Jul 27 1970
From The Space Library
NASA-Indian Space Research Organization project to broadcast TV from satellite to 5000 small Indian villages had been postponed from 1972 to 1974 because of NASA budget cuts, New York Times reported. Postponement, which also meant year's delay in launch of India's first comsat, had been announced in New Delhi by five-man NASA team headed by Dr. Richard B. Marsten, NASA Director of Communications Programs. Team was visiting India for consultations. Launch of Indian comsat depended on data gathered from educational TV experiment. (Schanberg, NYT, 7/27/70, 7)
NASA published Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-235): Nov. 14-24, 1969, mission had accomplished "wide variety of preplanned tasks and paved the way for planning future missions to smaller, more selected landing areas with the possibility of significant scientific returns." By changing CSM orbital plane twice, crew had demonstrated capability to explore new lunar areas during orbital operations. "Future flights will take advantage of this capability to photograph additional potential landing sites and to make scientific observations of the surface, both visually and photographically." Apollo 12 success in lunar orbit had allowed increase in planned orbital activities for Apollo 13. Large quantity of lunar soil and rocks from Apollo 12 mission would add to scientific information obtained from Apollo 11 samples. (Text)
Aerobee 150 sounding rocket was launched by NASA from WSMR carrying GSFC payload to conduct stellar studies. Mission did not meet minimum scientific requirements. (SR list)
World's first female aquanaut team received special awards from Walter J. Hickel, Secretary of the Interior, during Washington, D.C., ceremony. Later Richard H. Sprince of NASA, who was project manager for team, said test of women's ability to function in hostile environment was one reason NASA had joined Tektite program. Asked if NASA would consider bringing women into astronaut program, Sprince said, "We've got to start looking in that direction;" (AP, B Sun, 7/28/70, A3)
First launch of Poseidon missile from submarine had been postponed by USN [see July 251 because of proximity of heavily instrumented Soviet trawler to U.S. nuclear submarine James Madison, AP re-- ported. Informed source had said there was nothing wrong with Poseidon or support systems and that DOD officials "became a little apprehensive after the Russian trawler. . .moved in so close [within 183 m (200 yds)]" during test July 24. (B Sun, 7/28/70, A1)
Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird and Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard met with President Nixon in San Clemente, Calif., to discuss report of Blue Ribbon Defense Panel on DOD reorganization [see July 1]. Later, Secretary Laird told press U.S. was instituting new practice of "fly before we buy" to prevent costly defense overruns. Single package contract used to purchase C-5A and TFX was bad, Laird said, because it provided no protection to taxpayer against huge overcosts. Under new plan; DOD would let contracts for individual components of new weapon systems, which would permit cancellation of any one if component proved not feasible. (PD, 8/3/70, 1005; Beckman, C Trib, 7/28/70, 2)
William J. Normyle commented on July 15-17 Conference on Space Shuttle Technology at LeRC in Aviation Week & Space Technology: "Problems facing the development of the system were far more evident than solutions." Lack of resolution had led to decision to hold another conference in nine months, by which time NASA "will, have produced some key solutions." It' was clear at meeting "that experts in a number of fields differ with their colleagues on selection of such basics as thermal protection, design configuration, materials, integrated avionics, operations and crew systems." (Av Wk, 7/27/70, 17)
July 27-31: Crew station review of Skylab airlock and multiple docking adapter was held at McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in St. Louis, Mo. McDonnell Douglas was developing airlock; MSFC was building multiple-docking-adapter structure; and Martin Marietta Denver Div. was integrating equipment and experiments. (MSFC Release 70-146)
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