Mar 16 1969
From The Space Library
Apollo 9 mission had gathered new evidence of clearer visibility in space and "marvelous" acuity of human eye, Associated Press reported. Astronauts had told officials onboard recovery ship after splashdown they could see much farther in space than in earth's atmosphere-both with telescopes and with naked eye. They had tracked several orbiting space objects up to 1,600 mi away with telescope and had tracked jettisoned 21/2-ft-long, 14-ft-dia LM ascent stage to 1,000 mi. (W Star, 3/17/69, A4; W Post, 3/17/69, A4)
More than 2,000 Americans had made reservations with Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines on first commercial trips to moon, said Joe McCarthy in This Week. Down payments were not being accepted, but lunar reservations were being confirmed, acknowledged by letter, and placed in order on waiting list. PAA spokesman had said, "It will undoubtedly be an expensive trip. When we finally start asking the assengers for money, a lot of them will probably drop off the list." (This Week, 3/16/69, 9-10)
In Washington Post, Victor Cohn said fight for ideas "which once would have been labeled 'wild" had begun when NASA began congressional committee hearings on its $3.7-billion FY 1970 budget [see March 4]. It had continued with announcement of "dramatic plan for ten more manned expeditions to the moon after the first men land there in July." Americans had responded to "exciting" Apollo Program "with heightened fervor for a man in space." But new fight for funding would probably be "NASA's toughest." Americans were asking, "How about our needs here on earth? Many scientists felt unmanned instruments could do cheaper and nearly as effective job of space exploration. Congress had been calling NASA's present spending level "enough." Still, NASA had succeeded in marshaling "powerful scientific support." As yet unreleased report of Dr. Charles H. Townes' space task force appointed by President Nixon urged both vigorous manned space program and development of reusable space shuttle. Presidential Science Adviser, Dr. Lee A. DuBridge, had declared himself for "a really solid, many-faceted program." NASA officials were optimistic but funds actually appropriated for FY 1970 budget would finance only five more Apollo flights plus first hardware for Apollo Applications program. Public thinking was "just about 50-50 today, and new U.S. consensus has not yet crystallized." (W Post, 3/16/69, Al)
First royalty-bearing license under NASA'S foreign patent program had been granted to Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, NASA announced. Invention bearing NASA-owned patent No. 484,436 and made by GSFC's Joseph G. Haynos, was concerned with connections between solar cells that permitted flexibility and low weight. Company had made initial payment to NASA for exclusive manufacturing rights in Japan and agreed to continue royalty payments for duration of license. (NASA Release 69-40)
Bitter battle was raging in Nixon Administration over construction of SST, said Robert H. Phelps in New York Times. Opposition to 1,800-mph aircraft had been rising since Feb. 7 appointment by President Nixon of 11-member interdepartmental study committee. Indications were that majority would recommend shelving project until technical, economical, and environmental problems, particularly aircraft noise, were closer to solution. President Nixon had inherited controversy from Johnson Administration, which had not earmarked funds for SST. He would have to decide whether to ask Congress to appropriate $212 million to $247 million to keep project on schedule. (NYT, 3/16/69, 1)
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