Jun 30 1971
From The Space Library
Soyuz 11 Cosmonauts Georgy T. Dobrovolsky, Vladislav N. Volkov, and Viktor I. Patsayev were posthumously awarded titles of Hero of the Soviet Union for "heroism and courage shown during the test of the new space complex, the orbital station Salyut and the transport ship Soyuz 11." Cosmonauts had died during reentry from June 6-30 mission. (FBZS-Sov-71-127, 7/1/71, Ll)
Soviet government ordered formation of special commission to investigate deaths of Soyuz 11 cosmonauts during reentry from 24- day mission. (Mills, B Sun, 7/1/71, Al )
President Nixon sent message to Nikolay V. Podgorny, Chairman of Presidium of Supreme Soviet, on death of Soyuz 11 cosmonauts: "The American people join me in expressing to you and the Soviet people our deepest sympathy on the tragic death of the three Soviet cosmonauts, The whole world followed the exploits of these courageous explorers of the unknown and shares the anguish of their tragedy. But the achievement of cosmonauts Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsayev remains. It will, I am sure, prove to have contributed greatly to the future of space and thus to the widening of man's horizons." (PD, 7/5/71, 1010)
Donald K. Slayton, MSC Director of Flight Crew Operations, sent cable on behalf of U.S. astronauts to Soviet Academy of Sciences: "We share with the world community deep sorrow for the loss of Cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev, and we mourn with all the Russian people the deaths of three brave countrymen." (Reuters, B Sun, 7/1/71, A2; MSC Pio)
U.S. manned space flight program would continue on schedule despite Soyuz 11 tragedy, Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director, told press in Houston. Dr. Charles A. Berry, MSC Director of Medical Research and Operations, said cosmonauts could have been killed by a toxic gas that accidently escaped, either by a chemical reaction or by a substance being heated inadvertently. He said odds were 1000 to 1 against one cosmonaut dying from effects of 24 days of weightlessness and it was almost impossible for all three to die simultaneously from weightlessness. Dr. George M. Low, NASA Deputy Administrator, told press cosmonauts' deaths might have been caused by failure of spacecraft's oxygen-supply system or by physical rupture of spacecraft. Deaths, he said, were "a terrible tragedy. They were pioneers in their achievements in space-in establishing the first manned space station. Our hearts go out to their families and to their colleagues. The cause of their death is not yet known to us. But I would speculate that the fault was with the spacecraft and not with the men. In all of our experience man has readily adapted to new conditions, while machines have sometimes failed." Dr. Low said he did not expect changes in NASA's Skylab program because of cosmonauts' deaths: "All of our experience in 24 manned flights suggests we can and should move ahead." (UPI, W Star, 7/1/71, A3; NASA Activities, 7/15/71, 107)
Aerobee 150 sounding rocket was launched by NASA from WSMR carrying GSFC solar astronomy experiment. Rocket and instruments functioned satisfactorily. (SR list)
Discovery of two discrete sources of very-high-energy gamma rays in southern Milky Way by team of scientists from Case Western Reserve Univ. and Univ. of Melbourne, Australia, was announced by NSF. Rays had been detected by instruments aboard three balloon flights made at altitude of 40 km (25 mi) in stratosphere on Feb. 6 and 27 and Nov. 27, 1969. All three balloons had been launched from Australia. Newly discovered sources also emitted x-rays. Scientists hoped that fact sources emitted both gamma and x-rays might provide additional clue as to how their energy was generated. They might be related to other unusual objects discovered during last decade such as quasars and pulsars. (NSF Release 71-171)
Breaking-in process of world's most powerful atom-smasher-500-bev accelerator at Batavia, Ill.-began with first firing of protons around 6.4-km (4-mi) ring. Accelerator would build up to original design energy of 200 bev and was expected ultimately to produce seven times the energy of Soviet accelerator at Serpukhov, near Moscow. (Sullivan, NYT, 7/2/71, 24)
International law had been "enriched" by draft of international convention on responsibility for damaging space objects, Tass reported from Geneva. Document had been completed by juridical subcommittee of U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Tass said convention, which would be submitted to September meeting of U.N. space committees provided "reliable and acceptable ... juridical foundation for nettling problems of material responsibility which ... may arise due to the rapidly expanding research programmes and the use of space." (Fms-Sov- 71-126, 6/30/71, L8)
Soviet progress in science and technology was discussed in Sovetskaya Rossiya article by M. D. Millionschikov, Vice President of Soviet Academy of Sciences: "In recent years there has been an immense improvement in the development of astronomy and astrophysics. Our science has made discoveries of fundamental significance and has shifted considerably the limits of phenomena in the universe known to man. Research into the nature of powerful sources of radiowaves discovered some years ago has led to the conclusion that the objects noted are located almost on the edge of the observable area of the universe at a distance of 5 billion light years. The power of radiation exceeds all currently known scales. In order to explain the colossal energy they radiate from the standpoint of the most powerful known mechanism for emitting energy- thermonuclear synthesis-it is necessary to sup-pose that its source must be simultaneous thermonuclear explosion of a mass equivalent to a hundred million stars the size of the sun." (FBIS-Sov- 71-134, 6/30/71, Ll )
Miss Baker-13-yr-old South American squirrel monkey launched and returned from 483-km (300-mi) altitude on USAF Jupiter missile May 28, 1959-arrived at Alabama Space and Rocket Center, where she would reside permanently. Monkey was transferred from U.S. Naval Aerospace Medical Institute. (Huntsville Times, 6/29/71)
Award by DOT of $3,5-million contract to Grumman Aerospace Corp. for construction of tracked air cushion research vehicle was announced by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe. Vehicle, 15.5 m (51 ft) long and weighing nearly 27 000 kg (60 000 lbs), would accommodate four persons including operator and test engineer. DOT would test vehicle at its High Speed Test Center in Pueblo, Colo,, on its completion, scheduled for March 1972. (DoT Release FRA 971)
FAA announced award of $390 000 contract to Saphier, Lerner, Schindler -Environetics (Div. of Litton Industries) for proposed two- phased study of offshore jetport [see May 21] to serve metropolitan New York City. (FAA Release 71-99)
NASA leaders were "realistic enough to sense that their case for the [space] shuttle must be built on more than chauvinistic appeal to national prestige, which sold the Apollo in the early 1970s," Jonathan Spivak said in Wall Street Journal. They were "working hard to trim the shuttle's prospective costs, demonstrate its economic payoff and convince the scientific community that it offers attractive new opportunities for research." But NASA's "primary problem" was "convincing the public and the politicians that it still makes sense to go into space at all. The moon is no longer a glamorous goal; Mars is too far distant and expensive, and orbiting space stations to date have made few influential converts." (WSJ, 6/30/71, 10)
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