Mar 17 1971
From The Space Library
NASA supercritical wing, flown on TF-8A jet aircraft piloted by test pilot Thomas C. McMurtry, successfully completed second flight from FRC. Aircraft reached 7600-m (25 000-ft) altitude and 300 knots (mach 0.75) . Purpose of flight was to continue evaluation of aircraft's handling qualities at higher altitudes and speeds. (NASA Proj Off)
Dr. George M. Low, NASA Deputy Administrator, testified before Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences during hearing on U.S.-U.S.S.R. space cooperation: Recent agreements had been directed toward "achieving common objectives," not "exchange of technology" Review of relations between NASA and U.S.S.R. "suggests that we should exercise considerable caution in assessing the prospects for prompt and effective implementation of these agreements." But U.S. negotiators of October and January agreements had observed "definite improvement" over past decade. Negotiations had been "more straight forward, less political. . . . A closer kind of relation-ship seems to be intended by the Soviet side. The top level of the Soviet Academy for the first time participated directly. The negotiations were attended by the first instances of meaningful access to Soviet facilities." Dr. Low said he had "spent a half-hour or more inside the Soviet simulator with a young Russian engineer who explained in detail the working of that spacecraft and answered every question that I had. Later on, I was in the docking and rendezvous trainer with one of their cosmonauts and was allowed to attempt to fly a docking of one Soyuz against another. I did not succeed in bringing the two together. In addition, in January our delegation was invited to the principal Soviet tracking station in the Crimea. Unfortunately, the time avail-able ... did not permit us to make this visit, but we have every intention of doing so in the future." Advocating "air of cautious optimism," Dr. Low said U.S.S.R. had, "in effect, met the schedules laid down in the first agreement with a variance of only a few days. In any event, we have laid out and agreed to specific milestones for an even-handed exchange, so that neither side will gain more than the other." In response to question, Dr. Low said military components of U.S. and Soviet space programs had not been discussed at NASA- Soviet Academy of Sciences meetings. (Transcript)
Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket was launched by NASA from Fairbanks, Alaska, carrying Univ. of Alaska experiment to conduct auroral studies. Rocket and instruments functioned satisfactorily. (SR list)
Doyle G. Berry, owner of Berry Aviation Co., said in New Orleans that he had reached exclusive agreement with U.S.S.R. to sell Tu-144 supersonic transport in Western Hemisphere. Contract was being drawn up subject to State Department approval. (NYT, 3/19/71)
Two Sprint missiles successfully intercepted ICBM nosecone over Pacific in latest test of Safeguard defense system. It was first time two missiles were used in Safeguard test. Target was launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., 6700-km (4200-mi) distance. (Reuters, C Trib, 2/23/71, 8)
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