Jun 10 1969
From The Space Library
House passed by vote of 328 to 52 H.R. 11271, FY 1970 NASA authorization of $3.966 billion, allocating $3.26 billion for R&D, $58.2 million for construction of facilities, and $643.8 million for research and program management. House had adopted amendment canceling $327 million authorized for FYs 1967, 1968, and 1969 for which appropriations had not been made. It also adopted amendment requiring emplacement of U.S. flag, exclusively, on moon or any other planet by U.S. astronauts during visits financed entirely by Government funds. Act would be symbolic gesture of national pride in achievement, not declaration of national appropriation by claim of sovereignty. (Text; CR, 6/10/69, H4615-56)
Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard announced cancellation by DOD of Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program because of "continuing urgency of reducing Federal defense spending" and "advances in automated techniques for unmanned satellite systems." Cancellation would save "several hundred million" of $525 million proposed for MOL in FY 1970 budget authorization. Remainder would be needed for termination costs and USAF unmanned space programs. Cancellation also would save $1.5 billion in FY 1970 through 1974. Since 1965 initiation of MOL program, DOD had accumulated much experience in unmanned satellite systems and "profited from both manned and unmanned space exploration of NASA" for "the many, advanced technologies in the MOL effort." Some MOL technology and hardware would be used in other DOD unmanned space programs and DOD was exploring with NASA "the usefulness of some MOL developments to NASA programs." (DOD Release 491-69)
In Bonn Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, and West German Science Minister Gerhard Stoltenberg signed Memorandum of Understanding calling for NASA and West German Ministry for Scientific Research cooperation on Helios. Most advanced international scientific space program, Helios would consist of two solar probes carrying 10 scientific experiments 28 million mi-closer to sun than any other yet scheduled-in 1974-75 to provide new understanding of fundamental solar processes and sun-earth relations by studying solar wind, magnetic and electric fields, cosmic rays and cosmic dust. NASA would launch two German-built spacecraft on Atlas-Centaur vehicles one year apart. Seven experiments would be provided by German scientists and three by GSFC in cooperation with U.S., Australian, and Italian experimenters. (NASA Releases 69-86, 69-91)
At Smithsonian Institution ceremony, X-15 No. 566670, one of three rocket-engine aircraft built to test flight environment in upper atmosphere, took its place near Wright brothers' Kitty Hawk Flyer and Charles A. Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. Aircraft had been officially retired with completion of joint NASA-USAF X-15 program in December and flown from Edwards AFB, Calif." as cargo to be refurbished by Smithsonian. First X-15 built, it made first captive flight March 10, 1959, and flew first glide and power flights June 8, 1959, and Jan. 23, 1960. It completed last flight in test program Oct. 24, 1968, to total 81 free flights and 142 flights with B-52 mothership. Of three X-15 s built by North American Rockwell Corp. and Thiokol Chemical Corp." No. 3 had been destroyed in Nov. 15, 1967, crash which killed pilot, Maj. Michael J. Adams (USAF) ; No. 2 was being displayed at Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. X-15 program had cost $300 million and established records for 354,200-ft altitude and for 4,520 mph (mach 6.7) speed. At ceremony Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr." Secretary of the Air Force, said it was difficult to believe designer's dream of 15 yrs ago had already found its way into museum. (Program; NASA Release 69-56; DOD Release 327-69; NYT, 6/15/69, 70)
MSFC announced award of $1,712,000 contract change to Bendix Corp. for construction of three additional control computers for Apollo Telescope Mount project, to be delivered from April 1970 through July 1970. (MSFC Release 69-141)
Space Business Daily said poll of 1,400 U.S. adults conducted after Apollo 10 splashdown by A. Singlinger & Co. had found 51.3% in favor of lunar exploration program. Of those polled, 39% disapproved of program and 9.7% had no opinion. (SBD, 6/10/69, 174)
Rep. Lester L. Wolff (D-N.Y.) proposed in House that Apollo 11 spacecraft be commissioned "The John F. Kennedy." (CR, 6/10/69, H4639)
In Washington Evening Star Crosby S. Noyes noted: "There are . . . a number of questions about interplanetary travel that remain to be answered, the most obvious being why take the trouble. It is, no doubt, a magnificent conception. But whether it can or should be made real is still open to some doubt." (W Star, 6/10/69, All)
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