Mar 2 1969
From The Space Library
Sud-Aviation chief test pilot Andre Turcat flew Anglo-French supersonic Concorde 001 prototype airliner in successful 27-min maiden flight from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, France. Inclement weather, which had delayed event originally scheduled for Feb. 28, forced holding 193-ft-long, 200,000-lb aircraft to altitudes below 3,000 ft and maximum speed of 350 mph. Concorde was designed to fly at 1,400 mph at 12,000-ft altitude. Turcat pronounced flight "very satisfactory" and said aircraft "behaved perfectly" in 90° sweep around area. U.K. prototype would fly in six weeks and air worthiness certificates were hoped for by manufacturers Sud-Aviation and British Aircraft Corp. by end of 1972, so aircraft could enter service in 1973. (BAC Pio; AP, W Star, 3/3/69, A7; Wentworth, W Post, 3/3/69, A3)
Dr. Charles A. Berry, Director of Medical Research and Operations at MSC, told preflight press conference Apollo 9 astronauts were "in a real fine state of health" for March 3 launch. Although two astronauts still had some minor throat infection, it would not interfere with planned launch time. Three-day postponement of launch from original Feb. 28 date had made possibility of inflight illness "exceedingly slim." Only addition to spacecraft's standard medical kit-which already included nasal emolient-might be throat lozenges. (Transcript)
President Nixon addressed U.S. Embassy staff in Paris before departure for visit with Pope Paul VI at Vatican and return to U.S. after goodwill tour: ". . . the success of a policy depends upon thousands of people around, in an embassy like this and an establishment like this, and millions around this world," in same way that success of Apollo 8 had depended on 400,000 Americans working on project. (PD, 3/10/69, 355)
U.S. authorities reported U.S.S.R. had conducted mid-February test-firing of defense rocket that could intercept attacking missiles at 100 to 450 mi from its launch site. Rocket appeared comparable to U.S. Spartan interceptor planned for U.S. ABM system. U.S.S.R. also was reported making progress on phased-array radar judged essential for swift detection and handling of several attacking missiles at once. (Corddry, B Sun, 3/3/69, Al)
Thomas O'Toole in Washington Post observed similarities among astronauts. Of 23 who already had flown in space, 21 were either only sons or eldest sons. Pattern tied in, he said, with psychologists' beliefs that only and eldest children tended to achieve more in life because they were disciplined more and trained and treated better by parents. Astronauts also were athletic, showed academic excellence, and had intense love of flying, O'Toole said. (W Post, 3/2/69)
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