Jan 14 1966
From The Space Library
Ground-test stage S-IC-F, Boeing-built first stage of NASA’s Saturn V booster, was placed aboard the barge Poseidon at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility for shipment to KSC, where it would be assembled at Launch Complex 39’s Vertical Assembly Building with other ground test vehicle elements: a 2nd stage (S-II-F); a 3rd stage (S-IVB-F); an instrument unit (IU-F); and a dummy Apollo spacecraft. Stage was expected to arrive at KSC Jan. 21. ‘‘(NASA Release 66-10; MSFC Release 66-18)’’
Memorandum of understanding for cooperative meteorological sounding rocket experiments was signed by the Spanish Comision Nacional de Investigacion del Espacio (CONIE) and NASA. Purpose of project would be to obtain synoptic information on wind, temperature, and pressure at altitudes between 18 and 36 mi. Sixteen Boosted-Dart and Arcas sounding rockets carrying chaff (tuned dipoles) or instrumented payloads would be launched from a range in Spain to be operated by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial. (INTA) CONIE would procure an Arcas launcher, sounding rockets, payloads, and other equipment. NASA would provide, on a loan basis, an MPS-19 radar, van, Boosted-Dart launcher and additional equipment. NASA also would train Spanish personnel in equipment operations and maintenance. Scientific results of project would be made available to world scientific community. ‘‘(NASA Release 66-20)’’
NASA invited aerospace industries to propose definition studies of integrating experiment equipment to be used in spacecraft for manned Apollo Applications missions. Studies would define experiments integration work in the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module, Saturn launch vehicle instrument units, and top stages of Saturn I-B and V vehicles; they would include consideration of mission analysis, experiment equipment, installation and integration of equipment, specialized crew requirements, launch facility requirements, tracking, and other support requirements. Two or more firms would be selected for negotiation of parallel nine-month study contracts. ‘‘(NASA Release 66-14)’’
NASA Inventions and Contributions Board granted United Aircraft Corp. a waiver of title rights in all inventions made, or to be made, under NASA contract, which involved the RL-10 rocket engine. ‘‘(KB)’’
Two major changes effected by reorganization of activities of NASA LRC: appointment of Dr. Seymour C. Himmel, former head of the Agena Project office, as Assistant Director for Launch Vehicles and establishment of an Air-Breathing Engine Div., to be headed by J. Howard Childs. ‘‘(LRC Release 66-2)’’
Astronaut Frank Borman returned to Gary, Ind., to help the city celebrate Frank Borman Day and start a year-long observance of its 60th anniversary. He said at a news conference that “it is inevitable” that the U.S. would lose a crew in its space program and that he hoped the public was “mature enough to accept the sacrifice.” ‘‘(UPI, N.Y. Her. Trib., 1/15/66; AP, NYT, 1/15/66,22; AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 1/14/66, A2)
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