Jun 30 1969
From The Space Library
At small White House dinner, Apollo 10 Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan presented President Nixon and Vice President Agnew with four wrinkled flags which had been carried aboard spacecraft during mission. Stafford told President, ". . . these flags have been to the moon and 31 times around it, so we thought you'd like to have them just the way we brought them back. That's why we didn't press out the wrinkles when we had them framed." (Dean, W Star, 7/1/69, Dl)
Intelsat I (Early Bird ) comsat, which had been retired in orbit during December 1968, had been reactivated and was working with Intelsat-II F-3 to provide communications between North America, Europe, and Latin America, ComSatCorp announced. Reactivation would compensate for failure of Intelsat-III F-2, which malfunctioned when mechanically despun antenna locked. (ComSatCorp Release 69-37)
Univ. of Chicago scientist Anthony Turkevich had found by analysis of data from three Surveyor spacecraft that rocks on lunar surface contained sufficient oxygen to maintain life without supplemental sources, UPI reported. In interview Turkevich had said that, with nuclear or solar power sources, oxygen extraction from moon might cost less than shipping oxygen supplies to moon from earth. Also, there was little danger that moon rocks and dust carried into LM by returning astronauts would create explosion hazard because of oxygen lack. He had been unable to determine whether moon had sufficient hydrogen to allow chemical creation of water by future colonists or valuable minerals in commercially exploitable quantities and had found no evidence of fossil fuel supplies. (W Star, 6/30/69, A5)
USAF announced award of $718,009 increment to $1,177,125 cost-plus-incentive contract with Avco Corp. for design, fabrication, test, and support through orbital infancy of satellite for investigation of fundamental processes of magnetic storms. (DOD Release 554-69)
L/G Ira C. Eaker (USAF, Ret.) criticized MOL cancellation in Detroit News: Although 80% of U.S. space budget had been devoted to peaceful purposes in space, "it has been recognized generally that prudence dictated that we should ultimately possess the capability of intercepting, inspecting and, if need be, destroying hostile weapons in space. . . . Cancellation of the MOL project concedes to the Russians control of space. After about 1972 the Russians will have the capability of overhauling and destroying our reconnaissance satellites, and they will also be capable of placing weapons in Space which we can neither intercept, identify nor disarm" News, 6/30/69)
In Aviation Week Robert Hotz wrote: "There need be no tears shed over the passing of the U.S. Air Force manned orbiting laboratory (MOL)." Program "has been so stretched out by funding cuts and low keyed management that its technology has become obsolete and its costs astronomical. It is a classic example of what happens to a major technical development program that is not permitted to pursue its goals at the maximum pace possible. In contrast, the ICBM development and Apollo lunar landing programs have proved what can be achieved in a relatively short period at relatively economical funding." (Av Wk, 6/30/69)
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