Mar 21 1962
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (2MB PDF)
President Kennedy opened his news conference with the announcement that he had received Premier Khrushchev's reply to his letter on cooperation in the peaceful uses of space and stated: "I'm gratified that this reply indicates that there are a number of areas of common interest." He further announced that Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, Deputy Administrator of NASA, had been designated to lead the technical discussions with Soviet representatives beginning in New York on March 27.
House of Representatives passed by a vote of 430 to 0 a bill authorizing $13 billion to DOD for procurement of ships, aircraft, and missiles. Included was $491 million for development of the controversial RS-70 but without the previous Congressional language directing DOD to use that amount for the RS-70 in FY 1963. Rep. Carl Vinson, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, read letters from the President and Secretary of Defense in which they asserted their Constitutional obligation to make the final determination in such matters but promised, in view of the Committee's concern over continued bomber development, to re-examine the RS-70 program.
House Science and Astronautics Committee's Panel on Science and Technology recommended that Project Anna, Don's geodetic satellite, be declared an international scientific satellite.
NASA announced selection of Westinghouse Electric Corp. as contractor for constructing and testing prototypes and flight models of the S-52 U.S.-U.K. scientific satellite. Second of the three satellites in this program, S-52 was scheduled for launch from Wallops Station, Va., in 1963, would contain 3 major experiments for measurement of galactic radio noise, of vertical distribution of ozone, and of micrometeorite flux.
March 21-22: Fourth meeting of the Panel on Science and Technology of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics held. Fifteen leading American scientists and engineers plus Dr. George B. Kistiakowsky, Dr. Harrison S. Brown, and Sir Bernard Lovell discussed mapping and geodetic satellites, propulsion problems, use of boron as a fuel element in space flight, and the need to strengthen universities in the training of Scientists and engineers. Dr. James Van Allen commended NASA for "marked improvement" during the past two years in its fostering of university scientific research and training programs and suggested that five per cent of the national space budget be so invested.
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