Nov 23 1972
From The Space Library
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, during visit to Lewis Research Center told staff NASA's direction in coming years would include increased emphasis on sharing expertise with other Federal, local, and state government agencies and continued high performance in space-flight exploitation with an eye on the purse strings. He said, despite Federal budgetary restrictions, "I don't see a great change at NASA and feel we can continue in the direction we set forth this past year." (Lewis News, 12/15/72, 3)
Leading figures in Federal Government monopoly suit against International Business Machines Corp. would visit Kennedy Space Center during Apollo 17 mission to examine computer operations, Washington Post reported. U.S. District Judge David N. Edelstein, with lawyers from IBM and Dept. of Justice, would fly from New York. Similar trip had been proposed for April 16-27 Apollo 16 mission but NASA had opposed visit on grounds that it could lead to breach or relaxation of security and safety regulations. Visit was to educate court on nature of IBM equipment used during launch. (Mintz, W Post, 11/23/72, A29)
Extremely sensitive low-light-level image-intensification tube was being used by Hale Observatory astronomers to aim 500-cm (200-in) telescope atop Mt. Palomar at most distant objects in universe. Tube, developed to detect enemy troops in Vietnam, amplified faint light from remote celestial objects 2000 or more times. Tube had been adapted to astronomical use by Dr. Edwin W. Dennison of Hale Observatory and Cal Tech. (i.ATNS, W Post, 11/23/72, H9)
Electrostatic autopilot invented by Johns Hopkins Univ. physicist Maynard L. Hill stabilized small aircraft flight by harnessing horizontal voltage lines of earth's atmosphere, Associated Press reported. Device, simple enough to be made for $50, could provide small aircraft and helicopters with flying ability of airliners using costly autopilots. Hill had said instruments should open new techniques for studying cloud physics on board cheap and rugged remotely piloted vehicles (RPVS). (Haugland, AP, W Post, 11/23/72, H13)
U.S.S.R. said it would conduct missile-carrier tests in Pacific through Dec. 31. It warned ships and aircraft to steer clear of area about 2400 km (1500 mi) east of Japan. (Tass, FBIS-Sov, 11/24/72, Al; AP, B Sun, 10/24/72, 6)
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