, and monitored crop growth, glacier advances, and spread of pollution and population.
With scanners measuring reflected light in both visible and infrared bands, ERTS 1 had discovered previously unmapped fractures branching off the San Andreas fault, prepared a detailed map of cracks and faults in The Wind River Mountains, traced linear terrain features where India had slammed into Asia millions of years earlier, produced accurate maps of the U.S. underground water supply, discovered two hitherto unknown lakes in Iran, and provided better knowledge of the Amazon River basin. (Wilford, NYT, 2/13/73, 22)
NASA launched an Arcas sounding rocket-first in a series of two-from Antigua, West Indies, carrying a Goddard Space Flight Center payload to a 58.1-km (36.1-mi) altitude. The objectives were to measure the ozone distribution in the upper atmosphere, monitor anomalous ultraviolet absorption for the evaluation of the Nimbus 4 (meteorological satellite launched April 8, 1970) backscatter UV experiment, and extend the data base for a climatology of stratospheric ozone in the tropics. The rocket was launched during a Nimbus 4 overpass. The rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. (NASA Rpt SRL)
U.S. Patent 3 715 962 was awarded to Dr. Edward F. Yost, Jr., Professor of Engineering at Long Island Univ., for a multispectral aerial photography system. The equipment, used on Apollo 9 and 12 (launched March 3, 1969, and Nov. 14, 1969) and on ERTS 1 (launched July 23, 1972), was able to detect water, soil, and agricultural conditions with greater subtlety than previously possible. (Jones, NYT, 2/17/73, 41; Pat Off PIO)
Secretary of Transportation Claude S. Brinegar announced completion of Phase I of the air-route-control-system automation program. Memphis had been the last of 20 cities to install IBM 9020 computers in a nation wide network system to transfer flight data from one facility to another. The network had 61 automated radar terminal systems (ARTS). (FAA Release 73-32)
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