Jun 29 1964
From The Space Library
New research project would study feasibility and design concept of advanced hypersonic ramjet engine, NASA announced. The work would extend ramjet propulsion technology which NASA and NACA had been developing for more than 15 years. To be conducted under direction of Langley Research Center, the project was being organized to determine potential of the ramjet as a propulsion system for hyper-sonic flight. Project would use hydrogen as fuel. (NASA Release 64-158)
George Friedl, Jr., was appointed NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Industry Affairs, succeeding Earl D. Hilburn, who was recently named Deputy Associate Administrator. Since 1962 a management consultant in Santa Ana, Calif. .. Friedl served from 1960 to 1962 as Chairman of the Board and President of Matthews Corp. and from 1956 to 1960 as Corporate Vice President of Litton Industries, Inc., and General Manager of its Electronic Equipment Div. (NASA Announcement 64-140; NASA Release 64-157)
GSFC reported that NASA was considering development of a satellite-borne radiotelescope to investigate low frequency radio emissions from galactic regions, distant planets, and stars. Long antennas would be required to receive the very-low-frequency radio emissions. The program would study the development and effects of sporadic radio noise bursts from the sun and the sporadic decameter radio emission from Jupiter, determine the low frequency spectra of galactic and extra-galactic radio sources, and map the spatial distribution of galactic and extra-galactic radio sources at low frequencies. ( Goddard News, 6/29/64, 3)
Appointment of Maj. Gen. Alvin R. Luedecke (USAF Ret.) as Deputy Director of Cal Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was announced by JPL Director Dr. William H. Pickering. General manager of AEC since his retirement in 1958, General Luedecke would replace Brian Sparks effective August 1. (NASA Release 64-159)
NASA awarded $16,975,000 contract to Blount Brothers Corp. for construction of three major elements of space environment facility known as Space Propulsion Facility, to be built at Plum Brook Station of NASA Lewis Research Center. The facility would simulate temperatures and pressure conditions at altitudes up to 100 mi. from earth, permitting evaluation and development testing of spacecraft, chemical propulsion systems, and nuclear electric power generation and propulsion systems. (LRC Release 64-61)
Studies of two-stage recoverable lifting body space vehicle, by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center were reported in Aviation Week. Envisioned primarily as a passenger/supply space ferry, the system could be launched by track-mounted rocket sled or take off horizontally similar to conventional aircraft. Both stages would be manned, the first with only a flight crew and the pickaback second stage with 10-14 men and supplies. In this concept, both delta-shape stages would be recover-able. (Av. Wk., 6/29/64, 38)
NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, interviewed in Washington World, replied to interviewer's question ; "Yes, Gemini is really necessary to the Apollo program. As a matter of fact, Gemini would be necessary as the next major step in manned space flight even if there were no Apollo mission. Gemini provides the United States large increments of manned space flight capability. Gemini is vital to the Apollo program since our astronauts must learn-and perfect-the techniques of rendezvous and docking in space before attempting the trip to the moon and back. . . ." (NASA)
NASA completed negotiations with Honeywell Aeronautical Div. for contract to furnish three spacecraft for Project Scanner horizon definition experiment. The $1,224,616 contract included design, fabrication, integration, qualification, environmental testing, and certain launch support services. Project Scanner payloads would be flown on suborbital trajectories from Wallops Island, Va. (LaRC Release)
Future Delta launch vehicles with larger propellant tanks, the Thrust-Augmented Delta (TAD), would be used to launch payloads in the Bio-satellite, Pioneer, and meteorological satellite families, GSFC reported. (Goddard News, 6/29/64,1)
Senate's narrow margin of defeating amendment to cut NASA's FY 1965 Apollo authorization by 10% was subject of editorial by Robert Hotz in Aviation Week: ". . . There should be little satisfaction for supporters of the U.S. space program in the narrow margin by which the Fulbright amendment was defeated. It indicates clearly what a long, hard pull still lies ahead to educate the people of this country fully on the long-term needs to maintain this nation's preeminence in the vital area of space technology. There will never be any lack of criticism of any legislative program that has progress as its goal. But it should be the genuine concern of the supporters of the U.S. space program to state their case with such force and clarity that this conservative carping from Sen. Fulbright and his ilk will produce only the hollow echo in history that it merits." (Av. Wk., 6/29/64, 11)
Aviation Week reported that President Johnson had inspected USAF-Lockheed YF-12A (A-11) supersonic aircraft at Edwards AFB during his recent tour of West Coast defense installations. (Av. Wk, 6/29/64, 15)
John H. Boynton of MSC discussed pilot's role in Mercury space flight systems failures, in paper to AIAA first annual meeting. He summarized: "For the two unmanned missions, MA-4 and MA-5, control system difficulties made impossible the successful completion of a three-pass orbital flight, which was the design mission for the Mercury spacecraft. But in both cases, the presence of a pilot and the capability to control the spacecraft attitudes manually would have made the three-pass mission possible. This fact was demonstrated in the MA-6 mission in which a similar malfunction occurred but in which the astronaut completed the flight by using his manual control modes. . . . "For the MA-6 mission, . . . the flight would undoubtedly have been terminated before the planned time because of an excessive rate of fuel consumption in the automatic control mode. In the successful MA-7 flight, manual initiation of the retrorocket-ignition sequence prevented the horizon scanner malfunction from significantly delaying this critical event. Although an error in yaw angle caused the spacecraft to land somewhat beyond the planned landing area, this error would have undoubtedly been much greater had the pilot not been present. The six-pass MA-8 mission was successful, although a problem of an abnormal increase in suit temperature could have terminated the flight early had no means been available for reducing this temperature. The pilot, however, was able to correct this situation by manual adjustment of his coolant flow valve. Short circuits in the automatic control circuitry during the MA-9 flight made it essential for the pilot to control the spacecraft manually during retrofire and reentry." (Text)
C. A. Syvertson and David H. Dennis of NASA Ames Research Center, in paper for AIAA first annual meeting, reviewed problems of atmospheric entry, atmospheric exit, and atmospheric cruise, suggesting that "future vehicles in each of these areas will differ significantly from their current-day counterparts. For example, entry vehicles for use in the interplanetary missions which may follow the lunar mission will enter the Earth's atmosphere at speeds up to twice that of Apollo. At these speeds, radiative heating predominates and dictates the use of more slender configurations than the very blunt Apollo. The interplanetary entry vehicles will also require very precise guidance and control both when approaching the Earth and when flying within the atmosphere. . . "For cruise aircraft that follow the supersonic transports, the most characteristic feature will be the probable use of hydrogen fuel. This high-energy fuel provides excellent payload and range capabilities for transports flying up to about twice the speed of the supersonic transport. The low density of the fuel results in aircraft with very large fuselages which may be twice the size of current-day subsonic jet transports." (Text)
At AIAA meeting and press conference, Dr. Bernard M. Wagner, Chairman of New York Medical College's pathology dept., reported Soviets had decided not to send any more women cosmonauts into space. Soviet doctors were not satisfied with performance of Valentina Tereshkova, first woman cosmonaut. She had been too excited during the space flight, as seen by wide variations in her pulse rate, and she did not recover from effects of space flight as quickly as the male cosmonauts. Dr. Wagner visited in Moscow earlier in June at invitation of Prof. Vassily V. Parin, Director of Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology. Dr. Wagner reported Prof. Parin, prominent in Soviet space program, believed artificial gravity would be necessary for astronauts on long space flights, and Soviet space planners were considering possibility of equipping Vostok spacecraft with centrifuge providing periodic spin of 1/3 earth's gravity for the crew. Dr. Wagner added that Soviets were preparing for another manned space flight before the end of the year. (Loory, N.Y. Her. Trib., 6/30/64)
First meeting of the AIAA Technical Committee on History of Aeronautics and Astronautics held in Washington, NASA Historian Eugene M. Emme as Chairman. Employment in aerospace industry during the past year reflected overall downward trend, according to Aviation Week survey. Exceptions to th[[e general trend were McDonnell Aircraft Co. and]] Douglas Aircraft Co., the former mainly due to work on Gemini spacecraft and F-4 Phantom II aircraft and the latter due to increased work for Saturn launch vehicle program and commercial programs. (Av. Wk., 6/29/64, 20)
Reported that legislation was being drafted that would apply system of U.S. agricultural extension service to industry to help solve problems of economic dislocations due to decreased defense spending. President Johnson said such an industry extension service would "do for urban America what the agricultural extension service has done for rural America." (Av. Wk., 6/29/64, 21)
Pilots of South African Airways had been warned to fly at least 9,500-ft. above sea-level altitude when over Muden on the route between Johannesburg and Durban, because large citrus estate at Muden was shooting rain-making rockets into storm clouds. The estate had been plagued by hailstorms and was experimenting with rockets to reduce the fruit-damaging hailstones. With eight launch pads on the estate, it was possible to launch 50 Italian rockets at once to a height of 6,000 ft. (AP, NYT, 6/29/64, 30)
Hollywood screen writer Gene Roddenberry finishes the first draft of the script for the pilot episode of the television show Star Trek, entitled "The Cage."
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