May 26 1970
From The Space Library
Discovery among Apollo 12 lunar samples of 4.6-billion-yrold radioactive rock from moon's Ocean of Storms was announced simultaneously by Dr. Paul W. Gast, Chief of MSC Lunar and Earth Sciences Div., at MSC press conference and by Cal Tech scientist Dr. Gerald J. Wasserburg at COSPAR meeting in Leningrad. Rock oldest lunar material discovered to date-was first solid evidence that solar system was 4.6 billion yrs old. Rock was chemically unique and had highest concentration of radioactive elements yet observed in lunar samples. MSC analysts said 85-g (3-oz) rock, size of lemon, had 20 times as much uranium, thorium, and potassium as any other Apollo 11 or Apollo 12 rock. (NASA Release 70-80; Wilford, NYT,5/27/70,1)
Astronaut Donn F. Eisele would leave MSC in mid-June to become Technical Assistant (Manned Flight) in LaRC's Space Systems Research Div., NASA announced. Eisele had been astronaut since October 1963 and was CM pilot on Apollo 7 mission Oct. 16-22, 1968. (NASA Release 70-81)
MSFC Advanced Systems Analysis Office was investigating possible uses of space tug, multipurpose vehicle to be developed simultaneously with larger Space Shuttle, MSFC announced. Only space vehicle that would work with and connect all existing and future vehicles and systems, tug would first be used as link between Space Shuttle and space station to taxi cargo and passengers in earth orbit. Both MSFC and MSC were working to develop space tug plans. (MSFC Release 70-102)
MSFC announced selection of McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. and TRW Inc. for final negotiations leading to four contracts (two per company) totaling $1.2 million for Space Shuttle auxiliary propulsion system definition. (MSFC Release 70-103)
Aerobee 150 sounding rocket launched by NASA from Woomera Rocket Range, Australia, carried MSC experiment to study UV spectra. Mission did not meet minimum scientific requirements. (SR list)
DOD Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs Jerry W. Friedheim said in Washington, D.C., that deployment of Minuteman III missiles had begun in North Dakota on April 18 but their MIRVS would not be installed until June. (Roberts, W Post, 5/27/70, 3)
In speech before Young Communist League in Moscow, Cosmonaut Aleksey Yeliseyev said: "Every country follows its own path in space exploration. The main trend in Soviet space research is the construction of orbital stations that can make long flights. The United States in recent years concentrated its efforts on putting a man on the moon. In the future these paths will merge into a wide road of mankind far into space." (UPI, NY News, 5/27/70, 34; UPI NYT, 5/31/70)
May 26-27. Critical design review of lunar roving vehicle's mobility system .was held at AC Electronics Defense Research Laboratory in Santa Barbara, Calif. Meeting and second LRV meeting scheduled for June 8 at MSFC were preliminaries to final LRV critical design review scheduled for June 16-17 at MSFC. (Marshall Star, 5/27/70, 1)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
