Jan 25 1964
From The Space Library
NASA'S ECHO II passive communications satellite was placed in near-polar orbit by Thor-Agena B launch vehicle launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The second-stage Agena fired shortly after booster separation, coasted, then reignited over South Africa, injecting into orbit the canister containing the laminated mylar plastic and aluminum balloon. Canister opened and released the 535-lb. balloon-satellite which inflated to 135-ft. diameter. Initial orbital data: apogee, 816 mi.; perigee, 642 mi.; period, 109 min.; inclination to equator, 81.5°. (NASA Release 64-11; AP, Wash. Post, 1/26/64; Becker, NYT, 1/26/ 64,1)
NASA Nike-Apache sounding rocket with Univ. of New Hampshire instrumented payload was launched from Thumba Range, Trivandrum, India, to 102-mi. altitude. Payload instrumentation included densitometer and baroswitch, to determine altitude and intensity of electric current systems in the ionosphere near the magnetic equator. Performance of both rocket and instrumentation was considered good; telemetry signal was received for 395 sec., and good data were expected. (NASA Rpt. SRL)
Liquid-hydrogen-powered rocket engines for Saturn I's S-IV stage exploded during preparations for static-firing at Douglas Aircraft Co.'s Sacramento, Calif., facility. Explosion, which demolished the test stand, was evaluated by NASA to determine if forthcoming Saturn SA-5 T66-5980-0 8 flight test at AMR should be delayed; NASA officials decided the explosion was not sufficient reason to interrupt the SA-5 launch preparations. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 1/25/64; AP, Wash. Post, 1/26/64)
Britain had expressed interest in joining U.S. and European countries in financing and use of global communications satellite system, John Finney reported in New York Times. After months of favoring cables for international communications in the immediate future, British Post Office expressed approval of participation in global satellite system and urged similar decisions by European nations, at meeting of satellite committee of European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administration in Karlsruhe, Germany. (Finney, NYT, 1/26/64, 1)
DOD announced plan for aiding economic readjustment of contractors performing work on major projects that are canceled, including Dyna Soar and Typhon projects. Plan called for continuing work with a continuing value to the Government, to identify additional work requiring these skills, and to expedite placement of contracts which would normally be awarded to these contractors. Military departments must submit detailed plans in accordance with this policy as soon as possible and no later than 45 days after decision to terminate a major project. (SBD, 1/27/64, 135; M&R, 2/3/64, 13)
Army-Navy-Air Force Journal and Register Space Editor James J. Haggerty, Jr., said: "The major reservation about MOL is the fact that it will employ existing or in-development hardware . . . rather than advances in technology.. . "With the Dyna-Soar experience in mind, it could be a big minus from the standpoint of developmental continuity in later years. Dyna-Soar was killed for a number of reasons, but one of them was the fact that it Was not a very advanced spacecraft for its day (1965-66 flights). Suppose that, along about 1966 when MOL is in "tin-bending' status but still a year or two away from flight status, someone takes a long look at it and says 'What have we got?' "By that time, NASA will have accumulated close to 1,000 hours of manned space flight experience and will have tested a number of new and advanced systems; it will have conducted the all-important rendezvous tests with the Gemini spacecraft; the earth-orbiting version of Apollo, which can stay aloft for two weeks as a space laboratory, will be in or near flight status. In that frame of reference, the short-duration, non-rendezvousing MOL could go the way of Dyna-Soar, offering "insufficient technological advancement to justify the cost of completing the project." . . ." (A-N-AF J&R, 1/25/64, 21, 30)
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