Mar 4 1971
From The Space Library
Dale D. Myers, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, testified before House Committee on Science and Astronautics during hearings on NASA FY 1972 authorization bill: "With the Apollo 14 scientific instruments operating properly, we now have begun to develop the networks of instrumentation at different locations on the lunar surface which will allow us to use normal triangulation procedures to establish the details of the moon's structure. We have two passive seismometers and two suprathermal ion detectors in operation, one each at the Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 sites, about 115 miles [185 km] apart. Last week several moonquakes were reported . . . when the moon reached its perigee. Our instruments pinpointed the location of these events . . . close to the Fra Mauro crater area. "We also have a laser ranging retroflector at the Apollo 11 Tranquility Base and another at Fra Mauro - 750 miles [1200 km] apart. The laser ranging team at the MacDonald Observatory in Texas has reported high-quality returns from the Apollo 14 reflector. As the world's observatories refine their ability to use these instruments, we hope that they will be able to detect random wobbles of the earth's rotational axis. If so, this may contribute to the ability to predict major earthquakes." During past year, design and essentially all phases of development testing had been completed for Skylab and flight hardware was in fabrication. Definition of space shuttle was nearing completion. To develop limited capability to rescue Skylab astronauts from space, NASA had initiated design action on modification kit to give Skylab CM capacity to carry two men up to orbit and five men back to earth. Stranded astronauts could use Skylab cluster as shelter while modification kit was installed and Apollo-Saturn IB launch vehicle assigned to next revisit was made ready for launch. (Transcript)
New York Times editorial commented on nomination of Dr. James C. Fletcher as NASA Administrator: "Mr. Fletcher's highest priority at NASA will undoubtedly be to try to restore morale, insofar as possible, in a program whose ranks have been decimated by the budget cuts of recent years. NASA's new chief apparently takes the job with few illusions. This is suggested by his recent comments that budgetary problems will probably force a shift from manned to unmanned space exploration, especially beyond the moon." Such realism should "serve Mr. Fletcher well in the difficult days ahead as he tries to lead NASA toward a new equilibrium with a Congress largely disillusioned about the worth of showy and ultra- expensive ventures in space." (NYT, 3/4/71)
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