Jul 14 1975
From The Space Library
Soviet cosmonauts Aleksei A. Leonov and Valery N. Kubasov, relaxing on the eve of their launch for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, viewed the film White Sun of the Desert. The film, following a tradition set by the cosmonauts' predecessors in space, was a Russian action movie set during the civil war after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. (Wren, NYT, 16 July 75, 1)
Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wisc.) inserted into the Congressional Record a summary of the Central Intelligence Agency's report on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The summary indicated that "although the Soviet have experienced many space problems the prospects for a successful mission are good." The report continued that the Soviet preparations were more extensive and thorough than for previous efforts, and that past failures had occurred at a phase during the mission which would not jeopardize U.S. astronauts should there be a recurrence. The report did point out that the Soviets had encountered severe problems in space. (CR, 14 July 75, 512511)
NASA closed its tracking station on Madagascar after the agency was unable to reach agreement with the government of the Malagasy Republic for continued operation of the station. Functions of the station would be taken over by the Ats 6 Applications Technology Satellite launched 30 May 1974.
The Madagascar station had opened in 1964 under an agreement that called for station operation by NASA and Malagasy personnel. Data collected by the station were made available to the Malagasy Republic. The agreement had not called for an exchange of funds between the cooperating governments. The agreement expired in December 1973, and a new one could not be reached when Madagascar claimed rent for the station retroactive to 1964. (AP, NYT, 15 July 75; NASA Release 63-279; NASA Contracts Div., Phillips, interview, 2 Aug 77) .
The U.S.S.R. had turned down a U.S. invitation to participate' in another joint manned space mission in 1976, Thomas O'Toole of the Washington Post reported a U.S. space official as saying. O'Toole reported that in 1974 NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. George M. Low had suggested to Soviet Academy of Sciences President Vladimir Kotelnikov that two Soviet cosmonauts and three American astronauts dock with a Soviet Salyut space station and work together in earth orbit for up to 2 wk. However, the Soviets had replied that they would undertake a repeat of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (scheduled for 15 July launch) but could not prepare to fly an Apollo-Salyut in any reasonable length of time. The Post quoted Dr. Low as saying, "Any second American- Russian space flight will have to wait until the 1980s." The Post also quoted Dr. Low as saying that NASA had suggested an Apollo-Salyut mission as early as 1971, but the Soviets had requested a change back to an Apollo-Soyuz mission during a presummit meeting in April 1972 just before President Nixon's Moscow visit. Dr. Low said that the Soviets had said that it was too expensive to modify Salyut to accept both a Soyuz and an Apollo spacecraft at the same time. (O'Toole, W Post, 14 July 75, Al)
NASA announced award of a $150 000 10-mo study contract to The Boeing Co. to determine the basic design, costs, and environmental impact of potential power-generating satellite systems in space. Boeing's Aerospace Co. would investigate solar and nuclear families of space-based power generators, studying two different energy converters for each; define the satellites; study their cost; and determine potential environmental effects. One converter was to be a thermal engine converter like a steam turbine that transformed heat into a usable form of energy. The other, a thermionic converter, would produce electrically charged particles to power a passive electrical generation system. Power generated by either method would be transformed into microwaves and beamed to earth for reconversion into electricity. (MSFC Release 75-156)
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