May 12 1972
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
Dr. Thornton Page of Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) showed photos and described results of Apollo 16 far-ultraviolet camera and spectrograph experiments at Manned Spacecraft Center press conference. Photos had revealed presence of three atmospheric rings around earth, rather than two as previously believed. Newly discovered ring was probably composed of oxygen or emissions from molecular nitrogen. Photo also showed shape of geocorona. "The geocorona is well known, and . . . measurements had been made from below. But . this is the first time, except for the work on oco-v results, where the geocorona has been viewed from outside. From these photographs, we'll be able . . . to give the amount of Lyman-Alpha light emitted by each cubic mile at each distance away from the earth on all sides .. . and get a three dimensional model of the geocorona." (Transcript)
Four companies submitted technical proposals to Manned Spacecraft Center for NASA space shuttle contract: Grumman Aerospace Corp., Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., North American Rockwell Corp. Space Div., and McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. (NASA Release 72-103; Marshall Star, 5/17/72, 1)
Extension of McDonnell Douglas Corp. contract for design study of space shuttle orbiter auxiliary propulsion systems to include study of earth-storable propellants was announced by Manned Spacecraft Center. Extension increased contract value to $576 000 and carried it through Oct. 15, 1972. (MSC Release 72-101)
Apollo 16 Astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II, and Charles M. Duke, Jr., completed 13 days of postflight debriefing at Manned Spacecraft Center and prepared to spend first weekend in seven weeks with their families. (Reuters, NYT, 5/13/72, 33)
NASA launched Aerobee 170 sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range, N. Mex., carrying Naval Research Laboratory astronomy experiment. Rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. (SR list)
Impact of computers on society was discussed in Science by Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum. Computer had "very considerably less societal impact than the mass media would lead us to believe." Space travel could not have been undertaken without computers; computer and computer education industries had "grown to enormous proportions." But "much of the industry is self-serving . . like an island economy in which the natives make a living by taking in each other's laundry." Part that was not self-serving was supported largely by Government agencies and other gigantic enterprises that knew "short-range utility of computer systems but have no idea of their ultimate social cost." Airline reservation systems and computerized hospitals "serve only a tiny, largely the most affluent, fraction of society. Such things cannot be said to have an impact on society generally." (Science, 5/12/72, 609-14)
May 12-19: U.S.-U.S.S.R. Joint Working Group on Space Biology and Medicine met for second time at Manned Spacecraft Center. Meeting discussed data from Soviet Soyuz 11-Salyut I mission (June 6-30, 1971), preliminary data from Apollo 16 (April 16-27, 1972), pre- and postflight examination procedures, and methods of predicting in- flight status of crew members. Previous meeting was held in Moscow Oct. 9-13, 1971. (NASA Release 72-101; W Post, 5/14/72, A28)
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