Jun 8 1964
From The Space Library
NASA Deputy Administrator Hugh L. Dryden announced to newsmen the bilateral agreement negotiated between U.S. and U.S.S.R. in June 1962 (the "Dryden-Blagonravov Agreement"), by which the two countries would cooperate in space programs for communications, meteorology, and geophysics, was discussed by him and Academician Blagonravov at Geneva. Cooperation in Soviet-American communications for global meteorology was to be implemented by the two countries' sharing costs equally, each supporting the program in alternate months; a bilaterally financed communications link between Moscow and Washington was to be solely for the purpose of exchanging cloud pictures. The 1962 agreement grew out of correspondence between President Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev in Feb. and March 1962. Dryden and Blagonravov also discussed American-Soviet cooperation in space biology. Agreement was reached, subject to review before final approval, by which American and Soviet space biologists would prepare bilingual reports on similar subjects. Soviets had proposed cooperation in biology and medicine, both of which had great bearing on manned space flight when exploration extended beyond the moon. (Wash. Post, 6/9/64; NASA Tran-script, 6/8/64[2] "Background Information," "News Conference:")
NASA announced industry design competition for Automated Biological Laboratory (ABL) for detecting possible life on Mars. An ABL would be landed by Voyager spacecraft to be flown in 1970's. Proposals resulting from preliminary studies would lead to contract for a one-year effort to review scientific objectives, define an experimental payload suitable for landing and operation on Mars, and establish spacecraft and launch vehicle requirements. ABL would incorporate several life-detection devices still in developmental stages and would be equipped to analyze and describe any organisms discovered by such devices. (NASA Release 64-134)
It was reported that technicians had experienced some difficulty returning to their spacecraft couches during test designed to see how well astronauts would be able to perform certain functions in weightless space flight. The tests were performed inside a mockup of a Gemini capsule mounted in a KC-135 flown to produce short periods of weightlessness. The difficulty was caused by pressure suits swollen by pressurization and couches designed to fit the astronaut only when his suit was not pressurized. Dr. M. Debrovner of MSC said that the difficulty would soon be overcome. (Houston Post, 6/9/64)
Officials of NASA's Saturn program expressed interest in a miniature version of the Rover nuclear rocket engine. Called the "Poodle," the liquid-propellant engine was developed under an AEC contract with Space Technology Laboratories of Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge. (M&R, 6/8/64, 22)
Federal investigators and an attorney from the NLRB were dispatched to Cape Kennedy to seek a solution to labor troubles which halted work on America's programs for landing on the moon and for orbiting a manned space laboratory. An estimated 80% of workers on the Vertical Assembly Building for Project Apollo and the launch complex for the USAF's Titan III refused to cross picket lines thrown up by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees in protest to use of a Government-owned railroad spur which had been operated since Jan. 23, 1963, by nonunion personnel. Cost of the projects affected by the work halt was estimated at $215 million. (Chic. Trib., 6/9/64; Balt. Sun., 6/9/64)
ComSatCorp said it would award three additional study contracts for design of communications satellites systems. AT&T and RCA would design a system of 18 satellites to be placed in random orbits. TRW Space Technology Laboratories would engineer a system of 12 satellites in controlled orbits. Hughes Aircraft would plan an improved synchronous-orbit communications satellite. Based on these preliminary studies, a choice was to be made for use in the initial comsat system to begin operation in 1966-67. (ComSatCorp Release; Wash. Post, 6/9/64; Balt. Sun., 6/9/64; NYT, 6/9/64, 25)
A daughter was born to Soviet Cosmonauts Valentina Nikolayeva-Tereshkova and Andrian Nikolayev. She was first child to be born of parents who had flown in space, and no ill effects were noted. (Houston.Chron., 6/10/64; Balt. Sun., 6/11/64)
Nuclear submarine Daniel Webster completed a perfect series of tests by firing two Polaris A-3 missiles from beneath the surface of the Atlantic. (Wash. Post, 6/9/64)
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