Feb 25 1969
From The Space Library
Cosmos CCLXVI was launched by U.S.S.R. into orbit with 336-km (208.8-mi) apogee, 202-km (125.5-mi) perigee, 89.8-min period, and 72° inclination. Satellite reentered March 5. (GSFC SSR, 2/28/69; 3/15/69; AP, W Post, 2/26/69)
NASA'S OSO V (launched Jan. 22) had successfully completed more than 496 earth orbits and had satisfactorily operated all spacecraft systems, including raster scan and both tape records. Torque coil had been turned on Jan. 25 to help minimize spacecraft pitch motions and reduce gas consumption. Primary objectives had been achieved and OSO V had acquired scientific data from eight onboard experiments. (NASA Proj Off)
President Nixon addressed U.S. Embassy staff in London during eight-day goodwill visit to European heads of state: "You have had a very distinguished visitor to this country, Frank Borman, a few days ago.... I recall when I was at the White House I was congratulating him in a toast for what he and his fellow astronauts had done. . . . He said, 'We appreciate the remarks you have made about us." But, he said, 'I want to point out that there are 400,000 Americans who, in one way or another, contributed to the building of the Apollo spacecraft and to this program." He said, 'I want to point out that there are 2 million parts in an Apollo, spacecraft. So, if something went wrong with one of those parts, which had been created by these 400,000 Americans, that tremendous, exciting journey around the moon could not have been possible., That, of course, is what government is about." (PD, 3/10/69, 341-2)
NASA announced selection of 38 scientists organized into eight teams to assist in design and development of Martian softlander for 1973 Viking missions. Teams would participate in early instrument development, designing softlander, and planning missions. Final selection of investigations and participating scientists for both landers and orbiters making up 1973 Viking missions would be made December 1969, when initial results of Mariner flybys of Mars in summer 1969 would be available. Planetary Programs Directorate would have management responsibility for Viking Mars 1973 mission; LaRC had been assigned overall project management and direct responsibility for managing planetary lander portion; JPL had management responsibility for orbiter spacecraft. (NASA Release 69-31)
County Coroner Robert L. Creason in San Diego, Calif." gave official cause of Feb. 17 death of Aquanaut Berry L. Cannon in Sealab III as "acute hemorrhagic pulmonary edema and congestion due to acute cardiorespiratory failure due to carbon dioxide poisoning." Earlier USN spokesman had acknowledged that one of rigs used by Cannon and colleagues on fatal dive contained canister empty of chemical used to absorb carbon dioxide from aquanauts' air supply. USN opened formal inquiry Feb. 26. (UPI, NYT, 2/25/69, 28; AP, W Star, 2/25/69, A7)
USAF and Lockheed Georgia Co. jointly announced six-month delay in C-5A production schedule attributed to labor strikes and material shortages caused by Vietnam war. First aircraft would be delivered to USAF in December rather than June. Announcement followed successful test flight during which 250-ton aircraft reached complete stop on 1,500 ft of runway-14 distance required by conventional 85-ton airliners. (Lindsay, NYT, 2/26/69; AP, W Post, 2/27/69, A18)
FAA announced it had amended its Dec. 3 rule intended to ease congestion at five of Nation's busiest airports. Amendments provided for extra sections of scheduled air carrier flights without regard to established quotas at all airports except John F. Kennedy, increase in flight quotas at Kennedy between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm, effective date June 1 instead of April 27, and termination date of Dec. 31. (FAA Release 69-23)
Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommended U.S. ratification of nuclear nonproliferation treaty and said it would send treaty to Senate floor for action by March 6. (W Post, 2/26/69, A5)
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