May 7 1970
From The Space Library
Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, announced that Apollo 14 would be launched no earlier than Dec. 3 toward landing on moon's Fra Mauro, intended landing site of aborted Apollo 13 mission. "Our present assessment is that the modifications to the oxygen tanks in the Service Module that have already been identified will require several months.... We will take whatever time is necessary and not commit to a specific launch date until the Apollo 13 Review Board completes its work and makes its findings and recommendations." Flight crew for Apollo 14 would be same as originally announced: Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (commander), Stuart A. Roosa (CM pilot), and Edgar D. Mitchell (LM Pilot). (NASA Release 70-67)
House Committee on Appropriations approved H.R. 17548, FY 1971 Independent Offices and HUD appropriations bill containing $3.197billion NASA appropriation-$136 million less than $3.333-billion NASA budget estimate. Appropriation provided $2.500 billion for R&D, $18.3 million for construction of facilities, and $678.7 million for research and program management. Report recommended postponement of Apollo 14 mission until 1971 "to give ample time for study, report, and correction of the Apollo 13 problems." Bill also allocated $497 million to NSF-$16 million less than NSF budget estimate of $513 million. (House Rpt 91-1060, Subcom on Independ Off)
George C. Wilson said in Washington Post that "top secret" DOD report based on photos taken by U.S. Samos satellites indicated U.S.S.R. had built fewer SS-9 missile sites in 1969 than in 1965. (W Post, 5/7/70, A7)
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