Jun 21 1976
From The Space Library
The U.S. Senate by unanimous vote of 88 ratified the multination convention on registration of objects launched into outer space. All 37 countries now members of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space-which drafted the convention-were expected to ratify it; France and Bulgaria had already ratified, and 24 nations including the USSR had signed it. Registration would be with the secretary general of the UN, reporting was mandatory, and the information to be provided "as soon as practicable" included the name of the launching state (or states), appropriate designator of the space object (or its registration number), date and territory or location of the launch, basic orbital parameters (apogee, perigee, orbital period, inclination), and general functions of the space object. The convention embraced objects launched into earth orbit or into space transit-lunar or deep-space probes-but did not require reporting on objects in brief transit through outer space, such as sounding rockets or ballistic-missile test vehicles. The convention would supersede the voluntary system that had been in operation since 1962; the U.S. State Department had told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that, although nearly all countries launching objects into outer space bad respected the voluntary system, there had never been agreement on the kinds of information to be supplied and the information conveyed to the secretary general had never been uniform.
The committee's only question regarding cooperation was the People's Republic of China, which had not reported on its outer space launchings; Senator Clifford P. Case (R-N.J.) had asked Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger to find out if mainland China would register under the new convention. NASA had told the committee that the U.S. would not incur substantial costs from the convention's requirement that participating states with space tracking facilities help in identifying a space object, when requested by another participant on the grounds that the object to be identified was "hazardous or deleterious." NASA was already tracking nearly 5000 space objects, some as small as a dinner plate, and knew which nation owned most of them. (NASA Ofc Legis. Affairs, report for 21 June 76; Av Wk, 28 June 76, 63)
President Ford announced his intention to nominate Alan M. Lovelace, NASA's Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology, to succeed George M. Low as Deputy Administrator. Lovelace had occupied his position since September 1974. Before coming to NASA, he had been director of research and development for the Air Force Systems Command at Wright-Patterson AFB, 0., 1967-1972; director of science and technology for Air Force R&D, assigned to Andrews AFB; and acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Development for the Air Force in October 1973. The nomination required Senate confirmation, but no opposition was expected; if the Senate did not act by the end of the week, before its 4 July recess, confirmation might be delayed until after 19 July. (Pres Doc, 21 June 76, 1072; Av Wk, 28 June 76, 21; NASA Release 76-118)
NASA would buy the Department of Defense's 2 Space Shuttle orbiters if the administration would give NASA an extra $835 million or so for that purpose, Aerospace Daily reported after a meeting between George M.
Low, departing NASA Deputy Administrator, and Dr. Malcolm R. Currie, DOD's chief of research and engineering. The 2 agencies reportedly agreed that the nation needed 5 orbiters-2 more than NASA had planned to buy-and that NASA should buy them. NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld were reported ready to meet to "firm up a proposal" to the Office of Management and Budget and to President Ford; OMB might contest the need for 5 orbiters, Aerospace Daily said. (Aero Daily, 21 June 76, 22)
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