Mar 1 1962
From The Space Library
John Glenn Day in New York City. An estimated four million people lined the streets to cheer the Mercury astronauts. Mayor Robert Wagner presented the city's highest award. the Medal of Honor, to Col. Glenn and Robert IL Gilruth.
Third successful static-test firing of "Old Salty"—an H-1 engine that had been submerged in salt water for four hours before each of its test runs. Purpose of tests was to determine feasibility and costs of recovering, rebuilding, and reusing booster engines as opposed to cost of new engines. Early results indicated that engines could be recovered and rebuilt at a cost of about 10% of new engines.
NASA fired a Scout rocket from Wallops Station, Va. The rocket flew 135 miles high and about 800 miles downrange in a re-entry test reaching speeds of 19,000 mph.
Rift (Reactor-in-Flight-Test) bidders conference held at Marshall Space Flight Center.
Morton J. Stoller was named Director of the Office of Applications in NASA Hq., a post he had held in an acting capacity since January 1962. He was made Deputy Director in November 1961.
Reported in the press that a 3-ft. by 2-ft. metal fragment found on a farm in South Africa on February 21 was identified by numbers stamped on it as a part of the Atlas booster that placed Astronaut John Glenn into orbit on February 20. Local reports of an explosion about 1 AM on February 21 indicated that the fragment came to earth after about 8 hours in orbit. Fragment was reported as 4 ft. by 2-ft. "stainless steel" in Capetown telegram to NASA Feb. 26, 1962.
NASA selected Chance-Vought Corp. as contractor to study rendezvous of space vehicles. A primary part of the contract would be a flight simulation study exploring the capability of an astronaut to control an Apollo-type spacecraft.
American Airlines 707 jet transport crashed in Jamaica. Bay, N.Y.. seconds after takeoff from New York International Airport, and all 95 persons on board were killed, the highest toll in U.S. history in the crash of a single airplane. The crash occurred about one hour before the start of the giant parade in honor of Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr.
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