Mar 15 1973
From The Space Library
NASA announced selection of Lockheed California Co. and Boeing Co. for negotiations leading to contracts for structural technology studies of an arrow-wing, supersonic, cruise aircraft configuration. Each contractor would apply a Langley Research Center concept for a four-engine SST with sharply swept-back wings to the structure of a hypothetical aircraft. The aircraft would have a 340 000-kg (750 000-1b) takeoff weight, 7800-km (4800-mi) design range, 22 000kg (49 000-1b) payload, and 15-yr economic service life. Structural concepts would be developed under two 121/2-mo, $700 000, cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts. NASA Release 73-43)
The Aerospace Industries Association reported that aerospace exports continued to be a major factor in the U.S. balance of trade. In 1972, aerospace exports of $3.8 billion, offset by imports of $546 million, had netted $3.2 billion positive contribution to the U.S. position. The U.S. had registered an overall negative balance of $6.4 billion. Dept. of Commerce statistics had revealed that aerospace exports had included $2.9 billion in commercial sales and $900 million in military equipment. (AIAA News, 3/15/73)
NASA Associate Administrator for Tracking and Data Acquisition Gerald M. Truszynski testified before the House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Aeronautics and Space Technology during NASA FY 1974 authorization hearings: Support in 1972 had been provided to more than 40 ongoing missions as well as 18 new flight projects. New launches-which included Apollo 16 and 17 and the first probe to Jupiter, Pioneer 10-"placed increased demands on the capacity and reliability of the tracking systems." During the two-year, 1000 000 000-km (621400 000-mi) journey of Pioneer 10 to Jupiter's vicinity, the Deep Space Network would continuously monitor the spacecraft's condition and acquire data from its 13 experiments.
Major changes in the Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network (STDN) had been the installation of a transportable station at St. John's, Newfoundland, to provide Skylab launch support and the closing of the station at Fort Myers, Fla. The closing was "the first of the station closures planned to take place over the next few years as the Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network moves toward a single integrated network in the post-Apollo Soyuz Test Project time.” (Transcript)
Johnson Space Center announced the issuance of requests for proposals to build hydraulic actuators for space shuttle applications and to test them under simulated space conditions. The actuators were being considered for aerodynamics-surface and thrust-vector control on the shuttle. Proposals, leading to a firm-fixed-price research-and-development contract, were due by April 2. Work was to be concluded 12 mos after the contract award. (JSC Release 73-27)
March 15-30: Five U.S.-U.S.S.R. joint working groups met at Johnson Space Center and reached agreements on the July 1975 Apollo Soyuz Test Project, Technical specialists from each country would be in the other country's control center during the mission and flight crews and specialists would be trained and made familiar with each country's spacecraft and systems. Under a flammability agreement, the U.S. would provide fire resistant material for the Soviet cosmonauts' flight clothing; the cosmonauts would use an Apollo headset in the Apollo spacecraft for communications to the Soyuz spacecraft over the Soviet communications link; the Soviet TV camera used in the Apollo spacecraft would be in a fireproof hermetically sealed container; and the still camera and film used by the cosmonauts in Apollo would be stored in a flameproof container. The U.S. would provide a 16 mm camera for Soviet use during docked operations in both Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft. Agreements were reached on the prescribed procedure if either country encountered anomalous results during test activities that concerned the other country and on mission planning for rendezvous.
The groups agreed that additional testing was required on the docking seals, that the U.S. would limit Apollo control system thrusting in the roll axis to two thrusters to preclude excessive structural loads on the Soyuz spacecraft, and that an additional docking test could be performed on the second day, with the Apollo systems passive and the Soyuz active. Both countries agreed to perform and exchange safety assessments in fire, pyrotechnic devices, cabin pressure, and propulsion and control systems. The 47-man delegation of Soviet scientists and engineers included Cosmonauts Vladimir A. Shatalov and Aleksey S. Yeliseyev and the Soviet ASTP Technical Director, Academician Konstantin D. Bushuyev. At a March 19 press conference Bushuyev and U.S. ASTP Technical Director Glynn S. Lunney agreed that cordial, friendly, and cooperative progress was being made in planning the joint mission. Preliminary drawings of the two spacecraft had been exchanged so that mockups could be built. (C. M. Lee presentation to Aerospace Advisory Panel, 4/10/73; MSC Release 73-24; JSC Roundup, 3/16/73, 1; Wilford, NYT, 3/20-73, 32; Jsc PIO)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
