March 1967
From The Space Library
Aerospace praised NASA's contributions to U.S. aeronautical research : "Since the United States started sending experimental vehicles beyond Earth's atmosphere nine years ago aeronautical research has been overshadowed by space exploration as far as the annual budgets of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are concerned. . . . But dollar comparisons fail to tell the whole story. For its space work, NASA has had to build from scratch a variety of expensive ground facilities and equipment and to make heavy outlays for complex, non reusable flight hardware. NASA's aeronautical teams spend little on flight equipment and what they do buy is reusable; furthermore, they operate from facilities for the most part built and paid for prior to the Space Age. There is no question but that space has played the dominant role in NASA's programs, but the aeronautical research effort has been far more substantial-and more rewarding-than an examination of budget figures would indicate. In the coming year, assuming Congressional approval of the pending budget, it will be increased." (Aerospace, 3/67,3)
NAS forwarded to NASA a list of 69 recommended candidates for 20-30 positions in NASA's astronaut training program. A total of 923 applications had been evaluated. NASA was expected to make final selections before Aug. 15. (NAS-NRC-NAE News Report, 3/67,3)
Hugh L. Dryden Memorial Fund had received nearly $1 million in donations for construction of 700-seat auditorium at NASA Hq. in Washington, D.C., in honor of the late NASA Deputy Administrator. Fund's ultimate goal was $2 million. (NAS-NRC-NAE News Report, 3/67,3)
Charges that NASA's Apollo program had serious deficiencies were reviewed by William Hines in series of articles in Washington Evening Star. A 55-page report submitted to NASA three days before Jan. 27 flash fire by Thomas R. Baron, former North American Aviation, Inc., inspector at KSC Apollo warehouse, charged that improper parts had been installed in Apollo 1 spacecraft. Careless and unorthodox warehousing practices had caused many parts and materials intended for spacecraft use to lose their identity, Baron told Hines in an interview. "As a result there was probably a bundle of stuff [in Apollo] that they don't have any idea what . . . it is at all." Baron also charged that on at least one occasion, NAA had installed a substandard part with deliberate subterfuge, without the knowledge of NASA. Truth about the part could easily be concealed because NASA had no quality-control men of its own in receiving warehouse, Baron said. He was particularly critical of deviation from test procedures: "When you deviate on your small components, and you deviate on all of them, and you put these in one system and you run a systems test and you deviate again, you've ended up with a system that really isn't worthwhile." James Parker, former NASA quality control inspector at KSC, told Hines that NASA quality control supervision on Apollo contractors' work was "spotty" and said he had periodically cited instances of waste and improper expenditures in reports to his KSC superiors. (Hines, W Star, 3/15/67, A1, A6; 3/19/67, A7; 3/23/67,1, A6; 3/26/67, A3)
ESRO's Kiruna rocket range-ESRANGE-had been officially opened in March, Space Flight reported. The Kiruna facility was situated 30 mi north of Kiruna (north of Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland) and occupied about 300 sq mi of virgin forest and tundra; Kiruna range would be firing base for atmospheric sounding rockets [see Mar. 151. (S/F, 4/67,1144)
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