May 15 1963
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (2MB PDF)
Millions of Americans heard and watched MA-9 launching and subsequent flight activities on commercial radio and television. Estimated 8,000 people watched launching on Grand Central Station, New York, 12-by-16-ft. television screen. Attempt to telecast launching to European viewers via RELAY I communications satellite was unsuccessful because "an error on the part of the broadcast company programmers ... resulted in the transmission of live TV monitors at Cape Canaveral which consisted of a hodgepodge of random pictures and sounds that was virtually meaningless. Videotape of launch activities and of first TV pictures from Astronaut Cooper was successfully transmitted via RELAY I later in the day. Beginning at 6:55 p.m. EDT, the three U.S. TV networks received via RELAY I a three-minute program on European reaction to Astronaut Cooper's flight. (NYT, 5/16/63; AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 5/16/63; NASA Release 63-106)
Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper's FAITH 7 Mercury spacecraft was clearly visible to unaided eye to observers in Johannesburg, South Africa. (UPI, NYT, 5/16/63, 19)
Radio Moscow wished Astronaut Cooper good luck on his space flight and said: "The Soviet people, who were pioneers in space, are hoping that this scientific experiment works out successfully. We sincerely hope that its results will serve the development of peaceful cooperation and above all cooperation between the Soviet Union and the United States in the study of the laws of the universe." (UPI, Wash. Post, 5/16/63)
X-15 No. 1 piloted by John B. McKay (NASA) reached 3,856-mph speed (mach 5.57) and 124,200-ft. altitude, 156 mph faster and 26,200 ft. higher than planned because of one-degree error in flight angle. Aircraft was equipped with traversing probe, device that extends itself about three inches from X-15 surface every four seconds, to measure air flow. (FRC Release; NYT, 5/17/63,19)
NASA announced from Cape Canaveral that recruiting 9-12 new astronauts would begin next month. (Simons, Wash. Post, 5/16/63)
NASA announced award of $10,687,000 contract to Chance Vought Corp. for 23 Scout launch vehicles. (NASA Release 63-105)
Chief of NASA Future Applications Satellites Capt. Alton B. Moody (USNR), addressing graduating class of U.S. Naval Academy, described nonmilitary navigation satellite system being studied by NASA. One such system could provide position determination, air traffic control, ship surveillance, search and rescue, fleet monitoring, and weather routing services. (Text)
International Association of Machinists announced ratification of new three-year contract with Boeing Co. Agreement ended aerospace industry-labor negotiations begun last September. (NYT, 5/16/63,33)
U.K. and France were calling conference of European Postal and Telecommunications Administrations to discuss possibility of European communications satellite system, U.K. Foreign Office spokesman said. U.K. had abandoned any plan to develop its own system. Conference participants would be Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, and West Germany. (NYT, 5/16/63, 19)
Soviet news agency Tass reported radioastronomers at Pulkovo Observatory h had discovered radiation belt around planet Jupiter. (UPI, Wash. Daily News, 5/15/63)
May 15-17: Second Annual National Flight Forum Symposium held at Hartford, Conn., with more than 300 representatives of business, industry, education, government, and military services at tending. Symposium was sponsored by Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. (NASA Release 63-101)
Addressing the Forum, NASA Administrator James E. Webb reviewed early history of U.S. development in aeronautics, noting U.S. was far hind in aircraft development in 1915, when NACA was formed: "The wisdom of its [NACA's] establishment was amply demonstrated over the ensuing years, and led ultimately to United States supremacy in civil and military aviation . . . : 'He noted U.S. was behind in 1957 when U.S.S.R. orbited SPUTNIK I, then cited formation of NASA in 1958 and President Kennedy's recommendation in 1961 of accelerated program "to give the nation a clearly leading role in the conquest of space. "I review this history because it is necessary occasionally to remind ourselves of the past if we are to have a clear view of the present. With a warning clearly sounded in space, the nation determined, for the first time, that it would seize the opportunities offered by man's new ability to explore space, and that it would not be content merely with catching up with somebody else. Instead we set our sights on the most challenging goal within our reach, which could be achieved within a time scale competitive with the ability of others to do the same, and determined that we would explore the moon with men within this decade. "Nothing in recent history suggests that we have reason now to change our course . "Those who view the lunar program simply as a propaganda effort fail to grasp that not only our prestige, but our capacity for constructive international leadership, our economic and military capacity for technological improvement, depend upon our ability to achieve acknowledged superiority in science and technology, and to use this capability in our own behalf and that of our allies .... " (Text)
Dr. Raymond L. Bisplinghoff, Director of NASA Office of Advanced Research and Technology, described NASA research in supersonic transport and in V/STOL aircraft and said: "Aeronautical and space research serves as a sharp cutting edge to advance man's knowledge in practically every technology which is fundamental to transportation devices. Although it is impossible to predict quantitatively the impact on transportation of current aeronautical and space research, past experience has shown that we may predict with confidence that it will be considerable . ." (Text)
Najeeb E. Halaby, FAA Administrator, said on May 16 that "there are areas such as in pure research-where it is impossible for private industry to bear the full economic burden. For example, clearly it is up to the Government to play a role in the development of a supersonic transport, if this Nation is to provide such an aircraft . "I believe the government should act only in areas where the people `cannot so well do for themselves' even m this increasingly complex and technical world, and that we who are charged with making decisions affecting the public must be convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that there is a need for the Federal Government to conduct the activity at all . . . ." (Text)
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