May 27 1972
From The Space Library
Donald K. Slayton, Director of Flight Crew Operations at Manned Spacecraft Center, said in telephone interview with New York Times that NASA astronaut corps would be cut because it had "three times as many people as are needed." If all astronauts had stayed in program, many "would just be on dead-end streets. There have been retirements right along, and there will be further reductions. . . . It's just a fact of life that we have only one Apollo, three Skylab and one 'ren-dock' flights ahead of us, and our manpower is over our known requirements by a factor of three." Of 27 astronauts who had flown on Apollo missions, 12 had already left flying status. As many as 10 astronauts reportedly already had been asked to find other employment as soon as possible, Washington Post said astronaut corps had confirmed. Two had recently resigned- Edgar A. Mitchell and James B. Irwin- and many more of the 43 astronauts remaining were planning resignations. Philip K. Chapman would join staff of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Anthony W. England would join Science and Applications Directorate at MSC. Donald L. Holmquest and John S. Bull, both on temporary leave to universities for past year, were also expected to resign. According to one unidentified astronaut, "Slayton really feels that he doesn't need any more than 15 men" for shuttle and joint Soviet missions. In 1967 and 1968, astronaut total had reached peak of 63 men. (Lyons, NYT, 5/28/72, 1; O'Toole, W Post, 5/28/72, A14)
Dr. Wernher von Braun's resignation from NASA May 26 was "reminder of how many others who forged the American space effort in the last 15 years have left the scene," New York Times commented. Mercury Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., was "Ohio businessman with political ambitions"; Apollo 8 Astronaut Frank Borman was Eastern Airlines Vice President; Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong was Univ. of Cincinnatti professor; former NASA Administrator James E. Webb, "who built the Apollo team," was lawyer-consultant in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Thomas O. Paine, "administrator in charge at the time of the moon landing," was General Electric Co. Vice President. Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, "who gathered the manned space flight team while Dr. von Braun was building the rockets," had "recently stepped down as director of the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston." Others of "space's first generation have scattered to industry or are close to retirement." Of original 118 German-born engineers who came to U.S. with Dr. von Braun, only 35 remained at Marshall Space Flight Center. Dr. Eberhard F. M. Rees, "another of the Peenemuende V-2 rocket Germans," was MSFC director. Six of original team-including Dr. Kurt H. Debus, director of Kennedy Space Center-were still with NASA at other Centers. Of others of team, 22 were in industry, 12 were deceased, 16 had returned to Europe, and 26 had retired. (Wilford, NYT, 5/27/72)
Apollo 15 Astronaut James B. Irwin received honorary Doctor of Science degree from Samford Univ. in Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham News, 5/14/72)
May 27 June 4: U.S. International Transportation Exposition TRANSPO '72 was sponsored by Dept. of Transportation at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va. More than 400 exhibitions from 10 countries included military and civil aircraft and aerial demonstrations, experimental safety vehicles developed by automobile industry, Apollo 12 command module with Apollo 12 moon rocks, and four working models of independently powered 6- and 12-passenger "people movers" operated by pushbutton for urban mass transportation. NASA theme, "Aviation Serves the Community and the Nation," was illustrated with exhibits on aviation passenger growth, airport planning, aircraft noise reduction, pollution control, aircraft safety, long-haul aircraft for 1980s, new vehicle technology, general aviation, navigation and communications, and equation of ecology with technology. Exhibition was marred by three accidental deaths during aerobatic and precision flying demonstrations. (Langley Researcher, 5/12/72, 1; Grubisch, W Post, 5/4/72, Hl; Transpo 72 News)
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