Jun 17 1971
From The Space Library
NASA announced selection of Descartes as lunar landing site for Apollo 16, scheduled for launch in March 1972. Descartes, in central lunar highlands, provided opportunity to sample volcanic- like highlands basin fill and uplands volcanic terrain. (NASA Release 71-106)
Impact of NASA installations on local communities was described by NASA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Industry Affairs George J. Vecchietti in testimony before House Select Committee on Small Business's Subcommittee on Small Business Problems in Smaller Towns and Urban Areas. During hearings on impact of Government installations on small business, Vecchietti testified: "The rapid growth of facilities and activities at NASA installations over the past few years have unquestionably generated development of a wide range of commercial facilities.... Unfortunately . most of the impacts are of an intangible nature and difficult to quantify. Economic impacts, for the most part, have been favorable. But ... those communities bordering NASA installations have been adversely affected by the wind-down in space activity." (Testimony)
Apollo 7 Astronaut R. Walter Cunningham announced his resignation from NASA, effective on or about Aug. 1, to become Vice President of Operations for Century Development Corp., developers of Greenway Plaza in Houston, Tex. (NASA Release 71-110)
New civilian program to "absorb the nation's technical talent, respond to our unmet social needs, and enlist widespread enthusiasm and support" was proposed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) in speech before National Society of Engineers meeting in Washington, D.C. "The development of new cities may be the important challenge we face, because it dramatizes the need for new research and engineering in the way the challenge of the Soviet Sputnik spurred the American space program in the late fifties and early sixties." (Text)
Launching of eight Soviet Cosmos satellites, Mars 2, and Mariner 9 had raised number of man-made objects in space to 2378, Reuters reported. Of total, little more than one fifth were satellites or payloads; remainder was space junk. Spokesman for USAF Air Defense Command had said USAF had recorded 2840 objects, 760 payloads, and 2080 bits of debris that had decayed since launch of Sputnik 1 Oct. 4, 1957. (LA Times, 6/17/71)
President Nixon issued Proclamation 4060 commemorating World Law Day. He said: "We can see many heartening evidences that law is becoming stronger and more just around the world under the pressures which reason and necessity exert. Within the nations, human rights and ecological wisdom continue to gain stature in the law. Among the nations, security and cooperation-on every front from space to the seabeds-are being enhanced through negotiations, treaties, and conventions. The United Nations is entering its second quarter of a century, and many other international organizations are working effectively through and for world law." (PD, 6/21/71, 942)
June 17 July 2: Fourteenth Plenary Meeting of Committee on Space Re- search (cospAn) was held in Seattle, Wash. International meeting of scientists hosted by NAS included symposia and working groups on 1970 total solar eclipse, astronomical observations from space, use of stratospheric balloons in space research, and lunar lasers. Grumman Aerospace Corp. scientist Dr. Henry C. Courten, professor of astronomy at Dowling College, said mysterious tracks on photographic plates he made during 1966 and 1970 solar eclipses appeared to be of small planet or asteroid belt inside Mercury's orbit. Cal Tech scientist and lunar expert Dr. Gerald J. Wasserburg told COSPAR meeting four rocks gathered by Apollo 14 astronauts had ages ranging from 3.85 billion to 3.95 billion yrs. Ages were surprising "since it was anticipated that Fra Mauro would yield rocks of greater antiquity." Discovery suggested that volcanism was active on moon far longer than had been thought and was still forming lunar crust more than 600 million yrs after moon came into being. It also suggested that Sea of Rains had been carved by collision 600 million yrs after moon's formation, or 100 million to 150 million yrs later than lunar experts had originally believed. Soviet scientists Yuri G. Nefyuduv, L. I. Kakurin, and A. D. Yegorov said Soyuz 9 Cosmonauts Andrian G. Nikolayev and Vitaly I. Sevastyanov "found it difficult to keep the upright posture and had to be assisted while walking" during first three hours after return from June 2-19, 1970, mission. "Next day . . . their walk was still inadequate and erect positions were maintained with great efforts." When cosmonauts returned to physical activity, few days after flight, effects of prolonged weightlessness had proved temporary. Astronaut John W. Young represented U.S. astronaut corps at ceremony to honor 10th anniversary of first space flight by Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin. He asked, 'What better tribute to the memory of Yuri Gagarin can we offer than the hope that the growing unity of efforts in space-which this COSPAR meeting so well exemplifies-may one day extend to all the Earth? (NAS Release, 4/21/71; AP, W Post, 6/13/71, A7; O'Toole, W Post, 6/27/71, Al; UPI, W Post, 6/28/71, A7; NASA Activities, 7/15/71, 107)
NAS and NRC submitted to COSPAR United States Space Science Program, comprehensive summary of scientific research in space science in U.S. during 1970. Report included summaries of observations from spacecraft, sounding rockets, high-altitude balloons, and aircraft made or reported during 1970 and discussed flights planned for 1971. (Text)
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