Jan 25 1974
From The Space Library
Results from NASA's Pioneer 10 mission (launched 2 March 1972 toward a 3 Dec. 1973 encounter with Jupiter) were published in a series of articles in Science. Plasma analyzer data had indicated that Jupiter had a detached bow shock and magnetopause similar to the earth's but with a much larger spatial extent and with the size highly responsive to changes in solar wind dynamic pressure. The thermal structure of Jupiter was found to be closely related to the visual appearance of the planet, with illuminated and nonilluminated sides having the same brightness temperatures. The net thermal energy of the planet was twice the solar energy input.
Magnetic field measurements showed a very strong magnetic field and implied the dipole was inclined at about 15° to Jupiter's axis of rotation. The satellite Io was found to have an ionosphere extending from near the surface to about 1000 km. A new density of 3.5 g per cc-close to the density of the moon and Mars-was established for Io. Densities of the other satellites of Jupiter were progressively lower in proportion to their distance from the planet.
More comprehensive reports of Pioneer 10 experiments were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research of 1 Sept. (Opp, Wolfe, et al., Smith et al., Kliore et al., Science, 25 Jan 74, 302-324; bourn Geophysical Research, Pioneer 10 issue, 1 Sept 74)
A Science editorial commented on Pioneer 10's 3 Dec. 1973 flyby of Jupiter: "One of the impressive features of the Pioneer 10 mission was the performance of the spacecraft and its scientific equipment. . . . .The craft, with its transmitter of only eight watts, has been storing and sending tremendous quantities of data to Earth. Even after their radiation exposure during flyby, the electronics components continue to function well as Pioneer 10 proceeds on its way out of the solar system." (Abelson, Science, 25 Jan 74, 261)
A new medical device, the mobile automatic metabolic analyzer (MAMA) developed from Apollo and Skylab technology to measure energy expended by ambulatory patients, was presented to the Univ. of Alabama Medical School by Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Director of Marshall Space Flight Center. The instrument-primarily a mass spectrometer-would accurately measure metabolic activity, recording oxygen consumed, car-bon dioxide produced, and nitrogen and moisture exchanged to gauge the progress of severely disabled persons through phases of rehabilitation. MAMA was developed and manufactured at MSFC under NASA'S technology utilization program. (NASA Release 74-18)
Fraudulent transmissions to Johnson Space Center purporting to be from Skylab 4 astronauts, working in the Orbital Workshop since their 16 Nov. 1973 launch, were heard during a telephone call to New York City from Unifi, Inc., in North Carolina. The supposed astronauts described "an approximately. 10-megaton explosion" on the spacecraft as they took military photos of silos over Moscow. After the "astronauts" said they were sending scrambled messages "on channel 5 and channel B," they were heard supposedly speaking to President Nixon at the White House. They acknowledged that their wives had been notified and were being flown to Houston. The voices then reported that their "secret documents and equipment" had been jettisoned. The transmissions then abruptly ended. The press later reported that 12 other persons had heard similar "space messages." A Houston area telephone company employee was later taken into custody. (Anderson et al., W Post, 19 Feb 74, B17; JSC Hist Off, interview, 9 Dec 75)
Julian Nott and Felix Pole broke the world altitude record for a hot-air balloon larger than 4000 cu m, ascending to 13 961 m in the 10 620-cu-m Daffodil IL The crew-which lifted off from Bhopal, India-was protected by a pressurized cabin and special suits from the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. (NAA News, Aug 74; NAA Record Book)
A. Ernest Fitzgerald, a financial analyst who had been fired from the Air Force after he exposed a $2-billion cost overrun in the development of the C-5A jet transport, filed a $3.5-million damage suit against Dept. of Defense and Air Force officials. The Civil Service Commission had ordered the Air Force to rehire Fitzgerald 19 Sept. 1973. (W Star-News, 26 Jan 74, A3)
A Soviet civil aviation magazine, apparently alarmed at an estimated 10 crashes of Soviet-built aircraft in 16 mos, with a death toll of about 600 persons, had implored aviation workers to be more attentive to their work, United Press International reported. (NYT, 25 Jan 74, 47)
25-26 January: The U.S.S.R. conducted the first long-range tests of its new SS-19 intercontinental missile with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads. Two missiles were test-fired 7200 km from the Soviet missile research center at Tyuratam to a target area in the Pacific Ocean 1370 km northwest of Midway Island. Chief Pentagon spokesman Jerry W. Friedheim later described the tests to the press as a "significant milestone" in the Soviet program to develop MIRVs but said that the U.S.S.R. would not have a missile force with MIRV warheads in operation before 1976. (Finney, NYT, 29 Jan 74, 1)
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