Jul 13 1964
From The Space Library
President Johnson signed NASA Authorization Act (H.R. 10456) authorizing $5,227,506,000 for NASA FY 1965. Largest part of authorization was for Project Apollo, $2,677,500,000. The bill was $76,494,000 less than the Johnson Administration had requested. (AP, NYT, 7/15/64, 15)
The largest contract awarded to date for work on the NASA Mississippi Test Operations facility was awarded to Koppers Co., Inc., Malan Construction Department, New York City, for the construction of the first test position on the S-IC dual test stand. The contract was for $17,280,157, and was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. Work on the stand would include construction of three concrete tiers each about 158 ft. high, a tower approximately 105 ft. high, a steel flame deflector, and other equipment. (Marshall Star, 7/15/64, 1)
DOD announced it was abandoning plans to join with ComSatCorp in a space communications system meeting both military and commercial needs. Despite the economies of participation, the factor of international participation in the satellite system and the control foreign nations would have over a communications network that DOD wanted for emergency command control over its forces finally tipped the balance against DOD cooperation. (Finney, NYT, 7/14/64, 15)
MSFC planners believed a post-Saturn V booster would be needed if the U.S. were to undertake a manned planetary exploration program, Missiles and Rockets reported. They also favored the so-called Block II vehicle, which would have two stages using new propulsion techniques and high-pressure engines. First stage would be recoverable. (M&R, 7/13/64, 9)
Mercury capsule (MA-9) in which Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper flew 22 earth orbits was viewed by more than 20,000 people when on display in Nebraska State Capitol at Lincoln. (Omaha Eve. World-Her, 7/13/ 64)
Spatial orientation and stabilization of Early Bird, ComSatCorp's first experimental satellite, was to be achieved using a hydrogen-peroxide reaction jet control system. Developed by Walter Kidde and Co., and originally intended for SYNCOM newer version would be capable of at least a 10-yr. lifetime. (M&R, 7/13/64, 27)
NASA announced that it would participate in about 200 one- to three-week aerospace workshops and teacher institutes at colleges and universities in 48 states during the summer. NASA spacemobiles, films, exhibits, and lectures would be used to acquaint teachers with the latest in space activities. (NASA Release 64-168)
Paul Haney, MSC Public Affairs Officer, said he would make a study of facilities used for dissemination of news at Republican National Convention in effort to develop efficient techniques for disseminating news during manned space flights controlled by MSC. (Maloney, Houston Post, 7/14/64)
Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that the week of July 20 would be Defense Cost Reduction Week as an occasion to honor civilian and military personnel who had helped trim $2.5 billion from defense costs and to stimulate efforts to reach the projected goal of $4.6 billion savings over the next three years. (Phillips, NYT, 7/14/64)
Largest monolithic solid grain ever poured was well into its 20-day curing cycle at Aerojet-Dade Div. of Aerojet-General Corp. The 120-in., 37-ft.-long "Subscale 1" would be test-fired in the same cast-cure pit in mid-August. Both batch and continuous mix processes were used with the continuous mix working for 55 straight hours in the 21/2-day pouring job. The 100-ton grain was to produce about 600,000 lbs. thrust in checking out the nozzle materials, and -processes developed for the up- coming 260-in. large solid rocket test at Aerojet. (M&R, 7/13/64, 11)
Yelena Andrianovena Nikolayeva, infant daughter of Russian cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Andrian Nikolayev, was to be thoroughly examined for next few years to determine whether weightlessness or radiation of her parents had any effect. (Snider, CDNS, Houston Chron., 7/13/64)
Observations by University of Bern (Switz.) scientists for several years in the Simplon Tunnel showed that effects of ionizing radiations also existed in a radiation-free environment. In the tunnel, which had proven to be free of any traces of cosmic radiation, artemia eggs showed only a 60- 70% rate of offspring, Hordexum seeds became sterile after six months, and algae did not grow after a few weeks. (M&R, 7/13/64, 27)
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