Jun 10 1974
From The Space Library
Northrop Corp.'s YF-17 lightweight tactical fighter prototype air-craft made its first flight, from Edwards Air Force Base. The mach 2 twin-engine jet remained aloft for 1 hr 5 min, reaching an altitude of 5500 m and a maximum speed of 740 km per hr. All flight objectives were met. The YF-17 joined the General Dynamics Corp. YF-16, which had made its first flight 2 Feb., in the lightweight fighter flight-test program. The two designs were being evaluated by the Air Force for possible full-scale development as the new air combat fighter. (AFSC Newsreview, July 74, 4)
Development of a new generation of communications satellites-such as Westar 1 (launched 13 April) , Ats 6 (Applications Technology Satellite launched 30 May), and three others scheduled for launch in 1974 and 1975-would bring the fifth revolution in human communications, Dr. Robert Jastrow, Director of NASA'S Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said in a New York Times article. The satellites would provide a "quantum jump in the capacity of Americans to talk to and see one another." The most immediate effect would be to reduce cost of long-distance communications and increase number of words and pictures exchanged. Over-seas calls originating in the U.S. had jumped from about 10 million a year in 1965 to 60 million in 1973. Dr. Jastrow predicted that by 1982 the U.S. would originate 1 billion overseas calls and a call halfway around the world would cost the same as a call next door.
Other consequences might be a world language and the ability of people to live where they pleased. With an inexpensive satellite-transmitted dial-up conversation by color TV, people would not have to live in cities; "every house can be transformed into an office, a theater, or a classroom by pressing a few buttons." Long-term effects might knit man-kind into a global society, enriched by freer exchange of ideas and reduced fear between nations. A unified global society, however, would be an organism of great collective power in which the individual would be restricted to one role. "The prospect is not pleasant. But the transformation . . . will take place slowly . . . and most of our descendants will be conditioned to accept their more restricted options." (NYT, 9 June 74, 4:6)
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