Feb 18 1964
From The Space Library
Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to recommend Senate ratification of radio communications treaty, drawn up at 70-nation conference in Geneva last fall. Considered a step toward establishment of global communications satellite network, treaty revised radio regulations, provided for international allocation of radio frequencies for communications, navigational, and meteorological satellites. (AP, NYT, 2/19/64 ,15)
NASA announced two industry teams had presented to NASA and other agencies their feasibility studies for nonmilitary navigation satellite system. General Electric Co. and Univac Div. of Sperry Rand Corp. made one study under $156,000 NASA contract, while Westinghouse Electric Corp. studied another approach under $225,000 contract. The proposed satellite network would provide worldwide, all-weather coverage for ships and aircraft. (NASA Release 64-37)
Dr. Albert C. Hall, Deputy Director for Space, Defense Research and Engineering, said in address before National Space Club in Washington that the Manned Orbiting Laboratory would be the first phase of DOD'S National Orbiting Space Station and would provide means of carrying out experiments to prove or disprove the military role of man in space. MOL would carry two astronauts for 30 days, also would carry experiments of nonmilitary nature, primarily for NASA. Discussing nonmilitary unmanned space program, Dr. Hall disclosed that the Army had secretly launched SECOR last month and that it was performing "exceptionally Well." (SBD, 2/19/64, 274; Simons, Wash. Post, 2/19/64)
NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight Dr. George E. Mueller said in hearings before Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight, House Committee on Science and Astronautics, that for Project Gemini "the year 1963 was, quite frankly, one of development headaches. It was the year of development and qualification testing of Gemini's many equipments. The program is now largely over the development hump, however, and all Gemini spacecraft and launch vehicle subsystems will be fully qualified in 1964. Significant in 1963 also were a number of hardware deliveries.. . "In 1964, three vitally important flights will be made-the third one manned and orbital. The year will be characterized by production, test, and delivery of spacecraft and launch vehicles. . . ." Questioned about return to earth and landing in Project Gemini, Dr. Mueller and George Low said that plans now called for the two-man Gemini spacecraft to land on water rather than dry land. NASA had been investigating both procedures, and paraglider for land recoveries was still in development stage. Paraglider would be "available" at about the time of the last two Gemini flights but "not necessarily scheduled." Dr. Mueller added that water landing also would be "characteristic" for manned Apollo flights. (Testimony; Finney, NYT, 2/19/64, 19; M&R, 2/24/64,21)
NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications Dr. Homer E. Newell discussed Lunar Orbiter in testimony before Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications, House Committee on Science and Astronautics: "In 1963, the Lunar Orbiter was defined and a contractor selected. This program Will move into high gear this year and will require $493 million in Fiscal Year 1965 to meet its targeted first launch in 1966. This will be a tight schedule but because of the importance of this mission in support of Apollo, every effort will be made to meet that date. . . ." Questioned by Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Joseph E. Karth (D.-Minn.), Dr. Newell said NASA was thinking about adding five Lunar Orbiters to the five already approved. The proposed increase was because the Lunar Orbiter "will be a most important spacecraft not only for the support of the manned lunar landing effort, but for continuing research on the moon, on its geodetic properties, and experiments on radioactivity of the lunar surface." Of the recently orbited ECHO II passive communications satellite, Dr. Newell said: "The ECHO II has shown some scintillation in the radio wavelengths which might indicate that it has some defect in shape - perhaps a tear, maybe a dent, or something of that sort. However, it shows no such scintillation on the optical observations, which is puzzling. It remains, however, a completely adequate reflector so that whatever distortion in shape may have occurred has not interfered with its usefulness." (Transcript)
Rep. Carl Vinson (D.-Ga.), Chairman of House Armed Services Committee, commented on Sen. Barry Goldwater's charges of missile unreliability: ". . . I, the Armed Services Committee, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force are all wholly persuaded that our missiles-and I am particularly referring to our intercontinental ballistic missiles-are fully capable of doing the job for which they were intended. . . ." Rep. Vinson was appearing before the House Rules Committee to set forth provisions of proposed $19.6 billion military R&D authorization bill, already approved by Armed Services Committee. (This bill, in a procedure initiated this year, covered separately the R&D portion of overall $50.9 billion proposed defense authorization.) One provision of bill would authorize $52 million for development of new manned bomber, instead of $5 million requested by the Administration for studies. Rep. Vinson emphasized that his Committee favored the USAF proposal, explaining, "Solid testimony was given to the Committee by General LeMay, clearly indicating the urgency of starting out on a follow-on bomber and a new interceptor.' (NYT, 2/19/64, 4)
Attempt by Assistant Labor Secretary James J. Reynolds to arbitrate 13-month-old dispute between 11 striking unions and Florida East Coast Railway was unsuccessful. Unions' representative George W. Leighty refused to agree to arbitration, and Reynolds termed talks with FEC Board Chairman Ed Ball "completely futile." Reynolds recommended to Labor Secretary Wirtz that FEC be barred from using Government-owned tracks at Cape Kennedy pending settlement (AP, Balt. Sun, 2/19/64; M&R, 2/24/64,11)
Rep. Roland V. Libonati (D.Ill.) presented to the House a group report on AFSC, SAC, TAC, and Air Force Academy, after Congressional delegation visited various USAF installations. Listing highlights of AFSC during 1963, report said: "Since March 1959, more than 460 space probes have been conducted from Air Proving Ground Center's Elgin AFB, Fla., aerospace launch facility on Santa Rosa Island. The probes included at least 87 in the Project Firefly program. The project actually is the intense investigation of the earth's atmosphere and an assault on the secrets of 'near space'. . . . "AMRL (Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories, Wright-Patterson AFB) initiated the first lunar gravity research in 1963; Using a zero-gravity parabola, aircraft tests were conducted under actual lunar-one -sixth earth gravity-conditions. . . ." (CR, 2/18/64, 2906-35)
FAA announced Canadian Pacific Air Lines had reserved three delivery positions for the U.S. supersonic transport plane, bringing total reserved positions to 70 by 12 airlines. (FAA Release 64-16)
New York State Atomic Research and Development Authority signed contract with General Electric Co.'s Aerospace and Defense Service Engineering Dept. for continued operation of Malta Test Station, which New York recently acquired from Federal Government through competitive bidding. Station has been operated by GE for Federal Government since its establishment in 1945, when facilities were installed there to duplicate German V-2 facilities at Peenemünde. New York Authority would operate the station's expanded test and research facilities in continued support of industrial contractors of Federal defense, space, and atomic energy programs. (CR, 2/19/64, 2011-12)
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