Jun 19 1970
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
USAF launched by Atlas-Agena booster from AFETR first in series of satellites equipped with TV cameras and x-ray sensors to provide early warning of enemy attack from land or sea bases. Satellite entered orbit with 35 840.1-km (22 270-mi) apogee, 35 791.8-km (22240-mi) perigee, 1426.5-min period, and 0.1 inclination. USAF did not announce launch, but press reported informed sources said satellite would be stationed over Southeast Asia at about 32 000-km (20 000-mi) altitude. (Pies Rpt 71; GSFC SSR, 6/30/70; AP, NYT, 6/20/70,8)
Largest solar-cell-array system ever devised to power spacecraft had been designed by MSFC engineers, NASA announced. Each of arrays, to turn sunlight into electric power for Saturn Workshop and Apollo Telescope Mount, would provide 10 500 w at 328 K (55°C) during 58 to 69-min sunlight portion of each orbit. Skylab power-generation systems would produce 21000 w at peak operation. Number of solar cells in workshop array had not been decided; 164 160 cells would be used in ATM array. (MSFC Release 70-121)
NASA announced selection of General Electric Co. for $5-million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to design, develop, and deliver microwave radiometer-scatterometer/altimeter for Skylab Workshop. Experiment was to evaluate usefulness of passive and active microwave systems in obtaining data on sea and land conditions, wave heights, oceanic wind fields, snow cover, and ground and soil moisture. Data would be correlated at MSC with measurements in visible and infrared bands to be made aboard Workshop. (NASA Release, 6119/70)
LeRC scientists were studying metal shielding to protect reusable space vehicle from intense heat as it reentered earth's atmosphere; NASA announced. Shielding would have to withstand temperatures to 1900 K (3000°F) as orbiter traveled more than 27 000 km per hr (17 000 mph). Best candidate for heat shield material was dispersion-strengthened nickel-chromium alloy, according to Charles Blankenship, head of LeRC Materials Processing Section. LeRC also was conducting research into coatings for refractory metal alloys to shield leading edges of orbiters at temperatures above 1500 K (2200°F) and act as backup material at 1300-1500 K (1800°-2200°F). (NASA Release 70-100)
First measurements of spectral reflectivity (0.30 to 1.10 mu) of several asteroids using double-beam photometer on 152-CM (60-in) telescope of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile, and 152cm and 254-CM (100-in) telescopes of Mount Wilson Observatory; were described in Science by MIT astronomers Thomas B. McCord and Torrence V. Johnson and astronomer John B. Adams of Caribbean Research Institute College of the Virgin Islands. Asteroid Vesta's reflection spectrum contained strong absorption band centered near 0.9 mu and weaker absorption feature between 0.5 and 0.6 mu Reflectivity decreased strongly in UV. Reflection spectrum for Pallas and probably for Ceres asteroids did not contain -0.9 mu band. Vesta showed "strongest and best defined" absorption bands yet seen in reflection spectrum for solid surface of object in solar system. Comparisons with measurements of meteorites and Apollo 11 samples indicated that Vesta surface had composition similar to that of certain basaltic achondrites. (Science, 6/19/70, 1445-7)
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