Jul 10 1970
From The Space Library
Appointment of ATS Procurement Review Committee headed by LeRC Director Bruce T. Lundin to reconsider April 7 selection [announced April 8] of General Electric Co. for ATS-F and C contract was announced by Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator. Committee would make recommendation to new Selection Panel of senior NASA officials. Panel would reaffirm original selection or reverse it. Work done by GE or competitor, Fairchild Hiller Corp.; since April 7 would not be considered relevant by Committee. NASA had discontinued funding of Fairchild work April 16 and would stop GE funding on July 15. Dr. Paine said NASA, Fairchild Hiller, and GE had agreed that reconsideration of selection was preferable to recompetition. (NASA Release 70-119)
NASA announced publication of Research and Technology: Objective and Plan (N-7029204). It described new NASA method of summarizing research projects within agency to facilitate idea exchange among researchers and project managers and included research in progress to support NASA planning for next several years. RTOP Summary replaced NASA Flash Index published in previous years and was designed to improve communications and coordination among technical personnel in government, industry, and universities. (NASA Release 70-116)
AFSC announced award by SAMSO of $9 228 319 contract to Lockheed Aircraft Corp. for space experiments support program (SESP) launch scheduled for late 1971 from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Contract called for integration of several satellites onto spacecraft that would be orbited by Thor-Agena booster. Largest experiment was 113-kg (250-lb) flexible solar array designed to test deployment of flexible panels in zero-g environment and verify long-term power-generation characteristics of new solar cell. (AFSC Release 132.70)
Postage stamp commemorating record-breaking flight of Soyuz TX (June 2-19) had been issued by U.S.S.R., AP reported. (CSM, 7/10/ 70)
Apollo 14 Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr., said in Houston that he was concerned that cutbacks in space program, with ensuing layoffs, might lead to poor workmanship at KSC. "I think we would be naive if we didn't assume that people are unhappy." (W Post, 7/12/ 70, A5)
In Science editorial, Brown Univ. scientist Dr. A. Hunter Dupree outlined changes that would shape new U.S. science policy: DOD had lost ability to justify support for basic research and to attract many scientists. "If the scientists knowledgeable in military research, who provide one of the groups with the best chance to change the course of events with competent criticism, lose touch with the Department of Defense completely, an unparalleled disaster could ensue. Yet, a reordering of the relation of the scientific community to the Department of Defense cannot be postponed." Scientific community needed to pay more attention to environmental problems. Space program "must find a role for itself with predominantly scientific objectives and a steady state of funding." Social sciences must receive greater emphasis. Justification of Federal support for research in universities must emphasize goal of building healthy institutions in national interest. And support for education "must contemplate a national research program with a radically different mix of disciplines from that recently prevailing." (Science, 7/10/70, 131)
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