Mar 20 1972
From The Space Library
Engineers at Kennedy Space Center pumped 805 cu m (212 000 gals) of kerosene into 1st stage of Apollo 16's Saturn V booster in preparation for scheduled April 16 launch toward moon. Countdown demonstration test would begin March 22, with crew completing simulated liftoff at 12:54 pm EST March 29. (uri, NY News, 3/21/72)
National Science Foundation issued Manpower and Financial Resources Allocated to Academic Science and Engineering Activities, 1965-71 (NSF 72-302). Universities and colleges employed 273 800 full- and part-time scientists and engineers in January 1971, 6% per year in-crease from January 1969. Annual increase rate had been 8% 1965-1969. Current and capital expenditures for science and engineering totaled $7.9 billion in 1970, 6% increase per year over 1968. Annual increase rate had been 15% 1964-1968. In constant dollar terms based on Gross National Product, 1968-1970 increase averaged only 1% per year, while 1964-1968 rate of growth averaged 12% per year. Annual growth rate of 6% in expenditures for scientific and engineering activities in current dollars during 1968-1970 was considerably lower than the 16% "nonscientific" activities in universities and colleges 1968-1970. (NSF Highlights, 3/20/72, 1)
March 20-23: New uses of electrical energy developed from NASA research were exhibited at Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers convention in New York. Exhibit included patient-assist devices for human rehabilitation, "life signs" monitoring systems for hospitals and nursing homes, powered prosthetic hand replacement, portable light indicator for blind persons, sight-switch- operated wheelchair, system for recording school attendance, private alarm systems, gas analysis system for checking room or container atmospheres, system of easily concealed circuitry for controlling lights and appliances, bacteria detection equipment, and long-range laser surveying system. (NASA Release 72-57)
March 20-24: American Astronomical Society Planetary Sciences Div., meeting in Hawaii, heard report of oxygen discovery on Mars and discussed 1971 Mariner Mars mission. Univ. of Texas astronomer Dr. Ed Barker described finding, by examining Martian light through 272-cm (107-in) telescope at MacDonald Observatory, of average of one tenth of one percent oxygen in Martian atmosphere. Since earth atmosphere contained about 10 000 times that amount, Dr. Barker concluded that "there is not enough oxygen in the Martian atmosphere to sustain human life, but I can't rule out a bacterial type of life." Mariner Mars mission was expected to return data through November 1972. (H Chron, 4/2/72; JPL Release 611)
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