Jul 15 1963
From The Space Library
Dr. George M. Knauf (Col., USAF Ret.) NASA Acting Director of Space Medicine, was awarded Legion of Merit by USAF Surgeon General Maj. Gen. O. K. Neiss in ceremony at NASA Manned Spacecraft Center. Citation accompanying medal covered Dr. Knauf's contributions to aerospace medicine from Jan. 1,1962, when he became NASA Deputy Director of Space Medicine on assignment from SAF, to Oct. 31, 1962, when he retired from USAF. He continued in this NASA position in civilian capacity, becoming Acting Director of Space Medicine June 1. (MSC Release 63-118)
Little Joe II launch vehicle left General Dynamics/Convair plant en route to White Sands Missile Range, N.M., where test launch would be made next month. Purpose of flight would be to qualify Little Joe II launch vehicle for later flights with boilerplate Apollo payload and Apollo spacecraft built to production standards; Little Joe II tests would provide engineering information for use on manned Apollo orbital flights. (MSC Release 63-115)
Two French Berenice rockets have reached he'd mach 12 speed and 60,000-ft. altitudes at Ile du Levant launch center. (M&R, 7/15/63, 9)
By this deadline, NASA Manned Spacecraft Center received 271 applications for astronaut openings. 71 applicants were military pilots recommended for possible astronaut duty; remaining 200 were civilians, including three women. (Av. Wk., 7/22/63, 325) )
Sen. Wallace F. Bennett (R.-Utah) inserted in Congressional Record a letter from physics prof. John H. Gardner, Brigham Young Univ., criticizing "the trend in NASA and in the Department of Defense toward the development of in house capability for the performance of basic research and other scientific tasks which can and, under our private enterprise system, should be performed by the private sector of the economy with a secondary role being played by the university .... "It is far from evident that the creation of new Government laboratories in competition with and at the expense of existing laboratories will help us to achieve our goals in space any faster. Appropriate utilization of the private scientific resources of the country would seem to be faster and more in keeping with our traditions. The statement that NASA has too much money is frequently heard among scientists and it is indicative of the widespread fears and misgivings scientists have about the ominous changes taking place in the kind of role they play in our society. These fears and misgivings may underlie much of the growing opposition to our lunar landing goal . . . ." (Letter, CR, 7/15/63,11884)
Egyptian army test-fired two ground-to-air antiaircraft missiles in "remarkably successful" maneuver witnessed by President Nasser. Rockets' range was not disclosed, and launch site was unidentified. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star 7/16/63)
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