Mar 21 1967
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos CXLIX into orbit with 297-km (185-mi) apogee, 248-km (154-mi) perigee, 89.8-min period, and 48.4° inclination. Equipment functioned normally. Satellite reentered April 7. (Tech Wk, 3/27/67,28; GSFC SSR, 4/15/67)
Dr. Homer E. Newell, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, defended the Mariner/Mars 1971 mission in testimony before House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications. Responding to criticism by Committee Chairman Rep. Joseph E. Karth (D-Minn.) that information from the mission would arrive too late to contribute to the design of the 1973 Voyager spacecraft, Dr. Newell said: ". . . it is very important to recognize . . . that there are three areas of design involved. One is the hardware design. Two is software design, and three is design of the scientific mission. . . . The Mars 71 probe will be fully in time for us to use in the software design, in other words, setting the profile of the mission to get the spacecraft into the atmosphere and onto the surface, and will be fully involved in continuing design of the scientific experiments and observations. . . (Transcript, 433-5)
NASA-Cal Tech cost-plus-fixed-fee contract providing for operation of JPL had been extended for two years through Dec. 31, 1968, without major change. Since October 1958, Cal Tech had staffed and operated JPL; NASA owned the property, facilities, and equipment. (NASA Release 67-68)
Soviet Vostok spacecraft were equipped with quick-opening explosive hatches and jet-propelled ejection seats-equipment might have saved US. Apollo astronauts Jan. 27, Cosmonaut Valentina Nikolayeva-Tereshkova said in Aviatsiya i Kosmonautika. (UPI, NYT, 3/23/67)
ComSatCorp's annual report to its shareholders summarized accomplishments of 1966: "Satellite service brought a new era of communications to the Pacific area. Live transpacific television and other traffic was transmitted by the first of the INTELSAT II series of satellites even though the satellite did not achieve synchronous orbit as intended. A second INTELSAT II satellite was successfully emplaced in synchronous orbit and began regular, 24-hour commercial service over the Pacific, handling telephone, teletype, data, facsimile and television. . . ." Report also revealed that Intelsat's Interim Committee had selected synchronous orbit configuration for basic global system, substantially reducing the number of satellites necessary for global coverage and the complexity of earth stations. Selection was made "after high-quality capability of synchronous satellites was established by the performance of Early Bird." (Text)
50-lb. radio backpack that could fix a soldier's position precisely by signals from a satellite had been developed by Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory under sponsorship of USN Air Systems Command. Backpack would represent first dry land application of USN navigation satellites to military problems. In most cases, packs would be used in pairs : a forward fire controller would receive satellite signal and relay it to another soldier equipped with a backpack at an artillery base who also would have read satellite signal. Two readings would be transmitted to computer which would instantly tell each man his precise position. Navy sources predicted mass production models of backpack, working with existing satellites, could be in combat use in Vietnam soon. (Clark, NYT, 3/22/67,16)
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