May 8 1968
From The Space Library
House passed by record 353-to-37 vote H.R. 17023, FY 1969 Independent Offices and HUD appropriations bill. Before floor debate, H.R. 1164, with points of order against NASA provisions waived, was passed by voice vote. As passed, H.R. 17023 provided $4.008 billion for NASA -$959.777 million below FY 1967 level and $580.677 million below FY 1968 (CR, H3458-502)
ESRO successfully launched first two-stage Centaure rocket fired from Italy at Perdasdefogu, Sardinia, carrying Max Planck Institute (Landau, Germany) payload to 88.5-km (55-mi) altitude in 118 sec. (AP, W Post, 5/9/68)
Arrival of Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn of Thailand at White House marked first transpacific satellite telecast of visiting head-of-state to his home country. Telecast also inaugurated television from U.S. to Sri Racha earth station in Southeast Asia. (ComSatCorp Release 68-24)
USAF F--111A aircraft crashed on training flight 60 mi north of Las Vegas, Nev. Instructor and student pilot escaped injury. USAF said cause of crash was not known. F-111As had been criticized after three of six sent to Thailand were lost within weeks. (UPI, W Post, 5/9/68, A8; AP, W Star, 5/9/68, D7; UPI, W News, 5/9/68, 2)
Director of Defense Research and Engineering, Dr. John S. Foster, Jr., testified before House Committee on Armed Services on FY 1969 defense research, development, test, and evaluation program. "We have a strong technical-military position today only because we built a strong research and technology base in the past. . . . Yet there are some indications that the program is eroding." The "net effect of continuing this trend will be a serious weakening of our long-term national security position." Research and technology funding in FY 1968 was "about 70% of the FY 1964 level, a critical 30% reduction." (Text; P SB, 6/9/68)
Charles W. Mathews, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, addressed Society of Automotive Engineers Space Technology Conference in Washington, D.C.: "A major goal of the Apollo Applications Program is to accelerate the evolution of the utility of space flight using the very major capability that has been developed in the Apollo Program. . . . First, our experience to date leads to the conclusion that the utility of space flight will be greatly enhanced by the participation of men onboard the spacecraft. Second, in manned space flight our ability to maintain operations for durations considerably in excess of those now obtained is necessary for efficient operations. . . . The initial step in this approach is the establishment of a workshop in earth orbit." Saturn IB orbiting workshop, manned after launch by three-man crew, would be followed by manned Apollo Telescope Mount, which would dock with workshop for 56-day mission to study solar phenomena-"first application of man in space to conduct advanced scientific experiments." Features and operating modes of Saturn V workshop, to follow, would be based on information gained from Saturn IB workshop. (Text)
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